Kitz Forum
Chat => Chit Chat => Topic started by: roseway on October 03, 2010, 02:42:17 PM
-
I've treated myself to a decent photo printer (Epson Stylus Photo P50), and with genuine Epson glossy photo paper it gives sparkling results. The trouble is that the paper is rather expensive, and tends to be sold in small packs of only 20 sheets, at close to 50p a sheet. It doesn't take long to get through 20.
So what are the alternatives? Can I buy in larger quantities somewhere? And are there any cheaper brands which are capable of the same high quality?
-
This stuff is surprisingly good, and if you opt for Royal Mail delivery it comes in at 40p per sheet.........50 sheets in a pack of A4 size
Or save the cost of delivery by collecting in store if you have a Jessops near at hand.........then it's 32p per sheet.
http://www.jessops.com/online.store/products/10340/show.html
-
Eric .... not sure what size you are looking for... but I use a lot of postcard size 10 x 15 cm ....this might interest you :)
http://fwd4.me/hEp
-
I use these sites a lot,both very good.
You didn't mention the size/s you are looking for,and what weight of paper you want.Obviously the higher the gsm,the more expensive.
www.7dayshop.com
and
www.justinkandpaper.com
-
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I should have said that the size I'm looking for is A4. There is a Jessops in the local town, so I think I'll give that a try first, but the other suggestions are filed away for future reference. :)
-
As you have an Epson printer, when you open the print properties and select from the menu the type of paper you are using, you will probably find only plain paper (copy paper) and a range of Epson papers listed......so, which to use.. :hmm:
There will be a sheet of paper in the purchased packet giving the nearest settings for the non-Epson stuff you have to hand.......follow that for best results. Or experiment.....sacrifice a couple of sheets by cutting them into 4x6 sizes and play around to you find the result that suits your taste.
-
Thanks TD. As it happens, the Epson print driver incorporates a vast range of options for tweaking the colours, contrast and brightness (and many other things) to optimise the result. With the Epson paper I found that the supplied profile had a slight colour cast, and I optimised it using this colour chart. (http://www.normankoren.com/color_management_4.html) I got through about 15 sheets of paper doing this, but I think the results were worth it. I'll do the same with the Jessops paper.
-
I have found a much better and cheaper way of printing photo's.........Let Snapfish do it for you ;)
I use to have an HP Photosmart printer and printed a lot of my own photo's,but the cost of the ink(genuine)and decent paper made it very expensive.I do still print the odd one,but if I want a lot doing I use Snapfish.
-
Yes, you're right about the expense, and a lot of very serious photographers use print shops. But I get more fun out of DIY, and for me it's an absorbing hobby in itself.
-
Sorry it's a bit late, but, A4 180g/m photo paper is what I mainly use and only pay about £1.99 for a pack of 25.
"Sumvision Premium Glossy Photo Paper"
25 SHEETS A4 STANDARD PHOTO PAPER £1.99
http://www.oemicros.co.uk/news.htm
Eddie and Alice
I know they also stock a thicker quality, but not sure which one.
Checkout the price list, you could ask him if he will post some.
For most things it is fine unless you do not intend to mount in a frame etc.
I have used that paper for a log time and the quality is good for most things, but for unmounted pictures probably a 240g/m paper would be more suitable.
The last purchase was from "ALDI" and was about £2.50 /25 pack.
-
Thanks OF.
-
Just had a look at some of my 6 x4 HP photo paper,its 240gsm and a really good thickness. :)
I see the link TD posted to Jessops is also 240gsm. :)
Another good brand is Ilford paper,not the cheapest but very good quality.
Edit,while staying on the photographic theme,7day shop have a present Transcend 16GB Compact flash cards for £19.99,which is a top price for a card that size.(just noticed stock on order) :(
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_6&products_id=104375
-
The Epson paper which I'm using at the moment is 225 gsm, and I certainly want to stay with that sort of thickness. For the moment I'm not going to try many different types, because they all vary a bit in colour rendition, and setting up the printer options to get correct matching colour is quite a performance.
I'm tempted by that compact flash card. :)
-
I'm tempted by that compact flash card.
Eric ! engage self control :lol: :lol:
-
What's self control? ::) ;D
-
If you didn't want to wait for it to come into stock,there is this Kingston 8GB for £12.99.I have the 4GB one in this range and it has been an excellent card.
http://www.7dayshop.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=777_6&products_id=108782
I only have one compact flash card and really I should get another as a back up.
Here's a guide to how many images will fit on to various cards
(https://forum.kitz.co.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.picstop.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fcatalog%2Fcategory%2Fmemory-card-chart.gif&hash=9873c29a069da282fce6cd95a3b35fe16e17feac)
Another very good company I can recommend is Picstop.
They have the Transcend 16GB (awaiting stock) for £22.99 and the 8GB(in stock) for £14.99,both prices include delivery.
http://www.picstop.co.uk/memory-cards/compact-flash-cf
Edit......the 16GB has now gone up to £29.99 and is still out of stock. :(.....But the 8GB has dropped to £13.99 and is in stock. :)
-
:D
@ unkyUb........good price for the memory card.. :thumbs:
One way to save costs on printing is, of course, to reduce the amount of ink used. You read so often that "to get good prints you must print at 300 dpi" . This is a myth, 150 dpi is perfectly good enough for most purposes........and in fact most printers have a native resolution...on the Epson that will be 212 dpi, but even that is higher than you need for your own domestic output. :)
-
Regarding memory cards...........is it better to have 2 smaller ones, ie 2 x 4GB,rather than 1 x 8GB ?
-
@ unkyUb........I would prefer two smaller ones, they are going to get corrupted at some time in their life and it is not a good idea to have all your data on the failing one.
Just think how many images you will get on a 4Gb card...and think how many you could lose on a defunct 8GB card.. :o
-
Hi TD,you have just confirmed my own way of thinking. :)
Another 4GB card coming my way. :)
-
Regarding buying memory cards,if you check out Amazon.co.uk,you will find that certain companies like Picstop,Mymemory,7dayshop etc are on the Amazon site and the prices via Amazon are slightly cheaper.
-
That's a good point about the printing DPI value. I have one of my own pictures as the desktop wallpaper on this PC; it's a picture with an enormous amount of fine detail, but even at the screen's 96 dpi there is no loss of detail apparent to my eyes.
-
but even at the screen's 96 dpi there is no loss of detail apparent to my eyes. :oldman:
Sorry but you walked into that one. :D
-
:D
@ roseway......yes, but on your screen you are seeing projected light whilst on a print you are viewing reflected light. The rule of thumb is from what distance are you going to view the pics. If you are hand holding small prints.....higher dpi, .......if you are outputting a larger print to hang on a wall...lower dpi. After all, from a distance you will not see the fine detail anyway. Consider the distance from your favourite armchair to the new work of art hanging on the wall...will you detect all these little drops of ink ? :no:
Look at billboards along the street...designed to be seen from a distance and, on close inspection, showing pixels/drops the size of golf balls..with visible spaces in between.
-
I know this is for the R300 printer, but you might want to see if there is one available for your printer.
http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=4902.0 (http://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php?topic=4902.0)
-
Thanks OF. I've had a look at the CISS site, and there is a kit for the P50, currently priced at £0.00. I might as well buy ten kits while I'm at it. ;D