Digital Film Printing ?'s

[ctcsoft]

Few questions here. Hope this is the right spot...

How long are digital pictures supposed to last after printed?

Are the Canon i470D Photo Printer's any good? A better canon I should
be looking at? I can't afford ALOT.

Right now I do all my printing at walmart but would rather do my own
LONG AS I can keep the same or produce even better quality.

Also is it cheaper in the long run to print your own? How is the cost
of ink and photo paper on these printers?

thx.
:beer:

 

[Anubis]

what size are you printing at?

and you can get high quality paper that will last 50+ years

for larger prints i recomend this
http://www.usa.canon.com/html/conCprProductDetail.jsp?modelid=9390&item=9445&section=10214

for smaller ones this
http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/cp300-200/index.html

 

[ctcsoft]

Originally posted by: Anubis
what size are you printing at?

and you can get high quality paper that will last 50+ years

really?! Me needs some of that paper then.. Is there a good website
you can link me to on this paper?

Most of my printing will be 4x6's, wallets and stuff maybe
some 8x10 on occasion too.

 

[dartworth]

What is more important...the paper or the ink?

Something I have been wondering about.

 

[Anubis]

i have no idea where to get the paper. i know epson makes it tho

illford also makes it

check out the forums over at photo.net for more info

 

[bubbadu]

I would probaly stay away from the I470.. the cartiages it uses are TINY TINY. The black only has 9ml and the color has about 15ml. Unless you can get cartiages for cheap, I wouldn't touch one of those printers unless it was super cheap. At Staples we did have them for cheap last month or so, but now they are back to full price. Overall the print quality would be decent (4800by1200dpi) but I think for your money you could spend a little bit more and get something like the I560 which has much bigger cartiages and plus they are seperate. Knockoffs are also readily avaiable for it. I would spend the 90 bucks or so on like a I560, but overall, the I470 can get real expensive real fast.

 

[ctcsoft]

how is the i900d different than the i470d?

MAJOR price difference but both print the same resolution 4800x1200??

bubbabu -- thats for that info on the expensive cartidges. I was just about to
buy a i470d from the forums!! think i will hold off. it was CHEAP but in the long
run I will be buying lots of catridges.

 

[Anubis]

the paper that lasts is called "archival matte"

 

[bubbadu]

I900d is a HUGE jump over the I470.. first of all, its a true 6 color printer, where the I470 is only four, running off of about 10 year old cartaiges. The I900's use the 6 Series of cartiages which are rock solid. The I900D, is the I900 plus the color screen, so if you wanted to save money, just get an I900. If I recall correctly, the I900 was PC mags printer of the year for 2003.

 

[IanthePez]

If you don't need a card reader/view screen look at the i960 instead of the i900d. The 960 if $50 less and gives you slightly better quality prints. If you want a wide format printer, get the i9100. Those are the only two printers I would recommend right now based on the ones I get the most feedback from at work and the test prints i've done on all of them.

 

[0roo0roo]

if you can't afford a lot, don't bother. to do it right one must buy all materials from your manufacturers brand. brand paper, brand ink... you can't mix and match and expect it to last or have good quality. and cheaping out on hte printer isn't good either. ink costs are not fun. its best to just use a print service and pay as you go, they use professional equipement and do it right from the start. your not going to save any money doing it yourself. costs are aweful.

 

[RossMAN]

Originally posted by: IanthePez
If you don't need a card reader/view screen look at the i960 instead of the i900d. The 960 if $50 less and gives you slightly better quality prints. If you want a wide format printer, get the i9100. Those are the only two printers I would recommend right now based on the ones I get the most feedback from at work and the test prints i've done on all of them.

Awesome printer, I've seen it for $199 - $30 coupon = $169 with free shipping.

 

[Parrotheader]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
if you can't afford a lot, don't bother. to do it right one must buy all materials from your manufacturers brand. brand paper, brand ink... you can't mix and match and expect it to last or have good quality. and cheaping out on hte printer isn't good either. ink costs are not fun. its best to just use a print service and pay as you go, they use professional equipement and do it right from the start. your not going to save any money doing it yourself. costs are aweful.

I tend to agree. I print the occasional photo on one of my printers at home or at the office (where we've got some VERY high end printers for our graphic arts folks) and get nice enough quality, but I've found it's usually just a lot cheaper and easier to use a professional photo service to print most of my photos.

 

[MrBond]

I'll third just continuing to use Walmart/professional service. Our photo printer does a nice job, but in order for your prints to last the 50 years the paper is guaranteed for, you have to use genunie ink (we have an HP, ink is expensive) and the paper itself is quite expensive.

There ARE generic carts out there for a lot of the canon printers, however, I would not reccomend using them if you want to print photos. I use generic ink in my epson everyday inkjet, and while it's decent for everyday printing, it's not good enough that I'd trust it for photos.