mrtoml
Mancunian
You could check out the Quadtonerip group and Paul Roark's site. Some of these photographers use more recent 13" Epsons and mix their own inks. I mix my own inks for the Epson 3880 using eboni. There is a steep learning curve though.
Like others have said it is a lot easier to use a system like ABW or maybe just get the Jon Cone Piezography setup. He has a list of printers that are supported:
Not cheap though...
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
This is what I've been needing to find because that's what I'd like to get into doing. After reading this a bit of online snooping shows the P700 & P900 (current 13" & 17" printers) both support that 10 ink cartridges set and that ABW mode. Of course. finding the capital to get set up to to print, mat and sell them... bleah... and then marketing them ... double bleah...
lukitas
second hand noob
I've been using the P600 since a few years now. Mostly for black and white. Generally happy with the results.
It has become the only way I make photos. Only a print counts as a photograph.
Digital storage is fragile, and losses can be catastrophic events. Molecules are better than electrons.
It has become the only way I make photos. Only a print counts as a photograph.
Digital storage is fragile, and losses can be catastrophic events. Molecules are better than electrons.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
You can save a lot of money doing your own framing. Buy a GOOD mat cutter; don't pinch pennies on that. A good one will save you a lot of frustration and make the job very fast and easy. There are a lot of cheap ones that really make the process hard.
When I was in art school, my professors in classes that involved 'works on paper' (photography, drawing, watercolor, graphic printmaking) required us to turn in our work for grading mounted and matted. They didn't care if we did it ourselves or paid a framer, but the quality of the matting would impact grades. I went to a framer my first semester and it cost me a fortune. It was costing 20-40 dollars per artwork (depending on size). At the beginning of my second semester, one of the professors, who I took a drawing class from, spread the word that he was willing to teach a matting and framing workshop outside normal class time if any of us students were interested. He promised that we would save a ton of money if we learned to do it ourselves. I took advantage of the opportunity.
The school didn't have a mat cutter we could use, so he suggested a model to buy that he said was capable of professional-level results, was easy to use, and was not terribly expensive (some high end mat cutters can cost thousands). The one he recommended cost about $200 if we bought it mail order (this was 28 yrs ago, before online shopping became a thing). At the same time, my grandparents asked me if there was anything I needed for school that they could buy me. This was my dad's parents. Neither had graduated from high school, and grandpa actually had just an 8th grade education. They were very proud that I, their oldest grandchild, was going to Indiana University. I told them about the mat cutter, and how much it was costing to have this done by a frame shop, and they gave me the $200 to buy the mat cutter.
It was the best investment in gear in my entire art career. Comparing the cost of the mat board I used to the prices the framers charged, I saved more money than my grandparents paid for that mat cutter the very first time I used it. I still have it today, and still use it. I wore out the main cutting head several years ago, and a new one cost me around $30. Aside from that, nothing has ever needed replaced on it.
The model I bought is still made today, although the model number has changed, and it now costs about $340. It is worth it. Don't cheap out and buy the less expensive version that does not have the squaring arm; you will deeply regret it. Here is the one I have and recommend.
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
Excellent information! That's something I really needed to know.
I see you have a framing tutorial at your web site, I'll study it on my upcoming "Weekend"
Cascadilla
Well-known
Great advice--for the first show I ever did I paid a frame shop to cut mats for me and realized that a mat cutter would quickly pay for itself. I started out with a Dexter, which in my humble opinion should have been banned by the Geneva Convention, and moved on to a Logan similar to yours. It is one of the best things I have ever purchased and I have it to this day, 25 years later.
mrtoml
Mancunian
I also have a Logan mount cutter and it has lasted for years.
sojournerphoto
Mentor
I also have a Logan mat cutter like Chris’ and completely agree with all he said.
I’ve done framing too, but these days would rather just provide a matted print if possible.
One thing you learn really quickly is that, if you don’t take control of the process yourself, you will get paid less for your art than the framer does for his
I’ve done framing too, but these days would rather just provide a matted print if possible.
One thing you learn really quickly is that, if you don’t take control of the process yourself, you will get paid less for your art than the framer does for his
wlewisiii
Just another hotel clerk
I have considered that as well, especially selling around here.
Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.
I've found that selling off my website, offering framed prints has greatly increased sales. A lot of people want something ready to hang. I sell a lot of photos to people who give them as gifts, and having something ready to hang is especially important for those buyers.