How many of you print you images, and if so how?

How many of you print you images, and if so how?

  • No, digital images are meant to be digested digitally

    Votes: 2 2.3%

  • Yes, but I outsource the printing process

    Votes: 23 26.7%

  • Yes, I have a printer at home

    Votes: 61 70.9%
  • Total voters
    86
Scanning with Coolscan V I bought new, printing with Epson R2400 I bought new. The Epson i was able to reset once (with Epson) and last two times reset with program bought from overseas source. I print a 4/6 print everyday minimum with it (since new).
Alas my enlarger and darkroom trays sit unused since the 70’s, but I still plan on using them in the future.
 
NB23 said:
I have been actively printing in my darkroom for 30+ years now.
Printed about 15,000 prints in 2020 and 19,000 in 2021.
Yes, sounds crazy. But I’m like that. No ldea what pushes me.

Using two focomat IIc simultaneously.
Click to expand...

Very nice Nick and welcome back! Missed your photos.

Erik van Straten said:
gelatin silver print (elmar 50mm f3.5) leica 1a (1928)

Erik.
Click to expand...

Nice one too Erik. I love the look of scanned analog prints.
 
Beautiful camera Erik! 1928 and still going strong. Love the mushroom shutter-release button.
 
I'm a member of a darkroom and I print 3-4x per month. All black and white. Great fun.

For the occasional colour print, I have a local lab do it.
 
Unfortunately I'm slowing down my printing activity. A couple of months ago I changed my Epson P600 with the new P900 which prints in a excellent way. I like it.

But there is a shortage of ink cartridge in Europe, a few are unavailable, light gray ink and light cyan seem to be the most affected. Epson does not helps and when I contacted the customer service the only answer was to try to contact resellers.:mad:

It seems one of the reasons is the chip shortage. As you know even if one of the ten ink is missing you cannot print!
If I had known it I had kept the old P600 for which at the moment inks are available !
 
I print in the darkroom, B&W silver gelatin prints only. I have a darkroom at home and like working in there. It's nice to do something without a computer in the semi-dark, with good music and sometimes a "good glass" towards the end. Call it a hobby within a hobby. I share prints through various print exchanges on photography fora.

Small digital prints for relatives are usually done through to a local photo lab or one in the Netherlands so my mother can pick them up there.
 
Erik van Straten said:
Great shot, NB23! Nice print too! What paper do you use?

btw, Unfortunately I have only two arms, so I use only one Focomat IIc. Ilford MGFB.

Erik.
Click to expand...

Thank you! Same for all your shots and prints!

I used to use a Ic for 35mm and a IIC for 120 and xpan prints, but then a IIc appeared locally and I just had to have it.

It is important to have two enlargers because it is always a chore to go from 35mm to 120 to xpan, from 8x10 to 5x7 to 11x14 prints... this is why I use one IIc for 8x10 prints and when, for example, I run into shots of the kids, instead of breaking my setup I simply move onto the other IIC and quickly print a few 5x7 and then return to the first Focomat IIc to finish the job I started...

Papers, I use anything I can get these days. I was heavily into FB papers, I had a huge stash, but I’ve printed through them all. Lots of 20”x24”, 16”x20”, spent a few years just going through those papers, then switched to 11x14 fb, had about 70 boxes of Ilford fb (warm tone and regular MGIV, matte and glossy), then 8x10 fb... And in the meanwhile paper has doubled in price. I started using rc 8x10 lately, I don’t like it that much but I can go through a lot without hassles, like 50 per day easily.
In revenge of not really liking rc papers, I do tone them all in selenium or polysulfide toner for a guarantee (so they say) of archival properties. This is my only concern, really. I favor semi-matte or matte FB, and definitely satin RC over pearl and glossy.

I’m glad, I am starting to see the end of my printing marathon which started 2 decades ago lol. My favorite paper, and so lucky to have printed a lot of it in 20”x24” was polywarmtone matte. Didn’t have the chance to use a lot of portriga, sadly! Ah yes, went through 500 sheets ilford art 300 this past year; great paper. Requires some dedication and lots of twists in order to master well.
 
Thank you, NB23, I only use Ilford MGFB glossy, but I dry it normally, not ferrotyped. I only make one print on an evening, a splitgrade print. Great way of working, but very labor intensive. The Focomat IIc is perfect for that. When the print is washed, it is dried on an old large Büscher and flattened on an old Seal Compress 110.

Erik.

scanned print:

52227237159_456c10c9ef_b.jpg - Click image for larger version Name: 52227237159_456c10c9ef_b.jpg Views: 26 Size: 153.6 KB ID: 4812140
 
I can do normal inkjet printing (Cone inks), but I can and do make digital negs for both traditional B&W prints, but also for Kaliatype and PP printing.
 
I've been using an Epson P600 for a number of years now, and it works great for me. I don't print large, usually 5x7 or 8x10 for friends and family or just to switch out the prints in frames we have hanging around the house. Never had any issues with clogging, even when I don't print for months at a time. Print quality is very good, much better than when I was using a darkroom years ago. It's not inexpensive, but I find it very satisfying, and people appreciate prints.
 
I TRY to print using a Canon archival inkjet printer. What ACTUALLY happens when I try to print is that since the last time I used it, the printer has run out of one of its ten inks -- "Cannot print because the Profit Optimizer cartridge is empty. Please replace the empty cartridge and try again" -- so after an hour or so of struggle I give up and post on Instagram instead.
 
I'm glad I came upon this thread. I have never printed out my own photos and, instead, have occasionally out-sourced them, usually 11x17 B&W prints. Oddly, across the last year, my attempts at out-sourcing have been a struggle, with challenges between my monitor calibration efforts and the end print results. I use an x-rite i1 display calibrator and didn't have problems until the past year, previously using 120 luminance on a prior monitor. Now, with new monitors, it seems I need something closer to 80 luminance. Anyway, a year of struggle has left me wanting "more control," so I think I will be moving toward printing my own images. I tend to print photos at 11x17, and they are always B&W. It seems that good inkjet printers (e.g., Epson XP 15000, Canon iP8720) can do color prints very well, but struggle somewhat with B&W in terms of achieving neutral blacks. This has me leaning "upward" toward a Canon Pro 200, which is out of stock most places. I plan to use quality luster paper for my B&W prints, and dies, instead of pigments, would be fine for me.

Anyway, any thoughts you have would be appreciated. Hope all is well on your ends ...
 
ramosa said:
This has me leaning "upward" toward a Canon Pro 200, which is out of stock most places. I plan to use quality luster paper for my B&W prints, and dies, instead of pigments, would be fine for me.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about the Pro 300 for B&W and pigment inks but at the end I went with the ET 8550. Having ink tanks makes it much cheaper to print and importantly I need not to worry about the cost of the dyes.

Keith Cooper has put out a lot of information about all these new printers from the Pro 200 to the Pro 300, ET 8550 and P700.

Here is the review for the ET 8550: https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-et-8550-printer-review

The prints on Luster are great. On top of it if you have some fine art paper it can mix pigment black with dyes and create some really nice results as well.
 
jpressman said:
I've been using an Epson P600 for a number of years now, and it works great for me. I don't print large, usually 5x7 or 8x10 for friends and family or just to switch out the prints in frames we have hanging around the house. Never had any issues with clogging, even when I don't print for months at a time. Print quality is very good, much better than when I was using a darkroom years ago. It's not inexpensive, but I find it very satisfying, and people appreciate prints.
Click to expand...

jpressman—Are you printing color, black-and-white, or both? How is the P900 for black-and-white?
 
I make gelatin silver prints, including lith prints, from film. I also have an Epson 3880 which I use primarily for making digital negatives from which I make platinum palladium prints. I also use the printer in a hybrid manner for palladium over pigment prints. I have made some digital black and white prints from scanned film, and a few digital color prints from digital images. I do not print large. I generally print full frame 9.25" x 13.875" matted to 16x20. I use third party inks from Jon Cone's Inkjet Mall to keep costs in check. They are every bit as good as Epson inks. I have seen excellent large prints from the big Epson printers, but I have no experience using them. I don't know anything about the Canon printers.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top