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Old 21-07-2008, 01:39 AM
Ian Robinson
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Does anyone here print their digital images at home ?

I've an Epson Stylus CX6500 , capable of 5760 x 1440 Optimised dpi using Resolution Performance Management (RPM) Technologyon up to A4 or similar width (+ a bit) on glossy photographic print media. Also works as a scanner , and fax.

The blues look a bit off to me (purplish) and I am not sure how to do the YGWYS with the printer and my computers (though I presume I can do it if I fiddle with the colour settings and gama and such like.
Not done very much photoprinting on it except a few happy snaps for my mum (from my wife's 3.5 Mpix camera - that's a bit of junk).

What do you guys use , or do you just take a CD or DVD to the local photolab and ask for commercial prints ?

Last edited by Ian Robinson; 21-07-2008 at 01:49 AM.
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Old 21-07-2008, 07:00 AM
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acropolite (Phil)
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I print with an Epson R1800 (pigment based inks), I can get as good a result as a professional lab....if I spend the time and effort doing adjustments. Depending on where you're printing from there should be options for adjusting pretty well everything. Here's a screenshot from the advanced settings on my printer, you should have something similar in your printer setup.
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Old 21-07-2008, 07:04 AM
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iceman (Mike)
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I do occasionally, but only as a preview. I usually take them on a USB flash drive to the photo labs to get done properly.

I'd reckon to do it properly at home you'll need:

1) to calibrate your monitor (using hardware calibration tools like spyder)
2) to calibrate your printer (so it matches your monitor)
3) to use the correct colour space profiles in photoshop and on your printer
4) good quality printer
5) good quality ink
6) excellent quality paper
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Old 21-07-2008, 10:08 AM
Ian Robinson
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Quote:
Originally Posted by acropolite View Post
I print with an Epson R1800 (pigment based inks), I can get as good a result as a professional lab....if I spend the time and effort doing adjustments. Depending on where you're printing from there should be options for adjusting pretty well everything. Here's a screenshot from the advanced settings on my printer, you should have something similar in your printer setup.
I see the same tool box with my printer.

So what settings do you use for :

Gamma
Cyan
Magenta
Yellow

to get the colouring perfect when printing to glossy photoprint paper ?

PS : I only use original Epsom ink cartridges.
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Old 21-07-2008, 01:16 PM
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All of the above Mike, and I do all my stuff at home, I have just purchased a Canon iX 4000 printer and it is very very nice indeed, it will produce border less A3 size.

The trick, well not really a trick, is to use the best Canon paper you can get and don't use any other ink except the specified type for that paper.

The results are then just magic.

Leon
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Old 21-07-2008, 05:04 PM
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dugnsuz (Doug)
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watching with interest!!!
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Old 28-07-2008, 07:00 PM
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Geoff45 (Geoff)
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Mike is spot on here. Monitor calibration is essential, even if you are getting printing done professionally. Changing the settings on the monitor doesn't affect the print, so if you want the colors on the monitor to match the print, you need to have the monitor calibrated.

If you are doing your own printing. you also need printer profiling (for $75 here). You will need to use the same ink, printer and paper for a given printer profile. Generic stuff won't be consistent, so pay the extra money and use the printer manufacturer's inks. Using adobe gamma and the canned printer profiles is better than nothing, but is not as good as doing the thing properly
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Old 30-07-2008, 12:04 PM
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g__day (Matthew)
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I never print from home. In my mind there is no way a few hundred or few thousand dollar printer can match the quality of a three quarter of a million dollar MFD.

So I grab my best shots and wait until someone has a print special and simply take astro shots + usual family outings and print a few hundred shots off at 10 to 20 cents a snap. There is simply no way to hit near that price point, especially if you have alot of black ink (greater than 5% coverage) in a shot.
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Old 30-07-2008, 01:06 PM
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vash (Ashley)
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I used to have a printing place locally that did really good prints, but they closed down, took me a few weeks to find a place that can Print out TIFF files, now I found them I get all mine done through them, A3's come out beautiful, plus they gave me a freebie and a discount, mainly because I told them that they have all of my business from now on.
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