Is home photo printing worth it?

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Thinking about getting a Canon Pixma home printer that can do photos. I know you can get them a lot cheaper at the shop, but do they print good pictures?
 
Before my Canon died it did well printing photos. I used it only for 8x10s as you can get 4x6, 3x5 and 5x7 cheaper at WalMart. The 8x10s only made sense for cost savings.

Since you can upload here in the US to your local Walmart, then pick them up for 13 cents for the 4x6 that's what we do.

Now that the printer is dead, I'm trying to find something that is as cheap to get cartridges without spending a small fortune.

And yes, with the proper paper ($12 for 500 sheets at the Sam's Club) the photos are impressive.

Take care, bill
 
I bought a HP CP-1215 colour laser printer and with the glossy paper it prints outstanding photos. The toners (all individual colours) last a lot longer than inkjet cartridges at a fraction of the cost per print.

Might think about that instead.
 
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No for 4x6 prints or smaller. Just send them to Walgreens, walmart etc. That said I have a Canon inkjet that will scan, fax, or copy that makes the ocassional color photo. Quality is not as good as laser. If you must print color at home, lasers are better.
 
pixma 9500 ii and 9000 ii can be had for relatively very good price and are phenomenally good. the 9500 uses archival ink and has 10 tanks. the 9000 can be had for bargain price, and uses 8 tanks. i have the 9000 and i love it. i use it at work for my forensic documentation, 8.5 x 11 inch prints. it will go up to 13 x 19.
 
Originally Posted By: Captain_Klink
pixma 9500 ii and 9000 ii can be had for relatively very good price and are phenomenally good. the 9500 uses archival ink and has 10 tanks. the 9000 can be had for bargain price, and uses 8 tanks. i have the 9000 and i love it. i use it at work for my forensic documentation, 8.5 x 11 inch prints. it will go up to 13 x 19.


This would be my concern, how will these prints look in 75 years when the grandkids get them out to see what Grandpa looked like.
 
For blowing up the occasional 8x10 print, I always use walmart or walgreens.

The quality is something better than I am going to get at home, and the price can't be beat.

For my daily printing, I just retired my 4 year old $49 dell mono-chrome laser printer for a $59 brother monochrome.

The average joe isn't going to save anything by having a photo printer at home, except maybe time, and even that is a wash..
 
My FIL has the Sony Snaplab (or named similar), which is a step up from the color ink/laser printers that do photos. Even that doesn't compare to a fuji system actually printing photos. I'd go to the store of your choice and use their pro system. I've had good luck with adorama printing big stuff.
 
Originally Posted By: crinkles
Thinking about getting a Canon Pixma home printer that can do photos. I know you can get them a lot cheaper at the shop, but do they print good pictures?


You won't save money by printing your own at home and it's definitely not worth it for printing a batch of snap shots if drugstore/Wallyworld quality is good enough for you.

Unless you want to take advantage of being able to print on your own schedule with full control over what you do, it just doesn't make sense to print quantities of photos at home.
 
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear

This would be my concern, how will these prints look in 75 years when the grandkids get them out to see what Grandpa looked like.

Keep your photos as digital and they will look good for as long as you can keep your files. Then reprint as needed.

Vic
 
the 9500 ii archival ink is for 100+ years, minimum. keep it in an album and it will last for hundreds of years. artists use it to print their own work and sell it, is how good it is.
 
I got 199 photos submitted last night for online printing and postange, $22. 10c ea. plus postage. Pretty good.

I think when i first thought about home printing 2 or so years ago I worked out the paper itself is already 20c per 4x6, nevermind the printer, ink etc. you just can't beat the wholesale printing factories where these guys do the printing and ship it out. Funny, I was submitting film for processing not 7 years ago still,..

Printed photos can't crash on a harddrive or need 5 duplicate memory drives to make sure they see the future.

I think a lot of folks are going to learn the hard way in 10 years that all their memories are gone.

on the upside we are lookign at the EOS 1000D SLR bought using the tax refund... it's about time !
 
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Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
I have all my music on 8 track.



Mine is chiseled into round granite slabs. You should see the turntable they require.
 
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