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This topic comprises 2 pages: 1 2
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Author
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Topic: HP ink cartridge woes
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Adam Wilbert
Jedi Master Film Handler
Posts: 590
From: Bellingham, WA, USA
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 09-26-2004 10:03 PM
Look for a print shop that uses a Xerox DocuColor 12. They'll absolutely blow you away, and they're pretty standard for office print shops including OfficeDepot and Kinkos. You can in fact do glossy in a laser, but it can't be "photo paper" that ink jets use. The gloss finish just melts to the fuser. You'll need a special laser safe gloss stock, which comes in various weights. I know Kinko's has this available if you ask. Matte stocks also usually look nice, but for an image that has a lot of coverage, they tend to be a bit on the glossy side anyway because of the amount of toner used. Stay away from color printers that use wax sticks instead of toner, the color has always faded really quickly (six months or less) and the wax process plays havoc with line wieghts.
As far as phot printing, I love the SONY picture station at my nextdoor kinkos. I'm not sure what the Kodak machines use (or others at walgreens, walmart, etc) but the sony model uses a dye sublimation printer that will even blow away color laser prints. For smaller stuff (4x6), the price can't be beat. They'll take CD, memory sticks, compact flash, smart media, secure digital, and have a scanner for hard copies. So there's my raving about digi-printing.
-Adam
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Ron Yost
Master Film Handler
Posts: 344
From: Paso Robles, CA
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 09-26-2004 10:32 PM
Hey Mark,
Sorry to be so long answering .. been gone all day.
I'm not sure of all the formats accepted by the Fuji's, but I give it Quality-10 JPG's at 300 dpi (the printer prints at 300 dpi), sRGB color-space. I work on the files in PShop first. I shoot mostly Canon RAW-format files (the largest, highest-quality least-processed file the camera is capable of), so they have to be 'adjusted' in Photoshop.
When done I save them on CD and insert it into the Fuji Kiosk and tell it what I want. I think the interface-kiosk takes all common 'portable' digital storage media, but not sure about ZIP Disks.
Full specs and how to prepare digital files for these printers is available on several websites, but I don't have any URL's handy. It does take a bit of 'getting used to', however. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
I'm still doing 'manual'-control of the printer .. meaning at the kiosk. Print by print.
There IS a way around that, tho. One can 'imbed' a custom printer profile in EACH image ahead of time (at home) and, thus, 'tell' the printer what to do with that file, very precisely. However, I'm just learning how it's done and haven't actually tried it yet. The 'standard' printer profiles are available on the web and one starts with this profile, somehow adjusting it .. in Photoshop, I think. Kind of neat .. as you can tell it to do all sorts of things. More than are available at the kiosk.
Takes more time, tho. But, you can do it at home and not standing at the kiosk with people waiting in line behind you. Just load the disk, it reads it, and presto (sort of) you're done.
You DO have to find out the exact model number of the printer, tho. That I do know. Each model has a different standard profile, apparently.
So, in sum, it's a tradeoff. Your method is DEFINITELY faster and cheaper. (Wally 8x10's are only about $1.80, tho.) If it works for you not much reason to change, huh? ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I, too, lament the 'change' to digital from film. I'm a long-time Nikon user, still using a couple of black "F's" I bought back in the late 70's. When I decided it was time to 'try digital' I switched to Canon because I like the velvet-smooth color rendition of their CMOS sensor better than Nikon. I bought the Rebel so I could sort of evaluate the system without investing too much in it if I didn't like it. I do like it, tho, so will probably 'trade up' to a Canon with more features in the near future. The 20D looks attractive, but it has a couple of small 'issues' that need to be worked out. The 1D's are waaaay out of my price range!
Anyhow, sorry to ramble on so, Mark. Hope I did a little good.
Edit: Steve, you're probably right. I don't pay much attention to them and didn't notice any other printer standing there. Probably the Kodak printer is smaller, if it's 'dry' .. it may be built into the kiosk itself?? Thanks, Steve.
Edit 2 .. Did a quick cursory check on the Kodak Picture Maker kiosk online, and they are indeed 'thermal' dye-sub prints. From what I saw on the web they're pretty pricey, compared to wet prints. A tad over $6 for an 8x10 .. but this may or may not be accurate. No personal experience from me. YMMV.
Ron Yost
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John Pytlak
Film God
Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000
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posted 09-27-2004 01:44 PM
Kodak's new products at Photokina:
Kodak at Photokina 2004
quote:
Kodak is presenting at Photokina 2004 a complete digital imaging system that connects picture taking with storing, organizing, sharing and printing. The innovations include an agreement with many of the world’s leading digital camera manufacturers, who will design future cameras that fit onto KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Docks. This unprecedented partnership will give more consumers the ability to enjoy prints from the world’s fastest-growing seller of snapshot photo printers.
Kodak On-Line Photo Services
quote:
Ordering Kodak prints online is more convenient than ever. With advanced photo labs on both coasts, Ofoto delivers your order in 2 days or less!
Kodak Prints at Home
quote:
Get high-quality prints at home
Printing at home is a quick, convenient way to get prints from your digital camera. Kodak provides several simple solutions, from a full range of KODAK Inkjet Papers to a family of KODAK EASYSHARE Printer Docks (Thermal Media). You can even have them delivered to your door by ordering through Ofoto, Kodak's online printing and sharing service. The KODAK EASYSHARE System makes it easy for you to get the brilliant, long-lasting prints you've come to expect.
Kodak Picture Maker Kiosks
quote:
The Digital Imaging Marketing Association (DIMA) named Eastman Kodak Company's KODAK Picture Maker G3 kiosk a DIMA Innovative Digital Product Award winner at the 2004 Photo Marketing Association (PMA) Annual International Convention and Trade Show, held last week in Las Vegas.
DIMA recognized the KODAK Picture Maker G3 kiosk as one of 10 products, out of hundreds of digital products on display, for its influence on the future of digital imaging. Judges defined the KODAK Picture Maker G3 kiosk as a product utilizing new technologies in such a way as to make it either unique or the first of its kind.
Also, at the first annual DIMA Photo Kiosk Shoot-Out, the KODAK Picture Maker G3 Order Station LS and the KODAK Picture Maker G3 Print Station 24 won in the "Remote and Stand-Alone/Remote Combination" categories, respectively. Manufacturers brought their digital photo kiosks to the DIMA Shoot-Out studio where the kiosks were evaluated based on user friendliness, quality of print, feature set, overall experience, number of steps to get to the print function, ergonomics and speed and specification sheet rating. A panel of digital imaging experts and the DIMA board judged the competition.
Kodak Thermal Printing Media (Dye Sublimation)
quote:
Thermal media from Kodak Professional, along with KODAK PROFESSIONAL Thermal Printers, delivers the same high-quality photographic prints that you have built your reputation on. Whether you are producing digital portraits in the studio, creating high-quality transparencies for presentations, selling digital photos at an event or making CMYK proofs for your next offset print client, Kodak has a thermal output solution to meet your needs. From 4 x 6” photo prints on the 4720 printer up to 9-1/2 x 14” professional prints on the 8670 PS printer, Kodak offers a media and printer to suit your digital application.
quote: William Hooper
All I know that is inside the Kodak Picture Maker kiosk is a man who continuously speaks to the air in an affected, unreal, unconversational fake-DJ voice, & if I can get close enough to one with a crowbar, I'm gonna let him out.
I was offered that job, but failed the psychological test because I am claustrophobic.
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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."
Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001
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posted 09-27-2004 05:30 PM
Every color printing method has its pluses and minuses. In dealing with large format color printing for signage, I choose different mediums based on cost, print longevity and other factors.
Ink jet printing on glossy paper or vinyl (and preferably laminated) is the way to go for prints featuring photographic content and optimal for close-up viewing. Lamination makes the color pop even more. The downside with ink jet is the prints have a shorter lifespan. UV enhanced inks have helped, but I still would not recommend this method for any long term outdoor displays.
Thermal resin / solid ink printers can generate product that will last outdoors longer, and can even be used without lamination. However, photographic quality is not as good. Devices like the Gerber Edge or Roland's ColorCAMM are best used for printing (and cutting) graphical looking artwork.
Electrostatic printing (from small office color lasers to a $250,000 Scotchprint Graphic maker from 3M) does a little better than thermal resin for making prints with photographic imagery. Color toner is less expensive than ink jet color for space coverage. Electrostatic still lacks a bit of the color fidelity of ink jet. This includes the high end laser printers and color copiers far out of the price range of affordability to the average consumer or small business. Next to a good large format thermal ink jet printer, electrostatic based output is a little drab by comparison. Print longevity has improved with electrostatic printing. We'll get billboard prints with a 5 to 7 year warranty, which is way more than enough considering the standard billboard display will only be up for a few weeks to a few months.
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Scott Jentsch
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1061
From: New Berlin, WI, USA
Registered: Apr 2003
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posted 09-28-2004 12:23 PM
If you haven't tried them out yet, take a look at Shutterfly, which is an online photo printing service.
We had 300 digital photos and scans to print for a big scrapbooking project my wife had planned, and I didn't really wish to take on the job of printing that many photos on my trusty Epson 870.
We took a sample of 15 photos that would expose color saturation, shadow highlights, and other characteristics, and took them to a local discount store (Target) and then uploaded the same files to Shutterfly.
The photos from Target were dull and not at all similar to what I saw on screen, whereas Shutterfly did an excellent job with them.
I wanted to check out more places, like WalMart, Walgreens, and Ofoto, but we got such good results and decent prices from Shutterfly that we went through them.
This was definitely simpler and faster than printing them myself, but nothing beats the ability to have results immediately, or be able to tweak endlessly to get just the right result you're looking for. It's nice to have such choices depending on the task at hand!
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