Printers
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@AngelinaKizz I think the printers with the seperate inks are the best in terms of cost. You definitely don't want to buy a cheap one with just a seperate black and a seperate colour. I have an Epson and the inks are still working a few years later! I am not sure on the quality of the inks in terms of lightfast. Not sure if they are archival-non fade.
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@AngelinaKizz Hi Angelina!
I have a Canon Pro-100. I've had it for several years now, I think it was around $500 when I got it? I'm not sure. It prints beautifully. My biggest prints are 11x17, but I can print as small as 4x6. (I think technically the range you can print is 3.5x5 up to 17x22, but I haven't tried those sizes). It uses archival ink that are in individual cartridges, so you "save" money that way. I think each cartridge is around $25 but they do last you a long time. I feel that this printer has been a good investment for me since I don't have a large audience and usually end up printing small batches for my patrons or for clients who want a print of their work.
Hope this helps!
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@Daisy thankyou! How many color cartridges does it hold?
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@AngelinaKizz I wish I could find the conversation thread about this from a year or so ago. I know @Melissa-Bailey and @LauraA were part of it. I and several others went for the Epson Workforce-7840. At the time it was about $550 from Staples, and can do the sizes you mention as well as custom sizes. Great quality. I've loved having mine, but it is a BIG guy.
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@Valerie-Light
Thanks! Space is a bit of an issue, but for it to make larger prints I’m anticipating that it will likely need more space. I feel like I will still need a standard cheapo printer for my kid to print school projects, and to print sewing patterns from because I wouldn’t want to use the good ink. -
@AngelinaKizz I have a Canon PRO-10, which uses pigment inks. It is similar to the PRO-100 which uses dye inks. It is rather large but prints up to 13x19 I think. Availability of inks is something to consider too, because you don't want to be scrambling for inks when you have a deadline. The PRO-10 prints are beautiful and produces a very good range of color with its 10 ink tanks, but the inks aren't widely available, for example either at Staples or Best Buy. I have to buy either directly from Canon or Hunt's Photo (photo equipment/supply store) which happens to be in my area.
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@AngelinaKizz It holds 8. I think I misquoted the price, they are $17 per cartridge or $125 for the set:
https://shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/cli-42-color-8-ink-value-packThe printer will come with a limited amount of ink initially. So you can make a few prints without purchasing them right away.
I like using either hahnemuhle archival paper (pretty expensive):
https://www.amazon.com/Hahnemuhle-Smooth-Bright-Inkjet-8-5x11/dp/B00573SHGE/ref=sr_1_6?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4PKTBhD8ARIsAHChzRJOyzEW_QFsiU-5213TcdUgvKMix3o1gpFAJ4eeJ4ld-7vUIYG4nJEaAklXEALw_wcB&hvadid=580699382101&hvdev=c&hvlocphy=9033322&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=b&hvrand=16768332659485287305&hvtargid=kwd-3088641085&hydadcr=28987_14563971&keywords=hahnemuhle+photo+paper&qid=1652416328&sr=8-6or Red River Paper, which is more affordable and comes in many different finishes:
https://www.redrivercatalog.com/art-design-base-kit.html -
@Daisy wonderful thankyou so much!
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@AngelinaKizz I'm glad if it helps a bit! Good luck printer hunting! If you haven't made any prints yet, there is something special about holding something you've made
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@Daisy I have yet to make my own prints but currently go through a specialty printer in my city to have artwork professionally printed. They do absolutely phenomenal print work, but it’s quite pricey. I paid over $70 to have the portrait I’d drawn for my husband printed. There’s just no ability to have any kind of worthwhile profit margin with going through them.
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@Valerie-Light Hi, in answer to your mention, I never got a color printer (I just have a B&W laser printer that I use for documents), but I did get an Epson V-600 scanner, and I like it.
When I do print, I either go to a copy shop associated with the local art school or order from Gango Custom Printing in the US. I don't currently sell prints because of from where I am, it's not worth the trouble. I would kind of like to, though!
