Topic: Novice inquiry about Printing.

[MiguelCampano]

Hello Filmwasters,

I've learned a lot during my short time being in this forum. I went from shooting with an old EOS 30D, to make the jump into Film (35mm), and developing my own B&W and Color (C-41) at home! I've gradually evolved into more advanced and fun techniques. However, I've hit a wall regarding doing my own printing. I currently have a Beseler Printmaker 35 that has not been used by me yet, and after doing a "review" of the practicality of setting up the darkroom based on my current situation (rent apartment, roommates, etc), it doesn't seem too feasible.

I'd like to eventually make wet prints, especially for B&W... However, a printer might (actually is) a more convenient option as of this moment. I'm going to try to get rid of the Printmaker 35 and get a printer this summer. Any recommendations for a good printer on a budget? Same with papers, etc. I've seen Canon Pixma Pro 100s selling used/refurbished for less than half of what they cost brand new, although I'm not so convinced about used printers (don't ask me why).

Thanks!
Miguel.

[Francois]

Depends on how big you want to print.
For small prints I have a small Canon Selfy dye transfer printer and it works very well. Colors are incredibly good but there are a few downsides. One is you have to use the paper that comes with the cartridge or it won't work. Second is they have no ICC profiles for the thing. Third is my model (CP900) has no windows 10 drivers, so I had to hack my way into installing them...

[MiguelCampano]

Thank you! I think that for needs/skills level, anything up to Letter size should be alright. When (and if) I had to print something bigger, I'd probably go to a lab or something.

Any personal preference on paper brand/type?

[Francois]

I forgot to mention, the Selphy does only 4x6 inch prints...

[MiguelCampano]

Ouch! haha. I'll keep it in mind.

[Francois]

But on a more serious note, pretty much all printer manufacturers these days produce fine machines. This is especially true of machines that have more than 4 colors.

From experience, Epson are generally reliable.
Canon are pretty good but I find that the ink in the tanks tends to dry-up when not in use. Their print heads are removable in case they jam but usually replacing them costs 90% of the price of the printer... not worth it.
HP are a bit of the underdog in this field, but their ink is more expensive since it comes with the print head for most models.

If you want to refill the cartridges or get a continuous ink system, you either have to get specific Epson models that have kits made for them. Normal cartridges just stop working if used for too long and the printers are hard to hack. Canon is easier on that front.

I have a small desktop office HP printer which has a black ink cartridge that's been refilled and apart from the occasional message, it works fine. So I expect the other HP printers to do the same.


Paper wise, there's plenty of good stock out there. I know a guy who gets all his supplies from Red River Paper and says it's cheaper than getting some Hannemuhl (I know there's got to be a typo there).

I tend to like using high fiber matte paper the few times I print. I have a couple of packs from before Harman stopped making inkjet paper. Their products are fine.