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Author Topic: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer  (Read 3085 times)

Del

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Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« on: March 21, 2016, 09:28:20 pm »

I have recently retired and moved to Arizona.  Considering moving my Epson 7880 which is 8 years old but in perfect condition has been driving me nuts.  Leaving in the cold from Nebraska, keeping it level, keeping it from freezing etc.  Believe I found a fellow to purchase this one here in town and then just buy a new one in Arizona.  Will cost more to be sure, but I'll be up to date and have avoided the stress of trying to move this beast (then there is the how to move the wall mounted mat cutter but that's another story).

My question is this.  Should I stick with Epson with whom I have had terrific experience or consider Canon-obviously I've not been keeping up.  For fine art printing do I need or want the 11 ink versions that I see now, or stick with the 8 ink models?  Any thoughts appreciated.  If it matters I do largely landscapes these days.  I print panoramas in some cases 96 inches long.

Thanks is advance.
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Del

Ernst Dinkla

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #1 on: March 22, 2016, 08:50:24 am »

I have recently retired and moved to Arizona.  Considering moving my Epson 7880 which is 8 years old but in perfect condition has been driving me nuts.  Leaving in the cold from Nebraska, keeping it level, keeping it from freezing etc.  Believe I found a fellow to purchase this one here in town and then just buy a new one in Arizona.  Will cost more to be sure, but I'll be up to date and have avoided the stress of trying to move this beast (then there is the how to move the wall mounted mat cutter but that's another story).

My question is this.  Should I stick with Epson with whom I have had terrific experience or consider Canon-obviously I've not been keeping up.  For fine art printing do I need or want the 11 ink versions that I see now, or stick with the 8 ink models?  Any thoughts appreciated.  If it matters I do largely landscapes these days.  I print panoramas in some cases 96 inches long.

Thanks is advance.

Too much wide gamut in a printer and Arizona landscapes reads like a contradiction.

Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2016 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots


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JRSmit

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2016, 12:26:25 pm »

I use a Epson SCP7000 (and a 9000) and i am quite content with both.
Quality is better than previous generatie and it makes better use of the orange and green inks. Which i take is of benefit for landscapes.
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Fine art photography: janrsmit.com
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Jan R. Smit

Mark Lindquist

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2016, 03:08:57 pm »

You could just get:

The BEST 24" Printer
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Mark Lindquist
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keithcooper

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2016, 03:28:48 pm »

You could just get:
The BEST 24" Printer

Ah, the one I last looked at in 2009... Still quite good for some types of printing, but 'BEST' ?? perhaps only in the B&H link you posted ;-)

At the moment for 24" I'd happily use either the P7000 or the iPF6400. I expect that when I get to look at a PRO-2000, that will easily move into the list
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MHMG

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #5 on: March 23, 2016, 04:04:21 pm »

You could just get:

The BEST 24" Printer

The Z series really has stood the test of time, and in hindsight may very well be the most practical choice for photographers printing for themselves rather than trying to be in the print service provider business for others.  The jury is truly still out on whether the latest Canon ink set has equal light fastness to the older LUCIA EX ink set, or whether Canon has elected to go backwards in light fastness meanwhile Epson has definitely moved the ball forward and closer to what HP accomplished with the Z's.  I hope both Canon and Epson achieve parity with the HP Vivera Pigments, but I doubt any of the new printers exceed the Z's in print longevity ratings. With further print longevity testing, I would love to prove myself wrong ;D

cheers,
Mark
http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com
« Last Edit: March 23, 2016, 07:42:35 pm by MHMG »
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keithcooper

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Heresy I know...
« Reply #6 on: March 23, 2016, 04:22:43 pm »

I've often wondered how many people who print their work -really- worry about print longevity.

For a lot  of my work I'l take the heretical view that the warranty on the print is a lifetime one, and a day shorter tomorrow. Any problems after that, take it up with my estate ;-)

Now, I do concern myself if a print will decline in 30 years, but as to whether it will be OK in 200 or 400 years, I can't raise any -honest- concern other than intellectual curiosity.

Time to get my coat...  ;-)

BTW, I've said ever since I looked at the z3200ps, that I looked forward to the next generation, but HP seems to be looking other directions at the moment. Maybe the wind will change (I do genuinely hope so).  I'd personally be happy without any spectro - the ones I've looked at for the Canon and Epson printers are for different types of use.
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Mark Lindquist

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #7 on: March 23, 2016, 04:42:50 pm »

Some of the advantages of the Z3200 are that it doesn't clog.  If you have a printhead problem, buy one and you get two (there are two printheads per cartridge).  It's really easy to move around.  Doesn't weigh a ton.

GREAT colors.

PROVEN track record.

EASY to use.

Custom profiles are a piece of cake.  New paper?  New Profile.

All the printers, Epson, Canon, HP are great.  Can't go wrong with any of them.

For the occasional user....HP is a contender - still, big time. 

-Mark

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Mark Lindquist
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MHMG

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Re: Heresy I know...
« Reply #8 on: March 23, 2016, 05:47:09 pm »

I've often wondered how many people who print their work -really- worry about print longevity.


If the number of people visiting my website is any indication, not too many. :(  So you are in good company and on pretty solid ground if you look at print longevity merely as a warranty replacement issue, ie. that you give or sell someone one of your images and he or she never comes back at you to say it has noticeably changed in appearance and what can you do about it.

Print longevity doesn't matter until it matters.  I recently did some consulting work with a major museum that owns a contemporary color print (valued in the five to six figure range) with subtle but still noticeable fading occurring in this particular print. It was a print with very subtle tones and colors to begin with, so any deviation from the artist's original intent was of concern to museum staff and to the artist that created the work.  The museum was storing the image at room temperature and limiting display times. My recommendation was to take it into cold storage to halt its fade rate and exhibit with deliberate discretion to further extend its long term viability as a major work for public viewing.  The print in question is by a well known contemporary artist whose career and fame started in the mid 1970s, he is still alive but obviously in the zenith of his life's work, and the work in question is vintage work from the very beginning of his career (so now about 40 years old). He can make another copy of it, but it won't be by definition a vintage print, nor can the original printing process be precisely duplicated. The artist is concerned, the curators are concerned, and all this happening without the typical levels of consumer rated fade criteria yet passed. Enough said.

I love to look at 100 year old prints, especially when they are in excellent overall condition. These precious vintage prints in pristine condition are a relatively rare occurrence, but it has been done in the annals of photographic history, and IMHO, it's worth contemporary artists striving to meet or exceed that goal, and using our modern technologies, when chosen wisely, allow us to do it. Moreover, they will become the vintage prints of this era.  That said, one has to care about it, or it's not going to happen.

I would urge all photographers today to think in terms of their printed work as objects placed into a time capsule, giving a glimpse of our lives today to future generations who will want to know about the past in order to help them understand their present and also to help them predict their future. The more accurately each object reveals in the future what we saw in it today, the more valuable it becomes to future generations.

cheers,
Mark
http://www.aardenburg-imaging.com



« Last Edit: March 23, 2016, 06:17:10 pm by MHMG »
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keithcooper

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #9 on: March 23, 2016, 06:34:16 pm »

Thanks for the observations Mark - I do entirely agree about just how important it is for true archival purposes, and what's more I greatly admire your persistence and efforts in this area.

Perhaps I don't value my own work enough ;-)
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MHMG

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #10 on: March 23, 2016, 07:26:40 pm »

Thanks for the observations Mark - I do entirely agree about just how important it is for true archival purposes, and what's more I greatly admire your persistence and efforts in this area.

Perhaps I don't value my own work enough ;-)

There's not a person alive who can accurately predict how history will judge his/her life. Van Gogh sold no paintings in his lifetime except to a caring and supportive brother, AFAIK.
 
I have many photographs in my collection where I highly prize the work, but the artist is unknown. I wish I knew who the artist was, but even an unknown artist can contribute to the appreciation and knowledge for future generations of an era long past.  My advice to all photographers is to view one's printed work as a selfless act, ie., a contribution to the future that someone, maybe not everyone, but at least someone will find interesting and important.

best,
mark
« Last Edit: March 23, 2016, 07:46:47 pm by MHMG »
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shadowblade

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Re: Any suggestions for a new 24" printer
« Reply #11 on: March 23, 2016, 11:34:22 pm »

Thanks for the observations Mark - I do entirely agree about just how important it is for true archival purposes, and what's more I greatly admire your persistence and efforts in this area.

Perhaps I don't value my own work enough ;-)

I'm really hoping someone brings out a UV printer aimed at the photographer or photo lab rather than the signage industry. That is, in the 24-44" width category, 4pL droplets for quality (instead of the much-faster 10-20pL droplets aimed at high-speed printing) and a similar 10-12 ink process to current aqueous printers (and the S70670) for gamut. The technology is all there - it just needs to be put into a small, consumer- and small-lab photography package instead of an industrial-scale sign-printing package. After all, we even have small-scale 3D printers in schools now, so why not something like this?

Throw in an attachment for UV-curable laminate for further durability, to eliminate gloss differential and to have absolute control over the level of gloss and it'd be perfect.

It would increase longevity by an order of magnitude or more over aqueous inks, and the ability to print directly onto metal, glass, acrylic, ceramics or other substrates would mean you wouldn't have to worry about the durability of the substrate or inkjet coating either. In effect, it's an inkjet-printed colour carbon print. Looking at some artworks in historic locations in India, along the Silk Road and in Rome that are 800, 1500 or even 2000 years old (not all of them high-brow masterpieces) it would be nice to be able to produce something equally long-lasting.
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