I'm an retired bum who loves photography and has been doing it in varying levels of intensity for over 50 years. Now, it's all I do, almost every day. I do some traveling in the US and internationally, but mostly stay at home in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. There is lots to photograph within a few hundred miles of my home.
I recently purchased a Sony A7RIII and have enjoyed it and its impressive resolution. I have used the Epson 38xx series of printers since 2007 and now use a 3880. It has been almost totally problem free. My largest prints currently are 13x20 in 22x28 frames. I occasionally, but quite infrequently actually sell an image but not so that I make any significant money. I'd like to try some larger prints, eg 24x36. Locally they cost in the US$150 range each.
My questions are for those who own a 24 inch printer for personal use.
Which printer did you choose and why? Epson-Canon?
What do you do with the large prints?
Do you frame them, is it not quite expensive?
Have you had to buy a new home to have place to display them ? I am fortunate to have a home with picture molding so my framed prints hang easily on wires from the molding without putting holes in the wall.
Have you come up with a way to display them effectively without framing?
Assuming I were to purchase an Epson P7000, and have read Keith Cooper's excellent review, (http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/epson-surecolor-p7000-printer-review/#conclusions) have you found it to be worthwhile? Do you often make prints on letter size paper and is it a hassle?
Any comments would be most welcome. I'm in the early thought processing place with this idea. I'd consider the equivalent Canon printer but like to use QTR for my black and white images and according to a recent reply from Roy Harrington himself, QTR will not be coming to Canon. Also I heard/read that the Canon's work only with roll paper.
Hi,
I am perhaps in a similar situation. I still do some professional work –mostly documenting art exhibitions and designing art catalogues or books – but am trying to let most clients go. And, i am focussing much more on my own work.
I have both an Epson P800 and and Epson P6000 I use the P800 daily, the P6000 much less frequently.
I have a design studio and gallery in my home, all my equipment fits in just nicely in the design area, about 12 feet by 16 feet.
I purchased the P6000 to replace a defunct 7890. The price of the new printer was about the same as the quoted cost for repairing the old machine. Since I am familiar with Epson stuff, I never really looked at the Canon.
On the P6000, I print mostly on Canson Baryta Photograpique rolls, and occasionally on Epson canvas. I am very happy with the results.
Printing on cut sheets is not a problem but not as convenient as using my P800. 13 by 19 is the smallest sheet I use there, although I tried printing on letter size and it works but it seems silly to use the P6000 for that.
You write that you would like to print up to 24 by 36. While you can print put to 24 inches wide on the P6000, I keep my images to 20 inches wide, leaving 2 inch margins. To bring larger I would want a 44 inch printer. For canvas, I can print an image to 20 inches wide plus a 2 inch mirror edge, allowing for a 20 inch face and enough mirror edges for stretching on 3/4" stretcher bars.
I can comfortably cut mats and frame in-house for up to 18 by 24 frames, larger than that and I go to a trusted framer. I pretty much insist on ArtGlass, so that gets a bit costly.
For smaller canvas works I use the GoFrame kits. They make the stretching easy and even, but you definitely need to staple the canvas as the double sided tape provided is not likely to maintain the canvas in place for a long time. But it is a quick and easy way to have a 'finished' piece.
I have a home gallery and can display my work there, but, still, there is only so much wall space. I use wire hanging system from AS Hanging System. I have a separate room to store all my unsold stuff!
I always printed m own work – darkroom or digital – so I am not comfortable with letting someone else print my work, although that is a bit silly since all my catalogues and books are printed by various ,printers from different parts of the country, and many artists bring me their files to print! It may make more sense to stay with a smaller printer such as your 3800 or my P800, and get to know someone competent to print your larger images, it really ought not to matter where a particular machine and paper or canvas are as long as you can provide a proper file for it.
Lastly, I think that for photography the P6000 is all you need instead of the P7000. an I I noted, I have no clue about any Canon printer.
Hope that helps a bit
Jean-Michel