[OT] Discontinued my favorite inkjet photo paper... need suggestion for replacement

In article ,
says...
Have been using Epson semigloss Colorlife photo paper along with Epson
1280 printer with great results. I am disappointed to learn Epson has
discontinued this paper.
Wondering if any of you have suggestion(s) for a replacement high
quality photo paper. Preferably a semigloss, pearl or luster paper to
work well with my dye ink set. Also would be nice to download icc
profiles for the paper that will work with my Epson 1280 printer
driver.

Don't you find doing your own inkjet printing a bit too expensive?

I was recently tempted to try it again, but looking at the costs
compared to getting prints from the local Fuji Frontier lab just didn't
make economic sense.

I'm hoping inkjet technology has improved over the past few years,
because looking at some of the prints I did back in '02 with an Epson
and Epson paper...terrible colour shifts and fading (and these are stuck
in a Henzo Album).

--
Now with uploadable photo critique section in the forum
http://www.nikongear.com/

In article ,
says...
On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 07:37:56 +0200, DD
wrote:


Don't you find doing your own inkjet printing a bit too expensive?

Not really. I may print 4 to 10 - 6x9 prints a month with a 10x15 or
12x18 occasionally. Ink cartridges will last 6 months or so at this
rate. $43 US to replace the cartridges and $0.50 US for a sheet of
good paper.

I was recently tempted to try it again, but looking at the costs
compared to getting prints from the local Fuji Frontier lab just didn't
make economic sense.

Never tried outsourcing my printing.... maybe something I should look
into. I enjoy printing my pics but price is always a consideration.

I'm hoping inkjet technology has improved over the past few years,
because looking at some of the prints I did back in '02 with an Epson
and Epson paper...terrible colour shifts and fading (and these are stuck
in a Henzo Album)

Personally I have yet to experience any problems with the photos
printed with the Epson 1280 onto Epson Colorlife paper. Prior to
finding this combination I did have a lot of problems with fading,
color shifts and other issues. My prints are always mounted under
glass and kept out of direct light... I suppose that helps.

IIRC I was using an Epson 880 Color Stylus machine, but I can't remember
what type of Epson paper it was.

The local lab now has these little terminals with touch screens you can
access. All you do is insert your media (anything from CD/DVD to media
card), check the size of the print you want, do any adjustments to
colour or whatever and press go. The machine spits out a receipt that
you then hand to the cashier once your prints are ready. Very simple.

Even simpler is when I hand the CD to the operator and say "Print these
and don't **** 'em up!".

--
Now with uploadable photo critique section in the forum
http://www.nikongear.com/

DD wrote:

In article ,
says...
Have been using Epson semigloss Colorlife photo paper along with Epson
1280 printer with great results. I am disappointed to learn Epson has
discontinued this paper.
Wondering if any of you have suggestion(s) for a replacement high
quality photo paper. Preferably a semigloss, pearl or luster paper to
work well with my dye ink set. Also would be nice to download icc
profiles for the paper that will work with my Epson 1280 printer
driver.

Don't you find doing your own inkjet printing a bit too expensive?

I was recently tempted to try it again, but looking at the costs
compared to getting prints from the local Fuji Frontier lab just didn't
make economic sense.


It's about being able to control the output and quality not about trying to
save money.

If you think the local frontier labs results are good enough, then use them.
I feel the quality I get from my canon i9900 blows away what those fuji
machines produce and really don't care what the cost difference is. It's
the same reason I have a color and B&W wet darkroom, I never got really
good prints made by other people.

--

Stacey

DD wrote:

In article ,
says...
On Tue, 4 Jul 2006 07:37:56 +0200, DD
wrote:


Don't you find doing your own inkjet printing a bit too expensive?

Not really. I may print 4 to 10 - 6x9 prints a month with a 10x15 or
12x18 occasionally. Ink cartridges will last 6 months or so at this
rate. $43 US to replace the cartridges and $0.50 US for a sheet of
good paper.

I was recently tempted to try it again, but looking at the costs
compared to getting prints from the local Fuji Frontier lab just didn't
make economic sense.

Never tried outsourcing my printing.... maybe something I should look
into. I enjoy printing my pics but price is always a consideration.

I'm hoping inkjet technology has improved over the past few years,
because looking at some of the prints I did back in '02 with an Epson
and Epson paper...terrible colour shifts and fading (and these are stuck
in a Henzo Album)

Personally I have yet to experience any problems with the photos
printed with the Epson 1280 onto Epson Colorlife paper. Prior to
finding this combination I did have a lot of problems with fading,
color shifts and other issues. My prints are always mounted under
glass and kept out of direct light... I suppose that helps.

IIRC I was using an Epson 880 Color Stylus machine, but I can't remember
what type of Epson paper it was.


Cheap printer with unknown paper using unknown color profiles is a promise
for bad prints..

--

Stacey

"Stacey" wrote in message
...
DD wrote:

In article ,
says...
Have been using Epson semigloss Colorlife photo paper along with
Epson 1280 printer with great results. I am disappointed to learn
Epson has discontinued this paper.
Wondering if any of you have suggestion(s) for a replacement high
quality photo paper. Preferably a semigloss, pearl or luster paper to
work well with my dye ink set. Also would be nice to download icc
profiles for the paper that will work with my Epson 1280 printer
driver.

Don't you find doing your own inkjet printing a bit too expensive?

I was recently tempted to try it again, but looking at the costs
compared to getting prints from the local Fuji Frontier lab just didn't
make economic sense.


It's about being able to control the output and quality not about trying
to
save money.

If you think the local frontier labs results are good enough, then use
them.
I feel the quality I get from my canon i9900 blows away what those fuji
machines produce and really don't care what the cost difference is.

Absolutely. I use an Epson 2100 for the same reason: no longer the
latest-greatest-most-talked-about machine, but the results are _very_
good, and on the right paper I can make beautiful exhibition prints.
Pigment ink, and supposedly archival (again. with the right paper) too. I
make my own profiles with an X-Rite ColorElite Pulse, and prefer Epson's
Matt Black to their Photo Black ink - the Matt Black precludes using glossy
papers, but that's fine with me anyway.

(The last time I needed glossy stuff I had my prepared scans printed on a
Durst Lambda onto Kodak Endura Metallic, and was pretty pleased with the
result, more so than any inkjet glossy I've ever seen.)

It's the same reason I have a color and B&W wet darkroom, I never
got really good prints made by other people.

I never did colour darkroom work. With B&W I used to, and really enjoyed
it, but eventually concluded that I wasn't as good a printer as a
photogapher, finding others could do better prints for me - under my
supervision.

With scanning and inkjet printing I have found I can now take back control
of printing, and (except for a few large B&W prints) now either do all my
own, or, for very large &/or glossy or canvas prints, do everything bar
loading my CD into the PC that the bureau's printer is connected to. It's
really nice to regain this much control - darkroom is more fun, by far, but
_for me personally_, this way gets me the best results.


Peter


--

Stacey