Printing seems faded and lifeless.

[Alessandro]

Hi, first of all I want you all to know how glad I am to be part of it, and I also ask you to bare with me, as I am new at it, I will keep it objective and simple and try to get some specific answers here...

1º - I have a R200 EPSON printer, I usually print covers of DVDs, but my printing always seems lifeless and faded out, like foggy... Can It be the brand of paper I am using? I am buying paper from EBAY, a supposed to be premium paper.  am using 3rd parties ink made in England, they are really cheap, can it be the reason why my prints don't look so good?

2º - If I get UT-R2 B&W ULTRATONE CARTRIDGES FOR THE EPSON R200 would it make such a big and noticeable difference, or not?

3º - What is more important when one wants to get vivid and colorful printings? Paper or Ink?

4º - Is the R800 printer as good as people say on glossy printings? I had bad experiences on my C80 on glossy papers, they seem to work better on matte.


5º - Now, last but not least, can I really get a off-set like printing (Professional graphic plant printing) with any desktop printer? If so, what one? I am really inclined to stick with EPSON, are they really the best choice for printing professionally?

My kindest regards.

[gryffyn]

3º - What is more important when one wants to get vivid and colorful printings? Paper or Ink?

Both and how the ink reacts to the paper is important as well.

Assuming you are using decent inks/paper, you also need to use a colour-managed workflow, so that what you see (on the monitor) is (roughly) what you get on the printer colour wise.  

Accurate and vivid colour also typically requires the use of a proper printer profile that is specific to the printer/paper/ink combination you are using.

Most serious photographers use pro-grade printers like the 2400 and on up, since you can get decent inks, paper and most importantly profiles for these devices.  That's likely not the case for inexpensive consumer-grade printers (for example, I haven't found any profiles for my wife's Canon printer that we got at Costco).

I think you'll continue to be disappointed if you stick with inexpensive consumer-grade printers and cheap supplies.

Just my 2 cents worth...

[Alessandro]

Both and how the ink reacts to the paper is important as well.

Assuming you are using decent inks/paper, you also need to use a colour-managed workflow, so that what you see (on the monitor) is (roughly) what you get on the printer colour wise. 

Accurate and vivid colour also typically requires the use of a proper printer profile that is specific to the printer/paper/ink combination you are using.

Most serious photographers use pro-grade printers like the 2400 and on up, since you can get decent inks, paper and most importantly profiles for these devices.  That's likely not the case for inexpensive consumer-grade printers (for example, I haven't found any profiles for my wife's Canon printer that we got at Costco).

I think you'll continue to be disappointed if you stick with inexpensive consumer-grade printers and cheap supplies.

Just my 2 cents worth...
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=64803\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Dear gryffyn,

I was afraid I would get an answer like this, so I assume it is time for me to change my printer... Apart of that, I have to ask again and always hope someone would be so kind in finding an answer for me, will there be any real differences If I get UT-R2 B&W ULTRATONE CARTRIDGES FOR THE EPSON R200?? Of course, I will try to find the best paper around, but will the ink change make such a big difference?

Now, I am thinking of getting a R2200, or R800 printer, I don't care about picture size, as I print only in A4 format, so, will they be ideal pro-grade printers for me to get my so sought after vivid and brilliant glossy covers?

All the best,
Alessandro.

[LoisWakeman]

Alessandro, as with most things, if you pay peanuts, you generally get monkeys (or in this case, monkey doo-doo)! I imagine it will be much cheaper for you to buy some proper Epson paper and ink and try that than to upgrade your printer?

I don't know the model you are using, but even the low-end Epson/Canon/HP photo printers (rather than office printers) give reasonable results as long as you use the intended media. Should be good enough for DVD covers, if not fine art prints.

Third party supplies are generally less good than the manufacturers' original media, although you can strike lucky; and especially if you use paper and ink not designed to go together, you run the risk of getting two things that work against rather than with each other.

For your intended use, you could probably pick up a second hand Epson/Canon/HP easily enough. But invest in the proper media, please! Not to do so is a false economy IMO.

[DavidJ]

Hi, I think that the last poster has already said most of what I was going to. I agree most printers these days can give very decent results, nine years ago I printed a portrait of my mother on an HP deskjet which lived on my dad's desk for years. I still have it and it looks good. A top end A4 printer like the Epson R800 is capable of superb professional quality results. There are also offerings from Canon and HP that are very good. There is no need to buy an A3 printer if you are only ever going to print up to A4.  Before you go down that path do go back to using Epson inks for your current printer and try some of the good gloss Epson photo paper that is available. Also remember (I hope that I am not teaching my grandmother to suck eggs) to see that the printer driver is at the right settings for the type of picture and paper you are printing.

Many third party inks are truly awful, there are some good ones around as well, but without careful research I think it is best to stick to the Epson inks for your printer.

Hope that this is useful

David

[francois]

Alessandro,
Point your browser to the DOP website, they have articles and diaries detailing different Espon printers.

- Epson R800 (A4)
- Epson R1800 (A3+)
- Epson 2100/2200 (A3+)
- Epson R2400 (A3+)