Photo printing

[Ronj]

What would be the best printer for producing the highest quality photos possible? Would it possibly be a color laser? If so which one?

 

[turbguy]

As for "consumer" printers, an dye inkjet printer is superior for photo printing (laser printers are getting better) due to the "fineness" of the dots they apply and the wide color gamet of modern inksets. A pigment inkjet printer is a close second to a dye inkjet, and has superior print longevity.

There are other types of printers, that also work well:

-Dye-sublimation printers are really good (some say better than inkjet), but operating supplies are high cost.

-Laser scanning printers that expose photographic paper (that is then chemically developed) can also be excellent, but operating supplies are VERY high.

 

[The Hat]

Colour Laser printers are a million miles away from high quality photographic quality prints, but there great for wall posters, even a low-cost desktop inkjet printer would be far superior...

 

[Ronj]

As for "consumer" printers, an dye inkjet printer is superior for photo printing (laser printers are getting better) due to the "fineness" of the dots they apply and the wide color gamet of modern inksets. A pigment inkjet printer is a close second to a dye inkjet, and has superior print longevity.

There are other types of printers, that also work well:

-Dye-sublimation printers are really good (some say better than inkjet), but operating supplies are high cost.

-Laser scanning printers that expose photographic paper (that is then chemically developed) can also be excellent, but operating supplies are VERY high.

My epson inkjet photos can’t compare to the photos printed at Office Depot. I noticed our photos fade with time unless they’re under glass. My wife makes calendars every year for the family and has them printed at Office Depot. It’s very expensive.
I’m trying to find out what kind of printer they use, but the help is just not that knowledgeable.

 

[stratman]

What would be the best printer for producing the highest quality photos possible?

To make this easier,

1. What is the maximum amount of money you are willing to spend on the printer itself?
   
2. Will you be using OEM cartridges or refilling on your own?
   
3. Do you have a preference between Canon, Epson or some other manufacturer?
4. What country do you live in? (printer model numbers may vary by region)

 

[Ink stained Fingers]

I think you are now getting closer to your actual requirements as you are addressing the poor fade performance. There could be a remedy to that - what printer are you currently using and with which type of ink exhibiting this poor performance ?
And I would like to add a question to those above about the maximum format you are interested in and what is your current or intended print volume.
Such poor fade performance is quite typical with 3rd party cartridges or refill inks.
Office Depot may use different type of printers for instant photo prints - chemical or inkjet mainly. Fujifilm and Epson have a series of inkjet printers - Drylab/Surelab - for instant photo finishing applications, but those printers are most likely out of your budget if you just look up a model like a DX100 or D700 which are the smallest ones.

 

[Ronj]

To make this easier,

1. What is the maximum amount of money you are willing to spend on the printer itself?
   
2. Will you be using OEM cartridges or refilling on your own?
   
3. Do you have a preference between Canon, Epson or some other manufacturer?
4. What country do you live in? (printer model numbers may vary by region)

I would spend $500 or so. I don’t know which cartridges I would be using. I live USA. I’ll buy anything but HP. I’ve had it with HP.

 

[stratman]

Hard to beat the Canon Pro-100 when it is rebated. Currently at $150 after rebate but has been had for half price recently. The rebates seemingly monthy. See B&H Photo or Adorama for prices. The printer is Dye-based inks, so a negative is photo longevity (fading) when using refill inks. Otherwise, high quality refill ink is available such as Precision Colors out of Canada.

For image longevity, hard to beat a pigment ink printer like the Canon Pro-10 which is currently a $450 after rebates. Check the same stores for pricing. There are also good quality aftermarket refill inks available from Precision Colors.

There are fantastic pigment ink printers from Epson, but someone else will need to help with that.

Buying a pro-amateur printer nowadays are easy to run and produce great results with OEM inks and paper. To get the most out of the printer using refill inks and non-OEM papers may require you to learn about color management and printer ICC profiles (files designed to take advantage of the characteristics of a specific printer, ink and paper combination). Things can get technical very fast but the reward can be stunning. Or, you may be satisfied without doing much of anything but clicking on "print".

 

[The Hat]

@stratman has covered just about everything you need to know about buying an inkjet printer excellently, but if your still not sure about Canon then someone else will pipe in on the Epson...
The print world is a beautiful place to get lost in for years and years of pure pleasure ...

 

[Alan G]

The best printers for quality and longevity are pigment ink printers. HP are out of the question for what the OP wants as the ones for this job only come in very large format sizes (24 inch and up). The entry level Epson is the P600 though the price point is a little higher than the OP mentioned $800. I've had two Epson printers the 2880 to start off with and then moved up to the 3880. I never had any issues with either printer and I print a lot. There are templates out there to do calendars and I've done some of those in the past as well as note cards.