Printing Your Images

There is absolutely no financial justification for buying a dedicated photo printer. Inks for some of the better amateur printers can cost an eye-watering $800 to do a complete refresh. Photographic print papers come in a variety of sizes and textures and gloss (or non-gloss) and cost more than ordinary paper. A decent dedicated photo printer will cost you somewhere between $300 to $1600 and can weigh over 70 pounds.

If you’re only printing a few large family photos or big landscapes you’d be much better off working with a professional printing service. If you’re unfamiliar with how to calibrate your monitor and installing ICC profiles and not willing to waste a lot of paper experimenting then perhaps printing isn’t for you.

However printing can help you become a better photographer. It’s important to understand the entire artistic approach to photography from what camera and what lens to buy to what RAW editor to work on your images to which printer to print them.

Printing will change the way you think about your photography.

The good news about printing is if you pick the right printer it’s likely to last you a very long time. Good photo printers can produce archival quality images that will last 100 years. These days a lot of printers will work directly from your local network so you can setup the printer in the basement or anywhere in the house where there is an Internet plug. All three of my printers are in the basement on their own table in the furnace room.

Of course wedding photographers and other professional photographers often print their own images for marketing purposes but there are other reasons that printing is an important aspect of your photography.

First of all there’s nothing quite like seeing a really good print of your own photo come off the printer. There’s something to be said about holding this print in your hand. And, yes printing can be complicated and complex but it can also be just part of your learning how to be a better photographer.

It’s even better if you’re printing larger prints and framing them and displaying them. You wouldn’t be the first amateur photographer to have a restaurant or other local business display your images on their walls in a win-win marketing initiative that could lead to you becoming a pro!

You’re going to want to be printing your own images if you’re entering contests at some camera clubs. My local club, The Oakville Camera Club, has an annual contest and each year the members are treated to a gallery showing of the 100 or so best prints as taken by club members at our local recreation centre.

As to recommended printers: at the low end I’d look at a Canon PIXMS Pro 200 and at the high end I’d suggest an Epson SureColor P700. Stay away from home or office all-in-one-printers or anything that’s more like a toy than a dedicated photo printer.