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Would you still buy a printer nowadays?

I think it's worth the outlay if one's selling prints still today. Even the straight line math is still good. Say you've a new Canon 4100 series printer; 24inch. The initial investment is other than the printer (comes with enough ink to generate hundreds of 20x30in color prints. The largest ink carts are roughly $300 USD each and you can mix-and-match cart sizes, so if you print a lot of black and white/gray scale prints, and you're selling your work -- you've probably paid for the printer before the cart(s) runs out.

If you sell 20x30in prints at $150 and upward, then 25 prints x $3750 USD, which is basically a monetary return that includes the initial price of the printer (currently $2800/ BH Photo), a $250 roll of premium paper, and $700 in residual to cover taxes, shipping, etc., of the initial purchase. So at the end of your first year, you basically have stock in a printer (potential money maker) that has already more than paid for itself.

I've found the Canon 4100 series to be very a relatively low-maintenance asset. For those not selling their work, or printing for others, the cost benefit ratio will hinge mostly on how much self fulfillment you get from seeing your printed work come into fruition. That alone is very satisfying to many photographers/artists.

The benefit that I enjoy - Able to print work at any time without having to consider whether or not some irresponsible, immature worker at some print shop is copying or making prints for themselves of my photographs of other people in compromising situations and or state of undress. For me, able to have full control of my prints was like going from using film to digital photography... no longer did I have to worry about paying a middle-person to deal with developing/edit/print/enlargements a hefty sum or having to undertake that task myself (I still do not like the dark room).

...FedEx affiliated print shops offer roughly 30x40in. canvas prints $170'ish for the stretched over frame stuff and about $400 for 30x40in. acrylic prints, so I don't see it as a hard nut to crack in so far as getting a printer paid for, even if one doesn't print much over the course of a year - especially if a photographer/artist can offer what the mainstream printers cannot.

At the end of the day, owning your own printer gives you a level of freedom over using print bureau services.. and that to many is worth a more than just peace of mind.
 
I think if you are doing photography professionally then that’s a very different situation.

While my mother was still alive I had a small Canon Pixma and she loved to get smaller (4x6) prints from me, but Windows dropped support for it (in Win 10?) and I ditched the printer. Since then I print so infrequently- and I’m happily retired and don’t want to do photography, or anything else, for money - that buying a pro quality printer would make no sense for me.
 
I am very selective with what I print. I will usually make an 8x12 print to see what it looks like before I make a 20x30 or a 16x24 print. Needless to say, that doesn't happen very often. Keeping a printer is a major expense and a royal pain. I use a custom lab whenever I need to get prints done. They proof them for me and then they make a final print. They are very experienced and they can make suggestions vis-a-vis the media type that suits each image.
 
I am very selective with what I print. I will usually make an 8x12 print to see what it looks like before I make a 20x30 or a 16x24 print. Needless to say, that doesn't happen very often. Keeping a printer is a major expense and a royal pain. I use a custom lab whenever I need to get prints done. They proof them for me and then they make a final print. They are very experienced and they can make suggestions vis-a-vis the media type that suits each image.
Good points.

Indeed there can be can a benefit from consulting a competent print bureau. I'm honestly not seeing most print bureaus today providing the same practical advantage as they once did pertaining specifically to print quality. Today's modern printers are very competent/highly intelligent, enough where the average Joe who uses print/paper profiles and calibrated monitors probably isn't likely to see a marked practical difference by going through a dedicated print shop. I think the days of nagging complexity issues, colour issues, $3,500 RIPS and actual print masters who were worth their weight in gold (remember those knowledgeable people?), have largely gone the way of the Dodo Bird.

Upkeep expenses: In my experience the Canon printers (4100 series) are relatively cheap to operate. I think the local teenagers spend considerably more money per month on Starbucks Coffee than I do on any wasted "maintenance" ink. For the casual user, I think a Canon print head would typically last for years; amortized over 36 months (likely longer), that's less than $10 monthly... less than the price of two large frappuccinos at Starbucks. I'd say the printer is generally cheaper to operate than buying a McDonald's combo meal twice-a-month, several bags of Doritos chips, or going out to eat once.... alone... and that's if I print only sporadically and turn the machine off when it's not in use requiring more frequent cleanings. I leave mine on - unless lightening nearby.

The other side of the coin is that moving the printer from one building to another, or dedicating a space for it in the typical American home is probably something to seriously consider as such can be a PITA at best or a major ordeal when things go bad (having to relocate printer up flight of stairs or lower into basement via window, etc.

I think what you're saying is important in the context that if a person doesn't need a large printer, or wouldn't likely realize a high benefit/pleasure-to-cost ratio, then what's the point? If a print shop offers an individual the best performance for his/her dollar - then that's probably the better choice for them... no ownership considerations no matter how slight, and there's something nice to be said for that as well.
 
I print frequently on my Canon iX6800. It is a low-cost printer but does a really good job if you use Canon paper. I recently printed some paintings on thick professional matte paper, and they are fantastic! It can print 13x19".
 
For me, the "art" is not complete until a successful print is made. The "finished art" is the print. This is probably due to my background...I was in a darkroom making prints when I was 7 years old. I ended up going to art school and getting a MFA (master of fine arts) in printmaking (lithography, intaglio), and am now in my "digital darkroom". I need to be involved in the "tweeking" of the image. I am on my 2nd P800 and have pretty much standardized on 8.5x11 and 13x19 inch prints. Anything larger and I will go to other sources. I couldn't imagine not having a printer
 
Hi,

Yep. Me, too. The print is the end result. Mostly I make up coffee table books. Not fancy, binders with Print File sleeves. Some wind up framed an on the wall.

But this was the case with film long ago. I just can't get into the screen on the wall cycling thru shots.

Stan
 
Just outta curio since I'm UK based and I notice alot in this thread are the other side of the pond, what do you photographers in the USA (and/or Canada) pay for prints at sizes upwards from A4?

Shelton.
 
I use A4 sized paper for "hard" proofing/testing (not for all images I print on A2). Using 4 different Fine Art papers. All my A2 prints go in acid free boxes (4 of them, corresponding with different papers I use). Every now and then I sell one or two; nothing special.

My walls are covered with paintings, but my wife keeps pressing me to hang some of my images on these walls...and therefore remove paintings/sell paintings...(?).
I don' t want to do that yet.
 
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When I was doing a lot of photography I got an Epson printer with 7 inks & colours in tiny capsules that was expensive to run - about c.$AUD 150.00 3 times a year, and fairly high quality scanner. I also had a Brother laser printer for for mono printing at lower cost.
Three years ago, with less need for such colour quality, I got an Epson ET-2750, with 4 bulk ink tanks with total refill cost c.AUD 80.00 which last for well over 2 years: though with slightly lower quality scanner, but adequate to my needs. Very satisfied for my everyday family needs.
 
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