Printing 8x10's, brochures, etc.
 

What paper do you prefer when printing out 8x10's? I have a three-year-old HP Deskjet 722c that I use for printing brochures, business cards, correspondence, etc., etc. Are laser printers better for printing photos? Any suggestions for printing 8x10's for my portfolio? I like the control I have over my own printing.

Printing 8x10's
 

I have an HP 932C and I'm very happy with the quality, though I'd suggest going one step higher to get a larger papaer feed tray. I believe the next step up is a 955C. However, there are things to consider such as dpi when scanning and printer settings.

See my answer to "Another Digital Camera Question" at http://forum.portraitartist.com/show...p?threadid=186

When a .tif file is important
 

If you want to give a digital file to a traditional printer, you will want to give them a .tif file. A .tif file is not lossy and a .jpg is.

The .jpg format (not compressed too much) is ok for printing on a computer printer, but for the printing press, you'll want a .jpg.

What about the paper?
 

Hi, Cynthia,

I think I will investigate the HP 932C printer you suggest. I would like some input into what papers are used for brochures and business cards. I have been experimenting for three years, buying everything on the market, trying to duplicate professional quality brochures.
Thanks, Cynthia.

I actually recommend that you go up one model from the 932C. The 932C is more for transporting and thus has a paper tray that folds up flat against the printer, but it holds less paper.

I'm not sure what paper you're tried, but I know there is paper specifically for inkjet printers. Jack Pardue prints his own brochure. Maybe I can get him over here for his input.

For portrait samples, you might want to try photo paper. I've tried them on photo paper and they came out quite nice.

This is getting off into computer things and really should be in the Computer Corner. Maybe I can copy these last posts over there.

Good grief Andrea!

I have answers that work for me, but I

Thanks to everyone this evening
 

Hi, Cynthia, Bill, et al,

This has been a great day on the forum for me. I've found that printing my own business cards is great. I have been using the Avery matte white cards (10 to a sheet). I print my name, phone number and email address on one side and on the other side I print a portrait. I print about six different portrait business cards.

Bill, I sympathize with you about your eyesight. I have presbyopia for which there is no miracle operation yet, so I have to rely on strong glasses. I visited your website, www.williamwhitaker.com. Your work is truly superior, and I particularly enjoyed the demonstrations. I shall pass along your web address. Did you photograph "The Secret" with your digital camera? I right clicked on the mouse and "zoomed in" twice. The detail and color are incredible on my monitor.

Andrea

Andrea, Hi.

At present I am preparing brochures and matching business cards for a tour of my portraits in 2002.
Each brochure and business card will be mailed to former and prospective clients.

I am using the pretty bordered brochure paper found at Staples with matching business cards. It is a trifold pre-scored paper and I paste printed address labels on the outside with a large "You're Invited" in Park Ave. script. When they open the tri-fold brochure, five of my images and all the locations of the shows plus pertinent information on ordering a commissioned portrait is on the brochure.

I just bought an HP 1215 printer and it is working very well. It was $300. and if I had gone for a better brand I would have purchased the Epson 1280, which I heard is marvelous, but then you are talking $500 or $600. Also has a larger bed but I don't make prints so it is not necessary for me.

I use 3-M clear mailing tape and laminate the printed side of each business card, rendering it a permanent and stronger business card. Easy to do while watching tv.

Renee

Andrea,

Yes. I used my Nikon 995 to take that picture on my web site. I mount my camera on a tripod and take the shot on my easel using natural north light coming in from the left and slightly above.

Bill

Paper
 

Have I got stories about paper!

My first suggestion is try a place like FRYES. Sometimes there are photo papers for sale at outrageous prices. Glossy photo papers for the 8x10s in sheet holders will just plain print clearer. They are made to approximate photographs. They can range from up to $2 a sheet down to .25 depending on weight, quality and manufacturer. When you print, however be sure you go into your printer settings and SPECIFY you are using glossy photo (not film) as your paper type. The printer makes a different spray pattern. If you have all night, make a high quality run and you will get good prints, if you have good input.

For brochures I have a great one. I have to search all over but Great White papers makes a 32# inkjet imaging and photo matte paper that is stunning for short runs that I fold myself. If you were to get some done at a printer, the would probably have a better one, but what I like is the weight is opaque but not hard to fold and it is lightly coated and has a 82 brightness. I have tried using gloss, but it is too heavy to fold without cracking the surface and usually only comes one sided. This is clear and bright and for short runs is just great! This one runs well with high quality or 320 dpi settings on the printer.

Good luck finding it tho. OfficeMax gets amnesia every time I go in but it is worth the hunt.

Revival
 

I am in the process of revamping and found a deal of the century at OfficeMax. It is my personal opinion that they perpetually mislabel and I only can get the deal once, but THIS was a real wow-er.

HP makes a two score, tri-fold gloss brochure photo paper in a 100 pack. It is excellent for photo reproduction. I don't worry about the folds going out of alignment. It was literally twice the price of the unfolded 50 pack. I had to look twice and figure the math, which makes it an excellent deal.

Now that I am posting, I can't find the price, but I am sure it was UNDER $30.

Just passing on the good stuff.

I am very happy with my Epson 2000P. It prints with pigment based inks instead of dye based inks, so all prints are archival. Because of this, there are only three papers available. I use the 8 x 11 size matte paper for the best results. I usually print a 6 x 8 print on the 8 x 11 paper.

I have the Epson 3000Z camera.

Linda, I was thinking of getting the Epson 2200 so that I could make my own prints, too. I'm wondering if I have room in my computer closet for it, though. Do you use that printer for all your printing needs or do you have a smaller, nonarchival printer for text and lesser jobs?

An excellent place to get 8x10's from digitals is www.ofoto.com. Their prices are very good, and I've been much happier with the results than when I printed photos from my printer. They have free software for uploading the photo files to them.

Mary

Are you talking about prints of photos or prints from your art, Mary? I was interested in using the Epson 2200 for putting out saleable copies of my work. It doesn't look like www.ofoto.com does that.

Leslie, I originally bought this printer with the thought of selling reproductions (prints) of my paintings/drawings. At the time, it was the only printer in this price range that used pigment based inks instead of dye based inks. The largest size that it can print is 13" x 18".

I don't have a regular printer. When I print out forms, they too are archival, and take a long time to print. It takes over 30 minutes for this printer to produce a high quality 13" x 18" print on watercolor paper. This printer is definitely not for an office where many copies need to be turned out quickly.

Because of the high quality of the prints, I have incredible digital photos to work from. These photos are far better than the traditional film type photos, as long as you use a high quality digital camera.

I'm not familiar with the Epson 2200. Mine is the Epson 2000P.

Linda, that's exactly what I wanted the printer for: to produce high quality reproductions of my work for sale. The Epson 2200 is the next iteration of the 2000P and just went on the market. It sounds as though I'd need a setup that could accommodate both printers, then, huh? I have a Canon Powershot G2 that I'm learning to use; it's 4 megapixels and can produce raw-format files at high resolution although I haven't tried that setting yet.

Leslie,

I was referring back to Andrea Evans' initial inquiry about 8x10 photos of work for a portfolio.

Mary

Andrea, sorry I am jumping in late, I didn't know if you still needed help. I am quoting a response I posted under Digital Cameras below. I thought it fit your question well.

I have found the Epson papers to be great. I think they are all pretty good now, but you get what you pay for. The laser printer vs. ink jet...

I am not sure about the printer Linda was talking about. Sounds great but I thought Epson only made inkjets (could be wrong). These are fine I guess if you want to print a photo but the minute you want to print anything with graphic elements and text you need a Laser or something like the rip software I have mentioned below.

Reason being that a laser reads what is called Postscript, which is a very smooth graphic language. You'll see photographs or illustrator files titled EPS (encapsulated postscript) and you can buy tons of postscript fonts that are used in commercial print production. Inkjet printers will use a knock off version called a True Font or something that may come with Microsoft etc.

These are not as smooth as Postscript. Today's inkjets are much better with character generation - so maybe the new Epsons are fine. Color lasers are very expensive. The ripping software for inkjets can range from $100.00 to $500.00 (a pre-press house would use the expensive one).

Older post:
Good luck! ;)

The Epson P2000 is really great.
 

I just wanted to add my vote for the Epson P2000. I have one and do prints of some of my Sci-Fi and Fantasy work on watercolor paper. They come out looking great and the ink is lightfast and fade resistant for 140 years.

I do shows all the time and I see junky ink jet prints done off any old printer - they will fade within a year - I did tests. Printers like the P2000 and the new 2200 are a great way to go if you do prints of your work. :)

Michael, is the Epson P2000 printer an ink jet printer that just uses a different kind of ink for archival purposes? How does it do with Postscript fonts, etc? I haven

Elizabeth:

The P2000 and the 2200 are inkjet printers that use special archival inks. It has 6-color (CMYK) drop-on-demand Micro Piezo ink jet technology. Its lightfastness can last 200 or more years before noticeable fading occurs, in normal indoor flourescent lighting, under a glass frame, when using Genuine EPSON Archival Inks and compatible EPSON matte type papers.

I believe it will handle anything a normal inkjet printer will handle as far as fonts. I don't print a lot of text, but what I have done printed just fine. It prints up to 13x19 inches which is a real plus for doing your own prints.

The one drawback is that it does not print well on many photo papers or shiny papers in general. The archival matte, and watercolor papers print superbly. The premium lustre paper is about as shiny as I would want to get on it.

It does use up ink pretty fast, however, it is still quite economical when compared to other print processes. I get the 13x19 watercolor paper for between $.70 and $.90 cents per sheet online and a full size 13x19 print costs about $1.50 to $2.00 in ink, so I average about $2-3 per print - a good deal for very good quality.

It prints a 13x19 print in about 20 minutes, so not too speedy. But it's quiet.

Hope that helps! :)

Michael,

Have you tried printing with the P2000 on Stonehenge Printmaking paper? It is really gorgeous. I use this paper for my colored pencil work and I have to look real close to tell which is the original and which is the copy. It is a great printer.

Elizabeth,

In my former life, I owned a design firm. We owned several Epson ink jets and a QMS magicolor EX color laser printer. We never had a problem with Postscript fonts with the Epsons.

Believe me if there could have been a problem, we would have had it! The problem with the laser printer is that the toner "lays" on top of the paper and could flake off if rolled or during framing, especially with a glossy surface. When doing business cards that is not a big problem, but when making prints it is. Also, when using a textured watercolor paper, the laser printer won't put the toner into the crevices of the paper. You can see the paper color in the middle of what should be solid color.

In summary:
It is my opinion that when printing brochures and business cards, etc. laser is good. When making fine art prints, Epsons are best (I never used any other kind of ink jet printer in my 15 years of business).

Rebecca

The Epson 2200 printer and the papers which are being mentioned sound as though they'd be excellent. Does anyone want to share where they get supplies such as the archival matte, watercolor, and Stonehenge papers?

Rebecca and Michael, when you are saying you make "fine art prints" with the P2000, is that for your portfolio or do you actually sign and sell them? I can

Elizabeth:

Yes, limited edition prints that I sell - unmatted, matted, and matted and framed.

I bought my printer online and paid around $720 for it. I buy my paper and inks online as well. Do a Google search on the part number and then compare prices. I have gotten the color cartridge for as little as $27 and the BW cartridge for as little as $15. There are knock off inks out there, but they don't guarantee archival - I use only Epson OEM inks.

Rebecca: I have not tried the Stonehenge papers, but will see if I can get some, thank you. :)

I agree with Michael. I looked at Laser printers, but found that I couldn't afford them. The one thing that is good about this printer (Epson 2000p) is that it will print up to 13x18" prints that are archival. I will rarely be printing text. I have printed out some business cards with text, and they look fine. I use it mostly for photos to work from and prints to sell.

Click here for:
Epson 2000p printer link

This is the info I found about this printer, looks great! They do have Stylus Rip software for graphics.

Click here for:
Stylus Rip software

Michael,

I am intrigued with what you said about the Epson 2200 printer. I've only had Offset Lithos done in the past. How do these prints compare with Lithos? I also have an artist friend that has had giclees done. Is this similar to a giclee? I think I remember reading that giclees are done by inkjet. Any idea if it is the same thing with a different name?

Also, how do you explain the print when a customer asks? I always have people asking what kind of prints I have and I wonder how you would answer without making it sound like a "home computer job"? Also you mention it uses up ink pretty fast. Approximately how many prints are you getting before you find that you are having to replace the ink cartridges?

I know that I am full of questions, but this sounds like it could be the perfect solution for prints. Especially when a portrait is done and copies are wanted for the grandparents etc.

Thanks in advance for your input.

Mary

Right now if you buy the Epson 2200 ($699 at Mac Mall) you can get the $99 Epson 1250 Photo scanner with a 35mm slide attachment FREE!!! I love that word! My sister-in-law is purchasing one for the magazine she works for. Seeing my prints convinced her!

Rebecca

Mary:

Yes, they are really Giclee prints done on watercolor paper instead of canvas - which, BTW, you can do on the P2000 too.

As for explaining the process, the superior archival nature of the prints is the key. I explain that the prints are produced by the artist(me) using archival inks on watercolor paper, that they are fade-resistant for 140 years. If the print is matted, then I explain about archival methods of mounting a print and how I do it - hanging tape, acid free mats, backing, etc..

I get between 15 to 20 full-sized prints from a cartridge - color and black and white. I broke the cost down (ink & paper) and they came out to about $2-3 per print.

Thanks Michael, this is really helpful. I'm thinking seriously of getting this printer thanks to the info from you and others on this forum.

Do you find yourself wasting many prints trying to get the color and values adjusted?

Mary

Mary:

I have a HP970Cse inkjet printer for test prints and printing everything that is not an art print - the P2000 is only for prints or oversized signs for my shows.

I generally have been lucky in getting color that is pretty close to the originals - they are never quite exactly matching, but they get very close.

You can sell your test prints as "Artist Proofs".

Whenever I have to do test prints to check for color, I put many small images on one page, and then tweak the color of each one individually. I make notes as to what I tweaked in Photoshop (reduce contrast by 10, change the color balance to less red by 20, for example.)

Then I print out the page with the eight or nine small, different-colored versions of my image and pick the one that looks best. Because I took notes on what I changed in each of the color tests, I can replicate it when I do my full page print. Saves me a lot of ink and paper.

Often my color tests are so awful looking (until I get it right) that I'd never want anyone else to see them -- let alone sell them!

Thank you Michael and Michele. I'm probably going to get this printer when I get paid for the portrait I am now working on. I'm totally excited about it.

:sunnysmil
Mary