Posted by Don Gemmecke on January 15, 2009 at 1:33 PM
I've finally taken the leap to p/t amateur/pro photographer and plan to market my landscape photos to local galleries, shops, etc. I've bought a sample of every kind of ink jet photo paper available and have settled - at this point - on HP's Photo Plus gloss paper (I have an HP all-in-one printer). I use a Huey on my screen to get the colors right but the prints don't match what I see on screen unless I tinker with the saturation and brightness settings in the printer pre-print menu. This past week I used pre-cut Avery paper for the first time to print business cards and was amazed that the quality of the image on the Avery satin paper was so much better than on the HP Photo Plus paper. Unfortunately, the only paper available locally is from Staples: a wide selection of HP, and a very small selection of Kodak, Epson and Canon. I've made test prints on all these and the HP seemed the best until I printed the Avery cards. Any suggestions regarding a better paper(s) that will yield sharp, well defined colors? And where would I get them?
Posted by Larry Puckett on January 15, 2009 at 2:07 PM
Can't help with the which ones question but for the best prices Google photo paper and start scanning the websites there are tons of online dealers that are much cheaper than Staples, etc. Amazon has a lot to offer. I am in about the same spot as you with respect to printing so will be interested in the other answers--Larry
Consider redriverpaper.com I'm sure there are lots of other places, but I've been happy with Red River for a few years now. I've used a lot of their pre-scored card stock as well as regular paper. They're stocking some panoramic size now too.
Pete D.
ps - Red River offers sampler packs (a coupld of sheets of several different paper). The idea is to see and try some prints to decide which you prefer before ordering a full box. Atlex.com also offers samplers, some are mixed brands. For example, if you know you want matte, the matte sampler has three different brands (and more than one paper from some of those brands). Ah, the Paradox of Choice rears its ugly head again.
Posted by John Mumaw on January 15, 2009 at 5:59 PM
Not sure if the typical 'all-in-one' printer was intended to produce professional results.
You may want to look into a dedicated photo printer for best results.
Posted by Robert Fisher on January 16, 2009 at 8:23 AM
I agree with John. Galleries with staff/owners who know about digital photography won't likely accept prints from an all in one machine. And while you can get decent results from them, you won't get prints of high enough quality to be displayed in really reputable galleries.
When I was looking at calibration devices some years ago I looked at the Huey and found it didn't produce accurate results which is likely why you're having to adjust the monitor further after using the Huey. The updated Huey Pro, I think it's called, is supposed to be better but I haven't tried it.
Posted by Ed Cordes on January 16, 2009 at 9:57 AM
It is a some times steep learning curve. I use Gretag/Macbeth Eye One2 and set my LCD monitor to about 30% brightness prior to calibrating. This helps minimize the different appearance between the back-lit monitor and the reflected-lit print.
I'll also provide another vote for Red River paper. Good price/quality/service. When I really started selling prints I switched to a pigment printer for its archival quality. It is nice to say that the manufacturer states 100 year life if mounted behind glass. While we all know 100 years may be a slight exageration, certainly 50-75 years is realistic. Dye ink will show signs of fading and color shift after about 4-5 years. (although there are some newer dyes that are said to resist change better than that).
In any case, if you are going to get serious about selling prints you should get a pro quality printer and peripherals to produce repeatable pro quality work.
FWIW, there is nothing like seeing the eyes of a customer light up when they see for the first time a print they ordered . The satisfaction that comes from someone else being excited to own one of your prints is super.
Discussion
5 repliesPete D.
ps - Red River offers sampler packs (a coupld of sheets of several different paper). The idea is to see and try some prints to decide which you prefer before ordering a full box. Atlex.com also offers samplers, some are mixed brands. For example, if you know you want matte, the matte sampler has three different brands (and more than one paper from some of those brands). Ah, the Paradox of Choice rears its ugly head again.
You may want to look into a dedicated photo printer for best results.
When I was looking at calibration devices some years ago I looked at the Huey and found it didn't produce accurate results which is likely why you're having to adjust the monitor further after using the Huey. The updated Huey Pro, I think it's called, is supposed to be better but I haven't tried it.
I'll also provide another vote for Red River paper. Good price/quality/service. When I really started selling prints I switched to a pigment printer for its archival quality. It is nice to say that the manufacturer states 100 year life if mounted behind glass. While we all know 100 years may be a slight exageration, certainly 50-75 years is realistic. Dye ink will show signs of fading and color shift after about 4-5 years. (although there are some newer dyes that are said to resist change better than that).
In any case, if you are going to get serious about selling prints you should get a pro quality printer and peripherals to produce repeatable pro quality work.
FWIW, there is nothing like seeing the eyes of a customer light up when they see for the first time a print they ordered . The satisfaction that comes from someone else being excited to own one of your prints is super.