Cartridge Printing
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Is It Really Worthy Printing Photos At Home?
A lot of industries have had scares with the advent of the digital age. Yellow Pages has never sold so little advertising in its history, newspapers are struggling to get people to pay for content … and then there's the corner photo store. When digital cameras came along, with the ability to print your own photos at home, many people saw the death of the corner photo store as imminent. But despite the relative cheapness of photo paper, printer cartridges and ink refills, that old corner store still hasn't rolled over and retired. Why not? We investigate whether it is truly worth printing your photos at home.
Costs involved in home photo printing
When you choose to print photos at home, there are several costs to consider:
- The cost of special photo paper
- The cost of genuine ink cartridges or laser toner (aftermarket ink may not be recommended)
- The cost involved in getting a printer that prints high enough resolution to create comparable quality
Costs involved in professional photo printing
When you choose to have your photos printed professionally, there is just one cost to consider – the cost per print! It's much easier to determine this than it is to add up all the costs above and figure out how many photos per printer cartridge or ink refill you can print, how many prints the machine makes over its life, and factor in the cost of the paper. In some cases these costs might not be fixed, anyway. If you take care of your printer, it might last for thousands more prints than if you never clean it. If you choose a printer with a mixed tri-colour ink cartridge, your prints might cost you more than if you choose one with separate colour printer cartridges.
Quality of home photo printing
The quality of photos that come out of a home printer can be amazing … if you're prepared for a much higher initial cost than ordinary users have. If you'll be printing a lot of photos at home, have tracked down a cheap bulk paper source, and found a place to buy cheap ink cartrisdges, it could well be worth it.
Quality of professional photo printing
Some people say that they can always tell a professionally printed photo by its quality – and simply won't stand for home-printed pictures. This is debatable – but photo shops certainly dfon;t have entire rooms full of equipment for nothing!
Other issues
Quality and price are the major factors to think about, but consider also that:
- Photos printed at home are printed in complete privacy
- It is much easier to just hit a couple of buttons on the computer than take your memory card to the print shop
- vNot everybody has access to the cheapest professional photo prints – prints are much more expensive in country areas, for example
- Will you increasingly be uploading photos to Facebook, Flickr etc rather than printing them in the future?
Tips for home photo printing
Here are some tips to ensure you get the best quality, and cost effectiveness, out of your home photo printing:
- Use manufacturer-recommended ink and paper. They are made to work together.
- Print rush orders, small batches of photos, and large photo sizes at home. For ordinary sized batches of ordinary sized photos, take them to the store.
- Always choose printers that have individual colour ink cartridges, rather than a tri-color printer cartridge.
Printing photos at home has a lot of benefits – sometimes pricing is one of them. Make sure you understand your printer and the costs involved before you dedicate yourself to the idea of home printing, though!
About the Author
Cartridgemate.com.au offers a wide range of inkjet printer cartridges and laser toner supplies at seriously discounted prices. You can save up to 70% on inflated retail shop prices. For more information or to view our products, visit <a href="http://www.catridgemate.com.au">Ink Cartridges</a>
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