How Cheap Can a Photo Printer Be (and Still Look Good)?
Keith Cooper
35,037 views
How cheap can you really go when buying a photo printer? In this video, Keith looks at the trade-offs between printer cost, print size, ink technology, and the actual effort required to get great results.
Before looking at prices, the most important step is deciding what you actually need from a printer. Are you selling exhibition-quality prints, producing casual cards for friends, or just printing snapshots?
While budget and entry-level printers can produce surprisingly good prints, getting top-tier results often requires significant extra work, custom profiling, and higher running costs. We explore different tiers—from high-end 17" pigment machines to A3+ dye and ink tank options—so you can find the right balance for your workflow and audience.
A look at what sorts of printers match some of my requirements for photo printing and where my best value/capability level can be found.
00:00 – How cheap can you really go?
01:05 – Defining your print quality & use case
02:13 – The hidden effort of budget printers (Profiling & colour management)
03:24 – Print sizes: Why 13" (A3+) is the sweet spot
04:29 – High-end 17" options (Canon Pro-1000, Epson P900 & P5300)
05:22 – Paper choices, OEM media & custom profiles
06:37 – Ink tank printers & Mac colour management quirks (Canon G550)
07:56 – Popular 13" options: Epson P700, Canon Pro-300 & Pro-200
09:25 – What makes a print "acceptable"?
10:45 – Multi-function & scanning artwork (Epson ET-8550)
12:06 – Running costs: The true price of cheap printers
14:45 – The big trade-off: Gear vs skill and time
16:08 – Summary: Matching the printer to your audience
All my printer reviews over the last 15 years
https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/p...
For a full categorised index of all my videos, see:
https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/k...
-----------------
If you'd like to make a small donation, I have a Kofi page:
"Buy me a coffee" https://ko-fi.com/keithcooper
-----------------
My articles and videos are always free to access.
Any help with running this channel is gratefully received.
-----------------
I also have some affiliate links which earn me a commission if used.
US Amazon photo/print gear: https://amzn.to/3l9vJC6
B&H Photo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=2008...
Adorama: https://www.adorama.com/?utm_source=r...
20 Comments
How Cheap Can a Photo Printer Be (and Still Look Good)?
Keith Cooper
35,037 views
How cheap can you really go when buying a photo printer? In this video, Keith looks at the trade-offs between printer cost, print size, ink technology, and the actual effort required to get great results.
Before looking at prices, the most important step is deciding what you actually need from a printer. Are you selling exhibition-quality prints, producing casual cards for friends, or just printing snapshots?
While budget and entry-level printers can produce surprisingly good prints, getting top-tier results often requires significant extra work, custom profiling, and higher running costs. We explore different tiers—from high-end 17" pigment machines to A3+ dye and ink tank options—so you can find the right balance for your workflow and audience.
A look at what sorts of printers match some of my requirements for photo printing and where my best value/capability level can be found.
00:00 – How cheap can you really go?
01:05 – Defining your print quality & use case
02:13 – The hidden effort of budget printers (Profiling & colour management)
03:24 – Print sizes: Why 13" (A3+) is the sweet spot
04:29 – High-end 17" options (Canon Pro-1000, Epson P900 & P5300)
05:22 – Paper choices, OEM media & custom profiles
06:37 – Ink tank printers & Mac colour management quirks (Canon G550)
07:56 – Popular 13" options: Epson P700, Canon Pro-300 & Pro-200
09:25 – What makes a print "acceptable"?
10:45 – Multi-function & scanning artwork (Epson ET-8550)
12:06 – Running costs: The true price of cheap printers
14:45 – The big trade-off: Gear vs skill and time
16:08 – Summary: Matching the printer to your audience
All my printer reviews over the last 15 years
https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/p...
For a full categorised index of all my videos, see:
https://www.northlight-images.co.uk/k...
-----------------
If you'd like to make a small donation, I have a Kofi page:
"Buy me a coffee" https://ko-fi.com/keithcooper
-----------------
My articles and videos are always free to access.
Any help with running this channel is gratefully received.
-----------------
I also have some affiliate links which earn me a commission if used.
US Amazon photo/print gear: https://amzn.to/3l9vJC6
B&H Photo: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/?BI=2008...
Adorama: https://www.adorama.com/?utm_source=r...