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Epson Pro 3880 – First Print

Wednesday 7 September 2011

It’s 10:06pm and I am cranking out my first full-page print – a 12×16 printed on 13×19…

Wild Ginger, Spring, Bruce Trail

My original goal was to have the first print by dinner time today, but I was being rather ambitious than realistic.

I picked up the printer this morning (thanks Lan at Vistek, Mississauga!) and spent some time looking through the various papers they had in stock. Before going, I had done my research and had settled on three papers:

  • Ilford GALERIE Gold Fibre Silk – a beautiful, silky smooth baryta paper, reminiscent of the glory days in the darkroom with Galerie paper;
  • MOAB Entrada Natural – a gorgeous rag fine art paper that will be great for the more artsy shots;
  • Canson Infinity Platine Fibre Rag – yet another beautiful paper with a long history.

Each of these papers have a few things in common. Since I am looking at longevity and fine prints, I figured I should do it right with 100% cotton rag substrate and no Optical Brightening Agents (OBAs). No RC, no photo glossy, no alpha cellulose – just the best paper possible. Not the most expensive (Hahnemuhle is a fortune!) but every bit as good as the most expensive. As well, each of the papers came with excellent recommendations:

     The price of these papers is reasonable, too. For 13×19″ sheets, they run about $3.00 to $3.40 per sheet. The equivalent Hahnemuhle is 1.5x to 2x those prices.
     So with boxes of paper under my arm away I went back up the 401 then down into my basement. Wow – what a process! Unpacking took more than a few minutes with all the tape and quite ingenious packaging of the printer. I also had to drag my old desk out of the crawl space to support it. To the uninitiated, it’s quite large! Installing the inks was simple enough, but there are 9 of them so it takes time.
     After a bite to eat and some church business (you know, committee work) I was back at it. But where to start?!? I can’t just plug it in and send a print over – there’s a bit of a learning curve here. I had to download paper profiles from each of the manufacturers and discover exactly what media settings were needed for each paper. The Epson print drivers are great, but, let’s face it, Epson wants us to use their paper so they build in the presets for their paper, not others. I had thought about using Epson paper, but they’re the printer experts, not the paper experts. Mind you, they have some beautiful papers (I’m looking forward to trying the Cold Press Natural).
     Finally, around 5pm I was ready to print, but it’s also dinner time. We are one of those seemingly dying breeds of families that still have dinner together – a chance to get caught up with everyone and their day. So finally at about 7:30pm I was down in the basement again. But which photo to choose as my first? After sorting through a few dozen, I decided on this one. I shot it earlier this spring on a beautifully foggy day on the Bruce Trail near Chedoke Golf Course in Hamilton. Laurie and I had a wonderful morning hike along there; she birding and I photographing. With BBC Proms streaming through the stereo (Proms 70 – Holst: The Planets) I set to work.
     Back in the days of darkrooms, we would make test strips at different exposures then different contrasts to nail down just the right combination. I’ve created a Lightroom printing preset that does the same thing: it prints just a 3″ strip of the photo. From that strip, I can judge just how the colour, contrast and exposure look. I am not using a monitor profile at this time (I know – big taboo), but at $275 for one that would do the job well, I figured with my MacBook Pro screen fine tuned and an experienced colour darkroom photographic eye, I could do a pretty good job. And, considering this is my first foray into pigment inks and fine art paper, I’d say I’ve done fairly well. I ended up doing 5 – 3″ test strips on a single 13×19 (with space for one more test) before printing a full-sized print. Setting up the Lightroom presets for both the test strip and the final print also took some time to get just right. But, finally, the full-sized print began emerging from the printer.
     Wow! It the final print looks great. I’m sure I’ll see it differently tomorrow but I am so looking forward to finally getting back “in the darkroom” after this 11-year hiatus. Maybe I’ll try a black-and-white. And just think – no water running for hours on end; no more waiting 20 minutes for the colour developer and blix for each test strip; no feeling around in the dark to cut paper (and not my fingers!); no squeegeeing/sponging of large wet sheets, hoping not to scratch one. I do miss the smell of a darkroom, that pungent acetic acid smell, but perhaps the smell of pigment ink will begin to replace that nostalgia. But I sure won’t miss the chemicals down the sink and the endless use of water for washing. Digital printing is here to stay!
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from → Fine Art Photography, Fine Art Printing, Photo Equipment

Choosing a photo printer – OMG what a challenge!

Tuesday 6 September 2011

It’s now well past the time for me to get some serious printing done. For the last number of years, I’ve printed  small stuff on my HP PhotoSmart (does quite a good job actually) and larger stuff using PosterJack.ca – really good prints, but I feel I can do better – oh how I miss the darkroom! In particular, I would love to explore some of the fine art papers for my “Platform” portfolio and some new shots of moving landscapes (more on that later).

So where to start? First of all, I needed to define exactly what type of printer I wanted. Modern fine art standards dictate:

  • pigment inks since they have much greater longevity (over a century for colour and 200+ years for B&W) than the dye inks common in inkjet printers
  • wide carriage – 13″ will produce beautifully sized prints (although 17″ would be preferred, it might be more printer than I can handle financially right now).

BTW, I should point out that I’m not approaching this as someone who has money to burn as we too often read about in the reviews and blogs, but rather as someone who, like most people, must count every penny!

Next – which manufacturer? There are only three in the running: Canon, Epson and HP. All of there printers in this league produce excellent results and are competitively priced. None, however, are sold locally. In fact, there is no local source for pigment inks for any of the machines, let along fine art papers in 13″ or 17″, so T.O. is my destination).
After checking out all three, it seems there is generally more support for the Epson printers
  • more pros whom I respect using them;
  • there are a greater variety of models available in stock at, for e.g. Vistek;
  • if the printers are more common, then the inks will also be easier to obtain.
So, now, which of the myriad Epson printers will suit my needs. A kick look at the list includes (from least to most expensive): R2880, R3000, Pro 3880, Pro 4900, Pro 3800, Pro 4880, 7800, 7890, 7900, etc., etc. I friend of mine has the 9900 – at 44″ width and $150 per ink cartridge, it’s too rich for my blood. Looking back at the photos of mine  that have been most popular with people, it seems that 13″ should be large enough, but I should keep my mind open to a 17″ which would really fit the bill.
One of the things I’ve learned over the past few weeks of reading up on the various printers and decisions to be made is that buying a printer is actually less costly than the consumables you will purchase over the life of the printer: paper and ink. Paper use will be the same no matter what printer you purchase, so let’s look at inks for a moment. It seems, from what I’ve read, that a printer is simply a vehicle for companies to sell ink –- that’s where the real money lies. For example, a standard ink cartridge for an Epson R2880 13″ printer costs $15 and holds 11mL of ink. that’s $1.36 per ml or $1363 per Litre! Imagine if gas or wine was that much!! However, buying ink in larger cartridges reduces the per mL cost of ink. The ink my friend buys at $150 per cartridge holds 350mL = 43 cents per mL – a big savings when you cost that over a number of prints and years. Something to keep in mind…
Back to the printers: of the 13″ printers offering pigment ink, Epson offers the R2880 for $620 (all prices in CDN from Vistek.ca) and the R3000 for $880 less $20 less an Epson rebate for $200 until October 1st = $660. Well, there’s no contest here, the Pro 3000 is a better deal: it is newer and it also comes with more than twice as much ink.
Ignoring printer price for the moment, the Epson R3000 is a more serious printer with larger ink capacity (25.9mL, the r2880 inks are 11mL). A replacement cartridge for the R3000 is $35 = $1.35/mL – no real difference to the R2880, but the fact that it arrives with more ink for about the same price is good enough for me. However, what about the equivalent 17″ printer – the Epson Pro 3880?
The Epson Pro 3880 is significantly more expensive ($1279) but has had wonderful reviews (e.g. Michael Reichman on Lu-La and the great modern photographer Ctein). It has 80mL ink tanks (3x the size of the R3000)  that retail for $64 which is only 80 cents per mL – not that’s a savings! But wait – here’s where it gets interesting. Although the Pro 3880 sells for $1279 – a significant $619 more than the R3000 – it arrives with 80mL of ink per tank, not 25.9mL per tank like the R3000. So let’s compare apples to apples. Start with the Pro 3000 and add 2 sets of ink to bring it up to near the 80mL of the Pro 3880 and the price is: $660 plus 2 ink sets at $280 each = $1220 or $59 less than the Pro 3880. So, for $59 more, the Pro 3880 offers 17″ printing and ink that costs 55 cents less per mL (80 cents per mL versus $1.35 – a 40% savings!). While the Pro 3880 won’t take photo paper in rolls, it will print to about 37″ (officially to 22″ but that can be extended) for the odd panorama. BTW – rolls are not always cheaper on a per sheet basis, but that’s another blog article.
So, guess what I’m ordering from Vistek – that’s right, an Epson Pro 3880, 17″ printer. More printer than perhaps I need right now, but is one I can grow into.
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from → Fine Art Photography, Fine Art Printing, Photo Equipment

March Newsletter is here!

Sunday 20 March 2011
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Spring is springing and the March Newsletter is here: http://luxborealis.com/newsletter/luxBorealisNews-2011-03-Mar.pdf
I’ve included an article on “Turning off Technology” as well as some great reader photos from Scott Sneddon.
Coming up next month, the Lightroom Visual Guide will be published. You’ll find a downloadable sample page at http://www.luxborealis.com/LRVG.html. Time is running out to take advantage of the special pre-publication price of only $5.00 – only until March 31st! Visit the website for more info.
The Spring Photography Workshop schedule is also included in the newsletter, but here is a sneak peak (locations TBA, but all will be “in the field” in the Guelph area except for the Photo Editing courses which will be help at my home studio):
  • Photo Editing: Lightroom – Sat. Apr 16th
  • Photo Editing: Photoshop – Sat. Apr 23rd
  • Spring Nature Photography Workshop: All day Saturday, May 7th

  • Point & Shoot Photography: Sat. May 14th
  • DLSR Photoaphy: Sat. May 21st
  • Evening Photo Talks I: Learning Photography – 6:30 to 8:30pm each Tuesday in May from 6:30 to 8:30pm
  • Evening Photo Talks II: Focus on Nature and the Outdoors – each Wednesday evening in May + June 1st from 6:30 to 8:30pm
  • Discover the Grand Day: An all-day workshop in various locations along the Grand River, Saturday, June 4th
Have a great month and don’t forget to sign up for a workshop by emailing or calling (519-265-4151).

 

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from → Fine Art Photography, Workshops, Tours & Safaris

Spring 2011 Photography Workshops

Sunday 20 March 2011
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With the cardinals calling and our first robin sighting, spring is in the air which means a whole new season of images awaits us. I have a tentative line-up of workshops in different formats coming up. If you’re interested in any of them send me an email to reserve your spot (terry@luxborealis.com)or give me a call at 519-265-4151. Note: Photo Editing courses are held at my home studio. All other locations are still to be finalized, but will be “live on-location” in the Guelph, Ontario region.

Photo Editing: Lightroom – Sat. Apr 16th $45 each or take both for $80

  • Intro to Lightroom: 9 to 11:30am
  • Advanced Lightroom: 1 to 3:30pm

Photo Editing: Photoshop – Sat. Apr 23rd $45 each or take both for $80

  • Intro to Photoshop Elements
  • Advanced Elements

Spring Nature Photography Workshop: All day Saturday, May 7th; Location TBA;

This is a full-day advanced field experience concentrating on nature and outdoor photography close-ups, landscapes, lighting, composition, reading histograms and working on a tripod; $85

Point & Shoot Photography: Sat. May 14th $45 each or take both for $80

  • Starter: 9 to 11:30am;
  • Advanced: 1 to 3:30pm

DLSR Photoaphy: Sat. May 21st$45 each or take both for $80

  • Starter: 9 to 11:30am
  • Advanced: 1 to 3:30pm

Evening Photo Talks I:  Learning Photography – 6:30 to 8:30pm each Tuesday in May; $35ea; or pre-register for $30 each or take all 5 for $135

  • Getting to Know Your Camera: May 3rd
  • What is Correct Exposure? – May 10th
  • Making Best Use of your Lenses – May 17th
  • Dynamic Lighting – May 24th
  • Creative Composition – May 31st

Evening Photo Talks II: Focus on Nature and the Outdoors – 6:30 to 8:30pm each Wednesday in May + June 1st; $35ea; or pre-register for $30 each or take all 5 for $135

  • Nature Basics: Exposure – May 4th
  • Nature Basics: Lighting – May 11th
  • Creative Composition – May 18th
  • Close-up & Flower Photography – May 25th
  • Living Landscapes – June 1st

Discover the Grand Day: An all-day workshop in various locations along the Grand River, Saturday,  June 4th; Travel to various great locations along the Grand River for a full-day advanced field workshop concentrating on landscape and nature photography, dynamic lighting, creative composition and working on a tripod; $85 per persson

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from → Workshops, Tours & Safaris

A great way to learn and master Lightroom is here

Sunday 20 March 2011
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Coming in April – the Lightroom Visual Guide: a screen-by-screen, module-by-module look at how to make best use of Lightroom.

Lightroom is the tool digital photographers have been waiting for and in version 3, it has matured to become essential for any photographer shooting more than a few hundred images per year. It brings together the power of non-destructive editing based on Adobe Camera Raw with an extensive and powerful database for keeping track of tens of thousands of raw, jpeg, psd and tiff files & videos. But LR is not as easy as dragging a few sliders – there’s a learning curve to customizing your workflow for high quality, repeatable results. The Lightroom Visual Guide will get you there!

In PDF format for use on-screen or printed out, the Lightroom Visual Guide provides panel-by-panel and palette-by-palette assistance to make active use of the many buttons, menus, and options available. Each of the five modules – Library, Develop, Slideshow Print, Web – has dedicated pages with explanations of each of the many palettes and panels. As well, there are pages for setting-up LR preferences, identity plates, renaming templates, exporting and more.

In the Lightroom Visual Guide you’ll find pages dedicated to:

  • Preferences, Set-up & Customization
  • Import View
  • Library Module
  • Develop Module, Palettes & Adjustment Tools
  • Slideshow Module
  • Print Module and Printer settings
  • Web Module
  • Export Options
  • Black & White processing

Everything you need to be successful with Lightroom. And the best part of it is – until March 31st you can purchase the Lightroom Visual Guide PDF for the special pre-publication price of only $5.00.

Visit my website now to download a sample page and place your order. You will not find a simpler, more comprehensive way to finally master what has become the industry-standard for serious and professional digital photographers.

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from → Photo Management, Post-capture Techniques
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