On site printing

[sobad]

My wife and I have been asked many times to do on site printing for various occasions but have always just sold the pictures on my site. However, now I'm thinking about trying it. Can any of you suggest a good printer?

Thanks,
JJ

[Redfish]

Look at dye sub printers

determine what size you want

www.imagingspectrum.com

good luck

[AzzKicker]

Do you find the printer cost to be too much? Is it worth it.

[ultra big al]

I was wondering about the same thing I have a HP a627 that prints 4x6 and 5x7 It takes a rechargeable battery so you would have the option of printing anywhere including outdoor events the problem is I dont know where you get the battery it's not on the hp site does anybody have any Idea where they would have this battery .Thanks,
Alan

[DC Fan]

The Canon ip4500 deserves a look.

[jhcanon]

I was wondering about the same thing I have a HP a627 that prints 4x6 and 5x7 It takes a rechargeable battery so you would have the option of printing anywhere including outdoor events the problem is I dont know where you get the battery it's not on the hp site does anybody have any Idea where they would have this battery .Thanks,
Alan

I know I'm speaking from the UK and most of the input on this forum seems to be US based but in terms of portable printing I've recently been told that most of the manufacturers seem to be droppoing the battery pack powered printers for some reason.

[amfoto1]

Dye sub printers are definitely the way to go... eventually.

But I would not necessarily recommend them when initially experimenting with onsite printing for a couple reasons: They are a big initial investment, although operating costs will be more controllable over time. And they limit your print size options, which is also a factor tied to cost.

Last time I looked, a dye sub that could handle 8x10 cost about $2400. And, it's not practical to switch paper sizes. So if you want to offer two or three sizes of prints, you really should have two or three printers set up, one dedicated to each size print being offered.

Why not just experiment with a $100-150 inkjet for now, and see how it goes, before laying out megabucks on dye sub printer(s)? I know the argument is speed, cost of supplies and using a printer that's not the same your customers use at home themselves.

I think it more important to establish your work flow... Portable computer equipment with the right software.... Practice downloading images quickly, doing any minor editing, sorting them and getting them into galleries for customers to browse... A means for the customer to browse, either on a computer monitor(s) or printed proof sheets... As well as learn any additional skills to produce finished prints quickly and efficiently. You might need extra memory cards, in smaller sizes, to have plenty to swap out for downloading.

We use a rough rule of thumb that an event needs to have upwards of 50 participants to justify us setting up onsite printing. Preferably upwards of 100, actually. Smaller events, it's generally just not worth the extra expense to set up and print on site.

You need to decide if you want to be able to accept credit card payments. This generally means additional cost.

Check locally about collecting sales taxes, too.