Is a printer worth it?

At this point, photography is a serious hobby of mine. I figure I am decent at it, I enjoy it, but I generate zero income from it. That said, I can get a brand new Canon Pixma Pro-10 for $299, plus a mail in rebate of $100. basically $199, brand new. I am absolutely new to digital printing, have not printed since my darkroom days. I got a couple 13x19" samples printed (of my images) and they looked fantastic. Im seriously amazed to be honest.

I guess my question is, is this deal too good to pass up? Its doubtful that I would be printing a lot of stuff at home on a regular basis, but it would be nice to be able to do it at home when needed. Im looking into the cost of ink and such, and that sort of scares me away to be honest. Opinions? Do most "pro's" just use an online service? Is it even practical for someone to have a printer at home?
Thanks in advance

They're worth it if you print a lot. They're not worth it if you don't. I have one sitting here that's probably clogged by now. Cutting paper is a pain in the ass, especially if you buy it by the roll to save money.

I probably would print more, if I had a printer. This might be left over from my film/darkroom days, but I dont feel like an image is complete until I have printed it and can frame it and look at it.

Im just wondering if its worth the $199 price point to basically have something to print the random image I feel that deserves to be printed.

If you have the random image that you think deserves to be printed every now and then, I think the online printing services are a better way to go. I like the look of photographic paper exposed by the systems they use over most inkjet systems and you have some interesting paper options that pull of better effects with their exposure based printing systems.

gnome chompski wrote in post #16384204
I probably would print more, if I had a printer. This might be left over from my film/darkroom days, but I dont feel like an image is complete until I have printed it and can frame it and look at it.

Im just wondering if its worth the $199 price point to basically have something to print the random image I feel that deserves to be printed.

You sound like you're already convinced to buy the printer so go for it. Only you can decide what you want to do. I paid $800 for my printer about 5 or 6 years ago and for the last 3-4 years it's just sat. I even have a roll of paper, in the wrapper and box, sitting on top of it.

gnome chompski wrote in post #16384204
I probably would print more, if I had a printer. This might be left over from my film/darkroom days, but I dont feel like an image is complete until I have printed it and can frame it and look at it.

Im just wondering if its worth the $199 price point to basically have something to print the random image I feel that deserves to be printed.

I'd say your analogy of the film/darkroom days is pretty, I guess you could say accurate. In the film days working in the darkroom was for some part of the profession, but for others was part of the passion for the photography hobby. For the fortunate few it was both...

Doing your own prints is similar. There are pros here who do there own printing, although there are choices to be made there -- a wedding photog may use a print service to quickly get out prints to a client, for instance, a "fine art" photographer may use a good print provider...

And yet for those who not only enjoy the process of capturing good photos, and then of the "digital darkroom" experience of processing their photos, but who also value the "creative control" of doing the printing, well, then!

I would say, though, that you would benefit on doing some "reading up" on the costs of printing, and the various options!

I have definitely not convinced myself. Your experience is exactly what holds me back. The more I think about it, the less sense it makes. The convenience and tinker factor are pretty much the only pro's that I can think of. Will probably pass. Thanks all.

Tony, what little I have read already about costs scares me off.

The difference is I don't wax nostalgic about the process. I hate printing. I also hate cutting. For me, prints are a destination, not a journey.

I should also say that over a number of years, I've printed hundreds of photos using, gosh, four different inkjet printers. These range from 4x6 and 5x7 as well as 8x10 prints that have gotten used as "coffee table photos" to a goodly number of 12x16 and 12x18 prints that I've put on my walls (all over my walls).

And then at some point I just ran out -- of space and then the "drive" to just make more prints to pile up! So, I currently have two nice photo inkjet printers that are pretty much collecting dust...

Just a comment to give some perspective!

But, wait 'till you hear from some committed, enthusiastic print folks!

I would print more, if my printer worked. Come to think of it, I would also use the cardreader on my printer if it still worked. Now it's just an ornament on a desk.

Only you can answer the question. I use my A3+ Epson R2880 rarely but still would not be without it for the world.

Yes, printing at home is not a cheap option, but I have total control of the printing process which I value.

gnome chompski wrote in post #16384204
I probably would print more, if I had a printer. This might be left over from my film/darkroom days, but I dont feel like an image is complete until I have printed it and can frame it and look at it.

Im just wondering if its worth the $199 price point to basically have something to print the random image I feel that deserves to be printed.

My feelings exactly.

Not cheap but worth it.

Would give up photography if I didn't do my own printing, to me it is half of the enjoyment. I do print a bunch and that helps. Using Cone Inks for several years now and saving a ton of money there, check out the Red River Paper site for info of the true costs of printing. It does take some work, print at least once a week, no problem with me. I also humidify in the winter and dehumidify in the summers here in NC, keeps the nozzles from drying out and your paper flatter. The more professional printers have larger carts so ink is cheaper, and for the more popular printers there are refillable carts. I need to print!

cdifoto wrote in post #16384238
The difference is I don't wax nostalgic about the process. I hate printing. I also hate cutting. For me, prints are a destination, not a journey.

I certainly don't wax nostalgic about digital printing methods. Back in the darkroom days printing was absolutely a part of creating the final image and something I enjoyed. I could adjust contrast further, dodge and burn, etc and it was a nicely paced methodical process. Digital printing is boring, unengaging and if you get in to doing it at a high level with calibration and everything else... tedious. I will leave the printing to a lab these days!

With digital my goal is to have everything done to the image on my computer and have the print come out as close as possible. The choices I make in printing now usually come down to glossy, matte or metallic paper.