Epson Stylus 4880 Pro vs. Lab prints

Here's my dilemma.....The Lab or a New Epson

I am looking for a better way to get my prints to look more what I see on my new 17" Dell Studio laptop.

I know I should start by using a calibration device like Spyder or Huey, etc. Given I do some of my printing at the local Walmart I'm finding they are coming out much darker than what I see on-screen. So I found the ICC profile online for the Frontier 370 digital printer they use in their lab....thinking that if I install this profile on my PC that what I see is going to be what I print at the lab. I use Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 and not really that familiar with the color workspace topic.

or...

My other option is to just start printing my own jobs....my only reluctance with this idea is the cost per print going up, hassle with messing with ink, and most of all.......faded prints. I'm willing to spend $2k on a pro printer from B&H rather than a $450 Epson from Staples that probably isn't built to take the usage I'll give it.

I haven't had a photo printer in several years, but I can remember having to worry about fading and ink smearing (I print always in matte). Is this technology better than it was years ago? I can recall putting an inkjet print up on the fridge with a magnet and removing it several months later and seeing definite fading, but do the same to a Wallyworld print and it never changed.

Does anyone else have thoughts or ideas on this?

You have to calibrate your screen before anything else to do with profiles is worth doing. The reason the prints come back dark is because your screen is too bright, like all screens until they're calibrated. Watch the histogram.

tim wrote in post #7004102
You have to calibrate your screen before anything else to do with profiles is worth doing. The reason the prints come back dark is because your screen is too bright, like all screens until they're calibrated. Watch the histogram.

Thanks Tim...I might place an order tonight for a Syder2.

Update: Ordered the Spyder2 Express...will update on it after using.

The Spyder 2 Express is probably all you need, unless you want to calibrate multiple displays attached to one PC (I think), then you'll want the Spyder 3 pro.

It doesn't show as compatible with Vista on this Amazon page but on Colorvisions page it does.

Not to hi-jack your post but I am curious about the fading. I am printing a clients order on my canon and the prints look great but is there something else that needs to be done so the images dont fade? I saw some Krylon (sp?) spray for digital prints and it came in glossy or matte. Should I use that for client orders?

psycorpse wrote in post #7006085
Not to hi-jack your post but I am curious about the fading. I am printing a clients order on my canon and the prints look great but is there something else that needs to be done so the images dont fade? I saw some Krylon (sp?) spray for digital prints and it came in glossy or matte. Should I use that for client orders?

I heard there was a spray "out there" that one could put on after printing inkjet photos, but never looked further into it. I thought about mentioning this in my OP...I'm just leary about creating prints with my stamp on the back that will fade soon after...it's easier to keep a good rep than to repair one.

I just know every inkjet print I ever made has faded and unless the technology has changed for the better, I'll stay with the online labs I use...I have to do more research in my spare time.

To delay the fading longest, get a true photo printer with archival inks. A standard inkjet won't cut the mustard. If it doesn't say archival or state a print longevity, it's not archival and won't last.

cdifoto wrote in post #7007227
To delay the fading longest, get a true photo printer with archival inks. A standard inkjet won't cut the mustard. If it doesn't say archival or state a print longevity, it's not archival and won't last.

Thanks for the tip....most definitely not buying a basic OfficeJet for this...I see the Epson's and Lexmark's get good ratings.

Epson makes some of the best available. According to their website, 200 year fade resistance under glass & 300 in an album.

I have an R2400 and the prints are beautiful, but the hassles of self-printing make it sit dormant most of the time. I haven't been around for 200 years though so I can't speak for the longevity.

dcyphert wrote in post #7002396
Given I do some of my printing at the local Walmart I'm finding they are coming out much darker than what I see on-screen. So I found the ICC profile online for the Frontier 370 digital printer they use in their lab....thinking that if I install this profile on my PC that what I see is going to be what I print at the lab.

Thanks for the idea. I'm going to give this a try with my local walgreens after I figure out what printer they are using. Anyone else try doing something similar and care to share results?

Modern pigment inksets have pretty well consigned the fading issues to history. Epson for instance claim a life expectancy of a print from the R2880, made on archival quality paper and kept properly, of 200 years.

The downsides of pigment inks are 1. A slightly more succeptability to surface abrasion, due to more of the ink being on the surface than was the case with dye inks. B. The colours are more muted, although this is improving daily.

Generally speaking a good quality print from any proper photo printer in a colour managed system should out perform outsourced prints. Purely because the labs cannot afford to put the time and effort into any individual print. Sadly it will never compete on cost terms.