I have been tossing around the idea of getting a printer to print 8x10 black and whites, from my 4x5 scans. I have a few questions and concerns.
#1: paper. Are there any printers (and paper!) that can print an 8x10 that does not require any cutting after the print has been made? Or would I have to step up (and crop a bit) to the standard letter size of 8.5x11?
#2: cost per print. I have been using Mpix.com printing for a while now, and I'm fairly satisfied with their quality. an 8x10 runs me $2.50 if I 'splurge' and go for the ilford 'special' B&W paper. After the initial cost of the printer, about how much does each print cost, if I count ink and paper alone, for B&W prints? Will it be anywhere close to the 2-2.50 that Mpix costs?
#3: sharpness. One thing I have not been to particularly happy about with the mpix printing with has been the sharpness of the print. However, for the very modest price of a few dollars per print, I have overlooked the lack of fine detail in the prints. They have told me that their printers accept dpi up to 260. With something like the Epson 3800 with a possible print ppi of "SuperPhoto - 2880 dpi" will there be a noticable bump in image sharpness? Or is this something that I am not going to archive with digital prints?
#4: the actual hardware. I've read alot of great things about the Epson 3800. I see the price, and if the results are going to blow me away then I don't mind paying for it. However, I'm wondering if there is an alternative that would suit me and my 8x10 B&W prints at a cheaper price? (it's much larger, and does color printing)
Thanks for any direction!
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