Thebes
31-Jan-2010, 15:34
I am searching for an entry level printer. The printer will either be dedicated to B&W or color, using 3rd party inks, maybe the Cone ones but I am open to others. With B&W I want to use a multi dilution system like the MIS or piezography ones.
This printer has to do a decent job at printing digital negatives. Its being bought soon for a cyanotype portion of a mixed-media fiber-art piece my wife is working on (must keep her happy with the photography expenditures). I've done alt-process work before but that was a decade ago and I've never dealt with digital internegatives. I expect to also print ziatypes. I don't plan to do traditional pt/pd at this time, but it would be nice if the printer could lay down enough density should I wish to in the future.
So, I am looking for an inexpensive printer and ink system that can do either color or B&W very well, and do decent diginegs on occasion. I am fine with spraying fixatives on the negs but would need know more about how that works out. I figure I'll be using Pictorico OHP for the neg media and will probably want to use QTR to drive the printer.
I have a budget of around 300-400 for the printer including enough ink to get the cyanotype project done. I don't want to be swapping back and forth between inks. I don't want to use stock inks because they make the cheap printers a poor long term value.
What would you get? What should I be thinking about? Is buying a used printer a bad idea, I'll probably be replacing the ink system anyway? How big of a deal are clogged heads on a used printer?
Thanks in advance for any advice.
This printer has to do a decent job at printing digital negatives. Its being bought soon for a cyanotype portion of a mixed-media fiber-art piece my wife is working on (must keep her happy with the photography expenditures). I've done alt-process work before but that was a decade ago and I've never dealt with digital internegatives. I expect to also print ziatypes. I don't plan to do traditional pt/pd at this time, but it would be nice if the printer could lay down enough density should I wish to in the future.
So, I am looking for an inexpensive printer and ink system that can do either color or B&W very well, and do decent diginegs on occasion. I am fine with spraying fixatives on the negs but would need know more about how that works out. I figure I'll be using Pictorico OHP for the neg media and will probably want to use QTR to drive the printer.
I have a budget of around 300-400 for the printer including enough ink to get the cyanotype project done. I don't want to be swapping back and forth between inks. I don't want to use stock inks because they make the cheap printers a poor long term value.
What would you get? What should I be thinking about? Is buying a used printer a bad idea, I'll probably be replacing the ink system anyway? How big of a deal are clogged heads on a used printer?
Thanks in advance for any advice.