Mike Chaney's Tech Corner

INK Cost Matters

Just a thought or two (opinion of course) of the almost obsessive concern over the cost of ink.
I have read here on this forum from people that weigh the cartridges, and GREAT concern over cleaning cycles, built in to the drivers.
Many have based their purchase of a replacement printer based on ink usage and cost per Ml, milliliter.
Got my Canon Pro 100 during a frenzy sales push, and after rebates, free shipping, and free paper, I paid 100 bucks.
Tiny cartridges 13 Ml of ink.
So if I got my printer, and also my best friend from Bradenton got one for about 100 bucks, and with all the technology that is involved in engineering the machine, and marketing, plus profiles, and drivers, etc etc., how can Canon cover all this and make a buck?  INK!

Now back to my point:
As I see it, there are some basic categories of people that print.

1) The print shop.  Printing is their business and needs to show a profit.  They watch ink costs as a bakery watches the price of wholesale flour.

2) The Event printer person. Graduations,from Kindergarten up, proms, weddings etc.  They have to please the customer to get the sale.
You can say, "this is just a proof" and get away with it a couple of times, but you need quality too. So they watch ink costs too, but gotta be good prints.

3) Then there's me. Amateur photographer, and hobbyist... plus printing.
I print and donate them to cancer clinics, and other medical offices, and they give them away free. "Take me home if you like this print."
I am so proud when I get a request for copies from their friends.
I had an 11 x 17 of the famous WWII statue sitting here in Sarasota of the nurse and the sailor hanging in a small restaurant nearby. Every time, I walked in, I have orders for 3 more, next week 4 more. 
The prints take your breath away with the perfect color and "life"
It is all due to my Canon Pro 100 and the dye ink and its attention to quality. Sure I hear the innards spinning  and doing some clearing and resetting, and I don't care; I even smile, because I am getting what I want from my printer; perfect prints, best prints possible.

So I really don't give a rat's behind that it is $17.00 for a 13ml cartridge (I get free paper if I buy 4 carts)
So what do you think, am I nuts?

Fred

No.

You are getting good prints that give you satisfaction in doing a good job.

Most of my prints are for giving away, but I am not sure all recipients appreciate the quality turned out by the Canon 100. even on cheap 10p per sheet Pound Shop paper.

Jeff

I love my PRO-100 and, even though I've had it for quite a while, I learned something new just a few days ago. We do a lot of plain paper printing (wife's recipes and stuff) and I thought the ink consumption was very high. Lately I've been printing 8.5x11 photos for my wall at work. I just realized that my ink consumption for high quality prints is way less then for plain paper printing. It's so low for prints I don't even worry about it!

Guess it depends on how much free paper your'e getting  :)

They change it up once a month or so. Right now 50 sheets of 13 19 premium pro Luster.
Fred

I got a great deal on paper a few years back ... have not seen that same deal since.

I'm not sure what one has to do with the other.  I'm pretty your sanity has nothing to do with your ink consumption.  For one thing, living in the Pacific Northwest, we believe that anyone who goes through the weather where you live has to have their sanity scrutinized.  But you still know what you're doing when it comes to printing, and using QU, and providing lucid explanations, which is why no one is petitioning to have any of you locked up.   ;D

Back to the subject at hand.  My income isn't fixed, it's downright broken.  But the cost of ink doesn't bother me.  I don't do anywhere near the volume that most (?) owners of the Pro100 do, but I don't hesitate to make full size proof prints for something important to me.

I actually waste more money on paper.  I'll read someone's rave about such-and-such a paper, and often will try it out.  Generally, my minimum paper size is 11x14, usually 11x17, (never borderless), and I'll make a couple of prints that I really like.  But then another image or two sucks, and my infatuation may fade with that paper.  So I have several mostly full boxes of paper idling on the shelves.

I haven't run a lot of unclog jobs, and when I do, there isn't any issue.  I use a couple of UV lights to check for issues, and still haven't had any that I can see.  I've had it for 3.5 years now.  Anyway, unclogs aren't adding to my ink costs.

I'm pretty sure it was you, Fred, who said that this is a hobby, and ink and paper costs should be of little concern.  I'd probably add, generally speaking. 

Bottom line:  I think you can rest easy that ink costs are not indicating that you're nuts.

Stay safe and dry and warm, and hold on to whatever sanity you have left. 

--George

Thanks for the good wishes (I think).  People come here from Oct 15 to Easter every year and fill up the town and the beaches.
We love to sit near and strike up a conversation and have made friend that way.
After Easter, the town resizes to normal, and you can sit in a restaurant without freezing. During tourist season, they run the AC near to 72 for the northerners. We need 77 to get rid of goose bumps.

Back to the paper. Again, strictly experience and opinion. I have been printing a long time, and also have tried papers from SAMS club, with odd names ... I have profiled them too. I had an HP printer, and Epsons from the 1280 R2000 R 1800, 1900. etc.
Everyone was astir over their print fading in 75 years, so in comes pigment ink. Now 250 years before fading. But the prints lost some life in tone. Well, they got the dye ink back now taking longer to fade than before, and it is so obvious side by side the Canon Pro 100 prints win. 
As to which paper I would choose as the best for me (A3, A3+, 8.5 x 11) which I like to make 11 x 14s or 11 x 17, EPSON Ultra 5* Luster. Canon's Prem luster is a close second.  I have used Ilford, red river, and some more. Ilford is excellent, by the way.
On matte papers, Epson fails. Too soft and desaturated. Canon premium matte will make a believer in matte again.
Last item. You must make/get/use printer profiles for these papers.   I have a specially made profile just when I use some Epson Ultra Luster.
I forgot the details, but I remember Terry from England having printer profiles made for me for my R2000. It was a great help The company was very quick.

Wow, what long winded blather this turned out to be.
Sorry all
Fred

I don't always blather, but when I do, it's about Qimage!

Fred, you know, there's this really great profile tool, Profile Prism, I think... Surprised you don't mention it.

I use it for all my papers on the PRO-100 and the results are just super. It lets me use the cheap lots of paper I get from the dollar store for throw-away stuff, and seems to do a better job than the profiles offered by Red River. FWIW, I like their Polar Gloss paper best.