Printers For Big Landscapes

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Ansel Adams was a legendary craftsman who labored over the creation of perfect prints. In his home darkroom, Adams had a conventional table-top enlarger for prints up to 11x14 inches or so, and he had a side-mounted model on a rail system to make large prints 16x20 inches and larger by projecting the image on the wall. Some images just call for a big print!

In the digital darkroom, large printers that had been beyond the means of most photographers have come down in price to the point where 17- and 24-inch models are within reach. But which printer has what you need at a price you can afford? A look at the technology and cost breakdowns will help you choose the model that will transform your desktop darkroom into one that a photographer like Ansel Adams would have craved.

Canon imagePROGRAF iPF5100

The first question: How big do you want to go? The term “large format” covers a wide variety of printer sizes. At one end of the scale are the 17-inch models, which are capable of producing up to 17x22-inch prints from cut-sheet media or longer prints (i.e., 17x40 inches) using up to 17-inch-wide rolls. Some of these can fit on a desktop, and popular models include the 17-inch Canon imagePROGRAF iPF5100 ($1,600 estimated street price, cut-sheet and roll media), the Epson Stylus Pro 3880 ($1,200 estimated street price, cut-sheet only) and the newer Epson Stylus Pro 4900 ($2,500 estimated street price, cut-sheet or roll media). Next in size, and considered the sweet spot in the large-format category, are 24-inch inkjet printers capable of printing on cut-sheet media and rolls up to 24 inches wide. Top choices include the 24-inch Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6300 ($2,600 estimated street price), the new Epson Stylus Pro 7890 ($3,000 estimated street price) and the HP Designjet Z3200 ($3,400 estimated street price). Moving up the scale, in both price and size, are the 44- to 64-inch printers, most of which feature printing technologies and ink sets similar to their 24-inch counterparts. Examples include the 44-inch Canon imagePROGRAF iPF8300 ($4,400 estimated street price), 64-inch Epson Stylus Pro 11880 ($9,000 estimated street price) and 60-inch HP Designjet Z6100 ($16,000 estimated street price).

With large-format printers starting at $1,200, you might be tempted to choose a more affordable ($500-$700) 13x19-inch desktop printer for the majority of your work and send the larger sizes out to a pro lab (the Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II, for example). But if you plan to make more than a few dozen 13x19-inch or larger prints per year, or if you want to take charge of the whole image-making process, you’ll want to invest in your own printer. Let’s take a closer look at these advantages and then compare the features, technologies and image quality available in state-of-the-art 24-inch models from Canon, Epson and HP.

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Epson Stylus Pro 4900

Higher Image Quality And Longevity
Image quality and print longevity are two major benefits that you can immediately see and understand, and may be willing to pay for. The fact is that most prints made in pro labs are printed on silver-halide photo papers, which have a lower color gamut and potential display life (rated at less than 60 years) than prints made using the latest 24-inch, pigmented inkjet models on premium photo paper (rated at 100 to 200 years). Pro-lab pigment prints are usually sold at a much higher price. Compared to first-generation, pigment-based, large-format printers, image quality also has improved dramatically. Gone are most of the bronzing effects that plagued earlier pigment printers, and gloss differential has been decreased significantly—especially on popular luster-surface papers. There still are measurable and visible image-quality variations between the popular large-format models from Canon, Epson and HP, but it’s getting harder for clients to tell the difference between prints made on premium-coated photo papers from any of the manufacturers. It’s another story for prints made on fine-art watercolor papers, canvas and other specialty medias.

Not All Colored Inks Are Created Equal
People often link the number of colored inks a printer uses to the potential image quality of the prints it makes. However, more color cartridges don’t always add up to higher image quality. The printhead technology, size and shape of the ink dots, algorithms used to convert ink dots into colors and details, and the type of print media all contribute to image quality. The Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6300, for example, contains 12 inks, but only uses up to 11 colors when printing an image (the 12th ink is either the Matte Black or Photo Black, depending on the loaded media). On Canon’s Premium RC Photo Luster Paper, those 11 inks actually produce a tested color gamut with a slightly larger volume than the gamut of the nine-ink Epson Stylus Pro 7890 (which uses up to eight colors for similar reasons) on its own Premium RC Luster Photo Paper. However, it doesn’t mean that Canon prints are more colorful than prints from the Epson Stylus Pro 7890. While both have similar maximum black densities, the Canon’s higher color-gamut volume stems primarily from a greater capacity to produce highly saturated dark purple and dark indigo colors, and not from more common red, green, yellow and blue shades.

Canon PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II

So you might not notice a color difference in most prints, but you may notice finer gradations in highly saturated reds and other colors on the Epson prints as well as a lower gloss differential in highlight regions. Those are two subtle advantages, but more extreme differences may jump out when each of these printers is loaded with third-party fine-art watercolor papers. The bottom line is that print quality can’t be judged merely by reading the specs or counting color cartridges. If possible, study sample output from each model or find pro labs with these printers (or larger 36-inch and 44-inch versions with similar technology specs and inks) and make your own comparison prints. Depending upon where you go, you can make a sample print in the store to evaluate.

Expanding Creative Options
Nearly all offer advanced printer driver software for color and black-and-white printing, setup wizards for establishing network connections, and job-tracking utilities for monitoring ink usage in multiple jobs. Because these are pro-level printers, you can expect higher levels of tech support from the manufacturer, longer warranties, commercial-grade construction and a lot more help from experienced users in online forums. All of these features and advantages add up to increased reliability and consistency between prints, with increased control over the size, quality and creative options for displaying your best work. As a bonus, the long-term savings you get from a large-format printer might be enough to cover the initial cost of the printer.

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Selected 24-Inch Printers
In his wet darkroom, Ansel Adams frequently made large prints that required an enlarger on a track that projected the image on a wall. If he were making prints today, we think Adams would have a high-end, 17-inch printer in his digital darkroom as a workhorse, and he’d likely call on a 24-inch printer for those special larger images. These 24-inch units aren’t everyday printers, but for enthusiasts looking to go big, they do a magnificent job. Here are four models that are worth looking into for your digital darkroom.
1) Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6300 • Max. Print Size: 24 inches x 59 feet • Max. Paper Size: Roll—24 inches x roll length; cut sheet—up to 24 inches wide • Max. Media Thickness: Roll—0.8mm; cut sheet—1.5mm • Borderless Printing: Roll media only; up to 24 inches x 49 feet • Ink Cartridges: 12 (up to 11 colors used at once)—Cyan, Photo Cyan, Magenta, Photo Magenta, Yellow, Black, Matte Black, Red, Green, Blue, Gray, Photo Gray (130ml cartridges only) • Ink Type: LUCIA EX Pigment • Printer Resolution: Up to 2400x1200 dpi • Size With Stand: 39.1x46.4x34.3 inches • Weight: 146 pounds • Estimated Street Price: $2,600
2) Epson Stylus Pro 7890 • Max. Print Size: 24 inches x roll length • Max. Paper Size: Roll—24 inches x 147.6 feet; cut sheet—up to 24x36 inches • Max. Media Thickness: Roll—up to 0.5mm; cut sheet—up to 1.5mm • Borderless Printing: Roll—up to 24x90.5 inches; cut sheet—up to 24x36 inches • Ink Cartridges: 9 (up to 8 colors used at once)—Cyan, Light Cyan, Vivid Magenta, Vivid Light Magenta, Yellow, Matte Black or Photo Black, Light Black, Light Light Black (available in 150ml, 350ml and 700ml sizes) • Ink Type: UltraChrome K3 with Vivid Magenta Pigments • Printer Resolution: Up to 2880x1440 dpi • Size With Stand: 54.0x27.0x48.0 inches • Weight: 187 pounds • Estimated Street Price: $2,950
3) Epson Stylus Pro 7900 • Max. Print Size: 24 inches x roll length • Max. Paper Size: Roll—24 inches x 147.6 feet; cut sheet—up to 24x36 inches • Max. Media Thickness: Up to 1.5mm (cut sheet) • Borderless Printing: Roll—up to 24x90.5 inches; cut sheet—up to 24x36 inches • Ink Cartridges: 11 (up to 10 colors used at once)—Cyan, Orange, Yellow, Light Cyan, Matte Black, Photo Black, Vivid Magenta, Light Black, Green, Light Light Black, Vivid Light Magenta (available in 150ml, 350ml and 700ml sizes) • Ink Type: Epson UltraChrome HDR Pigment Ink • Printer Resolution: Up to 2880x1400 dpi • Size With Stand: 54.0x27.0x48.0 inches • Weight: 187 pounds • Estimated Street Price: $3,900
4) HP Designjet Z3200 • Max. Print Size: 24 inches x roll length • Max. Paper Size: Roll—24 inches x 300 feet; cut sheet—up to 24x36 inches • Max. Media Thickness: Up to .8mm (cut sheet) • Ink Cartridges: 12 (up to 10 colors, plus Gloss Enhancer, used at one time)—Blue, Green, Magenta, Red, Yellow, Gray, Photo Black, Matte Black, Light Cyan, Light Gray, Light Magenta, Gloss Enhancer (available in 130ml size only) • Ink Type: HP Vivera photo inks • Printer Resolution: Up to 2400x1200 dpi • Size With Stand: 49.7x27.2x41.2 inches • Weight: 143 pounds • Estimated Street Price: $3,400

Michael J. McNamara is a photovideographer who’s been reporting on imaging products and trends since 1989. His blog and a portfolio of movies and still photos can be found at www.mcnamarareport.com.