I just wanna ask your opinions on dye-sub printers that are coming out in the market today. Can this be a "GOOD" substitute for the conventional prints printed from photo-developing labs in terms of print quality? Would this be a wise investment for the photo printing business versus the conventional photo developing machines?

The prints from a photo lab would definitely be cheaper (especially in bulk).

But dye subs produce prints on a fixed costs basis vs. inkjet prints whose costs vary depending on the paper used and the ink consumed.

Cheers!

Jo Avila

But dye subs produce prints on a fixed costs basis vs. inkjet prints whose costs vary depending on the paper used and the ink consumed.

Cheers!

Jo Avila

Agree! Had replaced my Photo Magenta and Yellow more often when printing portraits. :D :D

Agree! Had replaced my Photo Magenta and Yellow more often when printing portraits. :D :D

Yup. Those are the two colors you will need the most for skin tone if you print a lot of portraits. Which is why those are also the two colors I tend to stock up on most often :D

Cheers!

Jo Avila

On the other Hand, it is scratch proof ( i have picture printed from a dye -sub, imation brand now Kodak and phase out na 4 years ago). I have picture 15 years old and it is still in good color it doesn't just fade. It is a water proof too.

I read an article before of how some US based photographers used dye subs to print portraits that were shot in their studio. The fixed cost and image longevity was a factor in their choice.

However, am I wrong in assuming that paper choices for dye subs is a bit limited compared to ink jets?

Cheers!

Jo Avila

I read an article before of how some US based photographers used dye subs to print portraits that were shot in their studio. The fixed cost and image longevity was a factor in their choice.

However, am I wrong in assuming that paper choices for dye subs is a bit limited compared to ink jets?

Cheers!

Jo Avila

i've had my kodak 8500 (discontinued) dye-sub printer for almost 3 years now and yes you are limited to just gloss and matte surfaces which actually is the fourth and final pass during the printing process. so you can either choose a matte or gloss finish on the same paper. in terms of durability, dye sub prints are tear and water proof because they are literally plastic laminated when they come out of the printer. disadvantage is- you can laminate the dust and dirt on/in the prints and there is nothing you can do about it.

dye subs are good for immediate and non-volume propositions but beyond that it is almost insane to use it for business. i found out that in the philippines the cost of printing an 8 x 10 is almost 200 pesos and since i'ts a ribbon and paper pack, a print wil cost you the same 200 pesos wether you print an 8 x 10 or a wallet size. ok when you can sell yor 8 x 10 for 800 pesos.

Hmmmm... I wish Canon would develop paper that would let me choose between Everyday Glossy and Fine Art a second before I hit the print button :D

Cheers!

Jo Avila

IMO Print quality I think silver halide are still better.

i have seen two samples of near mini-lab quality dye-sub prints. you almost cannot tell the difference

the Shinco Dye-Sub sold by Eurocolor
and the upcoming Kodak 7000 Printer Dye-Sub by Techtrends

I just wanna ask your opinions on dye-sub printers that are coming out in the market today. Can this be a "GOOD" substitute for the conventional prints printed from photo-developing labs in terms of print quality? Would this be a wise investment for the photo printing business versus the conventional photo developing machines?

Hi Geff,

If you're doing events where there is an immediacy issue - and you can command better (higher) prices, dye sub is a good choice since you have a fixed cost per print. Plus the fact that it's continuous tone, just like silver halide. It comes out dry and laminated, as the others have pointed out.

However, you have to contend both with the equipment and media cost. A good 8x10 printer (roll fed, instead of cut sheet) is in the region of 200k. The media is about P45.00/sheet (cost!). That's the cost of getting photo quality prints in less than 45 secs. Imagine a JS prom - with a group of teeners hamming it up... At P150 a pop, you still make P100/print.

There are less expensive 8x10 printers, but as Basil points out - the cost of the media goes up as the equipment price goes down. A Kodak 1400 (successor to the 8500) would retail at 30k, but the media cost is about P75 a pop!

For smaller printers (4x6), there's a whole range now. The everyday 4x6 printer like the Canonc Selphy, Kodak EasyShare Printer Dock and Sony print station
are good shoe-ins for ID pics or convenient printing at home (no ink issues).

These printers range from 6 to 15k, wtih the media price hovering around P9 to 15.00 per print.

There are commercial grade 4x6 printers as well, and this seems to be the future of 4x6 "dry lab" printing. Printers start at 70k to about P200K, print cost is anywhere from P5.00 to P7.50


However, if your pursuits are for production line printing, like 3000 prints a day, you still can beat the speed and cost effectiveness of AgX (Silver Halide) Prints. Still the simplest workflow, consistent price per print at continuous tone at that.
It just needs more serious thought since the equipment is not cheap.

HTH

Edwin

I use a Selphy CP510 Printer.

Dye-sublimation, spill-proof pa...