Sub Dye or Photo ink jet?

Luke · 13th May 2007

hope experience bros/sis can hlp. I've been researching for 2 wks now and still cant fig which is better from 2 aspects: operational cost & print quality

if i share my requirements, hope someone can advise me i buy good ink jet (eg HP B9180) or good dye sub (eg Canon ES1).

Requirements:
1. Mostly color prints in 4R.
2. I'm fussy abt color. dont like tint seen is some ink jets (resulting in unrealistic colors like too bright green for grass or pinkish sky, etc that obviously was not the photo error)
3. Running cost low as possible but i'm ok if they are no more than 20% variance betwn dye sub vs ink jet. i am ok for more exp ink jet ink as long as net price per print is abt same. pls exclude cost of printer & compare operational costs.
4. printer physical size does not matter since it'll permanently sit on table at home
5. no need mem card slots or LCD as i print from PC

in your advise to me hope u can mention printer models, thanks!

David · 13th May 2007

Hi Luke,

I can only share with you what I think as I'm going thru a dilemma of inkjet vs dye-sub but think I know what I want now.

Seeing your needs, I'd say go for dye-sub. You only need to print 4R and you don't need larger prints like A4 or use it to print other things like documents.

Dye-sub is gaining so much popularity now that it costs the same or cheaper to print compared to the photo labs!

In fact, from my dye-sub prints, I have no issue with the colors I see on screen and in print. In fact, it's more accurate than what I could get from ink-jet.

But my main reason is that in the long run, I think it's cheaper to print on dye-sub than ink-jet. Don't forget in addition to the papers, you need to get the inks. And you got to buy 6 or 8 of them. Each one costs about $13-15. Whether you print in bulk or afew each time, the cost of a 4R print is going to cost you more than lab prints.

The worst part is that if you don't print for some time, the inks from ink-jet printers do run dry! I've experienced it twice and it's frustrating cos the printer doesn't allow you to print or override even if 1 out of 6 of your inks are low. So you change the ink, then after just a few short months of not using it, you will suddenly get another message saying 3 of your other inks are running low, when you remembered changing them not long ago! For dye-sub, no such problems.

David · 13th May 2007

There's talk elsewhere in this Forum about drying inks too...

Luke · 13th May 2007

Originally Posted by David

There's talk elsewhere in this Forum about drying inks too...

very insightful, thanks David!

i just looked at Dye Subs at Harvey 2day. All their sample photos seem oversaturated & whitebalance seem to be off (like greenish hue in florescent light shots). i suspect the original photos were not well taken, so i probably have to revisit with my own photos.

interestingly to my surprise, an on the spot print out on Sony model showed more accurate colors than Canon Selphy. i guess i'll be researching some more... to choose betwn Dye Sub models now.

David · 13th May 2007

you're welcome Luke.

Yes, don't judge by the samples as you can't tell if the images were shots well in the first place. Best is perhaps you can bring down your own images to try out.

Yes, Sony one is good. I've heard some complaints about the Canon Selphy ones. Especially their new ES-1. That's surprising as we'd think Canon should lead the pack since they've been around for a longer time.

I like the look of the print on dye-sub papers. No more wasting of $ on ink-jet printers.

Luke · 14th May 2007

did some print out on friend's Selphy 510. disappointed to see pinkish hue on skin tone & Mt Fuji's brown patches....

Anybody know if this can be corrected by callibration of printer?

kgston · 15th May 2007

Originally Posted by Luke

did some print out on friend's Selphy 510. disappointed to see pinkish hue on skin tone & Mt Fuji's brown patches....

Anybody know if this can be corrected by callibration of printer?

Is it really bad? I've been using the selphy 510 for quite sometime now and i have to admit that the prints are better than inkjet and much more easier to setup and configure, esp for newbies.

I don't know about your pinkish hues, could it be that you are just picky? Each printer has their own bias. Ssome may produce perfect prints at one go, while some may need getting used to, so i dun really think its fair to judge by just a few prints.

Luke · 19th May 2007

afraid quite bad for me. i am picky bec i'm using SLR with L Series lenses, and having so-so print outs cannot justify investment made.

Anyway, bought the ES1 bec test printouts was sharper on Canon ES1 than Sony FP70. However, printout at home of same photo & setting compared to shop demo print had variation. So printer is now in Canon Service Centre for callibration.

Sigh, this is getting tedious, contrary to my objective to make printouts are easily as possible.

13th May 2007	#1
Luke Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 242	Sub Dye or Photo ink jet? hope experience bros/sis can hlp. I've been researching for 2 wks now and still cant fig which is better from 2 aspects: operational cost & print quality if i share my requirements, hope someone can advise me i buy good ink jet (eg HP B9180) or good dye sub (eg Canon ES1). Requirements: 1. Mostly color prints in 4R. 2. I'm fussy abt color. dont like tint seen is some ink jets (resulting in unrealistic colors like too bright green for grass or pinkish sky, etc that obviously was not the photo error) 3. Running cost low as possible but i'm ok if they are no more than 20% variance betwn dye sub vs ink jet. i am ok for more exp ink jet ink as long as net price per print is abt same. pls exclude cost of printer & compare operational costs. 4. printer physical size does not matter since it'll permanently sit on table at home 5. no need mem card slots or LCD as i print from PC in your advise to me hope u can mention printer models, thanks!

13th May 2007	#2
David Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,155	Re: Sub Dye or Photo ink jet? Hi Luke, I can only share with you what I think as I'm going thru a dilemma of inkjet vs dye-sub but think I know what I want now. Seeing your needs, I'd say go for dye-sub. You only need to print 4R and you don't need larger prints like A4 or use it to print other things like documents. Dye-sub is gaining so much popularity now that it costs the same or cheaper to print compared to the photo labs! In fact, from my dye-sub prints, I have no issue with the colors I see on screen and in print. In fact, it's more accurate than what I could get from ink-jet. But my main reason is that in the long run, I think it's cheaper to print on dye-sub than ink-jet. Don't forget in addition to the papers, you need to get the inks. And you got to buy 6 or 8 of them. Each one costs about $13-15. Whether you print in bulk or afew each time, the cost of a 4R print is going to cost you more than lab prints. The worst part is that if you don't print for some time, the inks from ink-jet printers do run dry! I've experienced it twice and it's frustrating cos the printer doesn't allow you to print or override even if 1 out of 6 of your inks are low. So you change the ink, then after just a few short months of not using it, you will suddenly get another message saying 3 of your other inks are running low, when you remembered changing them not long ago! For dye-sub, no such problems.

13th May 2007	#3
David Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,155	Re: Sub Dye or Photo ink jet? There's talk elsewhere in this Forum about drying inks too...

13th May 2007	#5
David Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Posts: 1,155	Re: Sub Dye or Photo ink jet? you're welcome Luke. Yes, don't judge by the samples as you can't tell if the images were shots well in the first place. Best is perhaps you can bring down your own images to try out. Yes, Sony one is good. I've heard some complaints about the Canon Selphy ones. Especially their new ES-1. That's surprising as we'd think Canon should lead the pack since they've been around for a longer time. I like the look of the print on dye-sub papers. No more wasting of $ on ink-jet printers.

14th May 2007	#6
Luke Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 242	Re: Sub Dye or Photo ink jet? did some print out on friend's Selphy 510. disappointed to see pinkish hue on skin tone & Mt Fuji's brown patches.... Anybody know if this can be corrected by callibration of printer?

19th May 2007	#8
Luke Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 242	Re: Sub Dye or Photo ink jet? afraid quite bad for me. i am picky bec i'm using SLR with L Series lenses, and having so-so print outs cannot justify investment made. Anyway, bought the ES1 bec test printouts was sharper on Canon ES1 than Sony FP70. However, printout at home of same photo & setting compared to shop demo print had variation. So printer is now in Canon Service Centre for callibration. Sigh, this is getting tedious, contrary to my objective to make printouts are easily as possible.