What's the cheapest way to print of digital photos

[Stat Brother]

Our print is old and refuses to acknowledge the existence of our computer, even though they are right next to each other, there's an uneasy silence between them.

So we are in the market for a new (cheap/budget) printer.

As we mainly use it for printing photos, and with the ink costing a small fortune, what's the best option out there?

Ta muchly

 

[ridda]

Claim your 40 FREE photo prints!Then make your letter stand out on their big day with a Snapfish photo stamp!

 

[Billy the Fish]

Take a memory stick to the supermarket

 

[skipper734]

Kodak claim the ink for their printers is by far the cheapest. A Kodak printer should also be the best for photo's.

 

[Triggaaar]

A Kodak printer should also be the best for photo's.

Why?

 

[perseus]

I find it is the paper feed to the cheap printers that lets them down. I have got two broken Epsons. And two HP printers that have trouble with their paper feeds as well. I am thinking of buying a Dell printer.

 

[skipper734]

Why?

History of Kodak

 

[Racek]

Have a look at photobox. Good quality and cheap. Photo printers might be cheap now but will cost you the same again to fill up the inks. Really dont see the point of having one unless it is really high end and you are making a living from it.

 

[Norman Potting]

Bonusprint online service is good.

 

[browneggsandham]

If you happen to be with Virgin Media for your internet I think they offer most people something like 100 free prints a month, think you just need to log into your online account thingy

 

[Triggaaar]

A Kodak printer should also be the best for photo's.

Why?

History of Kodak

Er, that link didn't say anything about Kodak printers. Anyway, the point is, Kodak do NOT sell the best printers (they make decent paper). The best pro grade printers available to use at home are Epson, HP and Canon.

 

[Notters]

It's worth getting a Canon Pixma as the print heads are integral to the printer than being on the cartridges. It's the print heads that cost and with, say, epsons, you have to buy new ones when you get new ink.

Anyone got any good tips for long term storage media? A lot of people don't realise that recordable CDs tend to only last up to 5-10 years and hard drives are the same. So many people are going to lose all their photos now that everyone has "gone digital". Especially as print-at-home photos fade.

 

[happypig]

Anyone got any good tips for long term storage media? A lot of people don't realise that recordable CDs tend to only last up to 5-10 years and hard drives are the same. So many people are going to lose all their photos now that everyone has "gone digital". Especially as print-at-home photos fade.

Back up to 3 external hard drives. Keep two off site at separate locations. If one fails, replace it with a new one.

I keep one drive here. one at my mum's and one at work, rotating them so there's always a latest backup "off site"

 

[skipper734]

Er, that link didn't say anything about Kodak printers. Anyway, the point is, Kodak do NOT sell the best printers (they make decent paper). The best pro grade printers available to use at home are Epson, HP and Canon.

On reflection I should have left the contribution to the first sentence. Kodak are advertising that the ink for their printers is the cheapest.
Other posters have brought quality into the equation and all sorts of other variables, soch as Notters claims all our saved records and pictures will self destruct in 10 years.
I have at the moment a Kodak printer dock that does 6X4's of what looks to me to be commercial quality, however without a big Epson printer/scanner etc. I don't have the complete kit to deal with my photo collection which goes back to about 1956 most of it seems to have Kodak printed on it somewhere.
A negative/transparency scanner completes the kit which is far better than a blacked out bathroom with lots of chemicals with an Enlarger and your sister giving you grief because she wants to use the bathroom for it's proper use.
Youngsters today, you've never had it so good.

 

[Horton's halftime iceberg]

I have never found a system that feels cheap. I am sure I heard this (probably a myth) that printer ink is as valuable as gold.

We have a Canon Pixna that does nice prints but takes about six cartridges and they don't last long, however I can get them refilled at Cartridge world, but this ruins any warranty/ guarentees.

I bought my mum an Epson for about £80 in an offer, scans as well. The cartridges are about £30 for a pack of three but again they don't last too long.

I use online websites like tru print and bonus print. Wait for deals however they always charge postage costs on top.

If you buy a printer always check the ink costs , how cheap and easy they are to get. I use an Oki for my work and a full set of inks cost me £230 and I can only get them online, they advertise 2000 prints but I get about 4-5 hundred only in full colour.

Would be interested if any knows of a cheaper way, my mum is photo mad and always looking for a cheap alternative.

 

[Notters]

Other posters have brought quality into the equation and all sorts of other variables, soch as Notters claims all our saved records and pictures will self destruct in 10 years.

There was a great article in New Scientist but I can't find it online. Recordable CDs, much like cassette tapes, are gradually corrupted by the Earth's magnetic field.

 

[Essan128]

This is the answer to cheaper printer ink cartridges in Thailand. Yes it invalidates your warranty but if your printer is past it's warranty date what's to lose?

Buy your tanks and ink refill bottles, top up and print away, lasts ages!
Can you buy these in England yet? Sorry if it's a silly question but I haven't been back in over 4 years.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I recently bought a a secondhand HP2300 laser for mono [letters etc] - does duplex too to save paper £60 off eBay.
For colour I have an old Epson C86 [4 carts] which gives excelent photo quality and I only pay £1 a cartridge when buying 6 or more.

I have thought about buying a colour laser but the cost of new toner is laughable.

 

[beorhthelm]

I find it is the paper feed to the cheap printers that lets them down. I have got two broken Epsons. And two HP printers that have trouble with their paper feeds as well. I am thinking of buying a Dell printer.

if you dont trust Epsoms or HP, dont get a Dell printer as im pretty sure one of them makes them. also, if you have mechanical problems with HP i'd look at how you treat the device, in my experience HP kit is solid.

I have never found a system that feels cheap. I am sure I heard this (probably a myth) that printer ink is as valuable as gold.

We have a Canon Pixna that does nice prints but takes about six cartridges and they don't last long, however I can get them refilled at Cartridge world, but this ruins any warranty/ guarentees.

not as valuable (massive massive markup) but yes, the price you pay is similar gram for gram. £50 or so for a new printer, who gives a shit about the warranties?

There was a great article in New Scientist but I can't find it online. Recordable CDs, much like cassette tapes, are gradually corrupted by the Earth's magnetic field.

thats not right at all, recordable CDs are optical, no magnetism involved. yes, CDs have been shown to degrade, but thats using low quality media (manufactured in Chinese knock off factories) and given fairly extreme abuse. put a decent quality CD (TDK, Sony, Verbatim i recall are the top brands) in a cupboard and they'll last just as long as photos do. low quality are i believe suspectible to high humity or slight acidity (like from your fingers in constant handleing) seeping between the two layers that make up the CD.

 

[Hatterlovesbrighton]

Tesco photo is pretty good. came top of a gadget show review a few years ago