Hankering for a more affordable way to print quality images? Epson might have the answer.
I published my first “tikichris” blog post waaay back in the summer of 2006. Yep, I’ve been at this blog thing along with all sorts of other online activities for quite a while now. Indeed, I took to blogging like a duck to water. And still to this day, I’m mostly digital in my dabbles. If you are reading this post and familiar with my blogging, you know it’s largely comprised of my photography. I love photo-blogging, especially the immediacy of it and being able to share my shots quickly and easily with pretty much anyone in the world with an internet connection. Still, I sometimes want to go beyond the blog with my work and actually print something out and be able to hold it in my hands or display it in some way that doesn’t involve staring at a screen. In particular, my exhibitions and other photography projects over the past few years have proved fun opportunities to show off my pics on walls and even get them in the pages of a few books. Of course, printing and such can be expensive endeavours. So, I’m forever on the lookout for ways to cut costs.
Do you take a lot of photos and wish you were able to print more of them? Here’s some info about a cost effective approach to printing.
Individual ink cartridges versus combined colour cartridges
With individual ink cartridges, you can save money. Here’s why. For example, if your pictures have vivid red background, naturally the ‘magenta’ ink would need replacing sooner than the other colours. So if you’ve got combined colour cartridges, you may end up throwing away an entire cartridge when really there’s only a single colour that’s run out. This can be wasteful and costly.
Epson printers run on individual ink cartridges. Using them, you only need to replace the colour used, thus saving money and ink. The folks at Epson reckon that using individual ink cartridges can offer up to 30% savings compared to competitors’ tri-colour cartridges. Click here to learn more about individual ink cartridges.
Genuine Inks
Let’s be honest, I have put in time and effort to plan my shots and in the production work – cropping, resizing, even some burning and dodging. Naturally, I expect a high quality end result, a vibrant photo print that can capture anyone’s attention instantly. Quality is the key reason why I invest in genuine printer inks that produce vivid and accurate colours every single time. Epson is known for the quality of its ink – all the result of ongoing research and development which has led to a level of output quality and user confidence that other brands can’t match. Epson produces two different types of ink for home and home office printers: pigment ink and dye ink.
Pigment ink or dye ink?
According to the site, and I quote, “Pigment ink is a resin coated particle. The resin coating encapsulates the ink, making it waterproof. The resin remains on the surface of the paper while the pigments are fixed on the paper. This element gives pigment ink its durable nature, ensuring it is water, smudge, highlighter and fade resistant, even on plain paper.”
“Dye ink is made up of dye molecules which are dissolved in an aqueous solution, instead of resin coated particles. When placed on the paper/media, the ink droplets settle and are absorbed without running. The aqueous fluids in the solution diffuse, leaving the colour molecules visible on the surface.”
Of course, the type of ink used in a printer varies dependent on its purpose. Understanding the different types of ink can provide you key information on which ink is suitable for your needs. For most home and office needs, consider pigment inks to produce sharp, clear text documents. Dye-based inks are better suited for producing high-gloss photos with rich, vibrant colours and a pristine finish.
I’ve relied on Epson in the past. And I certainly will again. When you want your colours to ‘pop’ and to be sure what other viewers see is as close you want you aim to show them, Epson is a safe bet.
Find out more at epson.co.uk.
Published in association with Epson.
