| It is generally going to be more expensive to do your own photo printing but I would say the quality could be potentially much higher than commercial print services, especially if you have custom profiles made or you purchase the profiling gear and do it yourself.
For an Epson printer (I've checked this on Epson 3800, 4000, 4800 and 7800 printers and it's remarkably consistent), the ink usage is going to run you between 1.80 and 2.40 ml/sq.ft. (figure between $1.10-$1.40 per sq.ft.) plus the cost of the media ($.75-$1.50 per sq.ft.).
Purchasing your own profiling gear will run you minimum $1,200 (EyeOne Pro + Match) up to about $4,000 for the good stuff (XRite PROFILER or ProfileMaker + automated spectro).
For some like myself, handing off the printing of my digital photos to some unknown person would be like handing off my B&W film for processing and printing years ago...inconceivable.
Regards,
Terry Wyse
WyseConsul
Color Management Consulting |