Epson Stylus 1400 printer

[Harryjaroslaw]

I am thinking of buying an Epson 1400 Stylus printer from B+H. However I am just learning Photoshop Elements 6 and I was wondering if I should wait before I make the purchase. That is do I need to be proficient in a photo editing program prior to the purchase?

[Grandpaw]

Moved here to a more appropriate forum to get a better answer, Jeff

[Kajuah]

I don't see why... you would need to be proficient in any photo editting program, all they do is make your photos look better FOR the purpose of printing. You can just print your non-edited files straight off the cam onto the printer, though, depending on the cam..it's not the best option, of course, so to answer you're original question:
Yes you do It'll be better, trust us

[SmartWombat]

No, you don't need to be proficient in editing to print your pictures.
But if you haven't got control of everything, then you may not get the results you want.

If you haven't got a profile for the monitor to display correct colours, what you see isn't what you took.
If you haven't got a profile for the printer/ink/paper combination then what you print isn't likely to be what you see.

You could be lucky and have the two cancel out and get good results.
No, OK, I'm kidding.

More likely you'll need some software (maybe not an expensive editor) to adjust the image so that you can print what you want to see on paper.

Profiling will help.
Monitor profiling is quick, and easy, and I'm amazed at how cheap it can be.
I chose the i1 display to profile my monitor, but the Pantone Huey looked good for the price too.
No, I haven't looked recently to see if there's anything newer and cheaper today but in two years I bet technology has moved on and either it's better for the price, or much cheaper !

You should get a profile with the printer, that is intended for the manufacturer's paper and ink. If you use different paper and ink then you won't get what you see on the screen.


Even with software like Lightroom (my favourite) or Elements it will be more trial and error if at least your monitor hasn't been specially profiled.

I print at Costco and my local store's photo lab has their printer profile on the internet for me to download, to ensure that the output is exactly as I expect.

[byjamesderuvoDHQ]

I don't think you need to wait, but I want to caution you that no matter what printer you use, you'll see a difference in color between what you see on the screen and what ends up printed on the page. Especially if you're monitor isn't calibrated. Monitors show colors in RGB, while printers print in CMYK. So while the colors are the same, they use different technologies to produce the color. You can get close, but not exact.

Secondly, different paper will affect inks differently. In fact, professionals call paper “the fifth color.” So, you need a medium profile for each paper so the printer can compensate for the color shade of the paper. Printers do this when you pick the exact paper in the print setup. And using original inks and paper by the manufacturer will assure accurate profiling and thereby, more accurate and optimal colors. There can be third parties that also provide proper profiles, but you have to look for them.

But as far as waiting to buy your printer, I don't think you need to. That's like saying you should wait to buy a car until you finish learning to operate the cruise control.

[Medley]

Remember to price the ink cartridges before you buy. It will be your single greatest expense after the printer, so it's worth considering.

I'm with Smart Wombat though- I get all my prints from Costco. I'm not sure I could print them as cheaply at home, and I don't have any of the hassles.

- Joe U.

[Kajuah]

What's it cost through costco?

[Medley]

What's it cost through costco?

4X6 - $0.17
5X7 - $0.39
8X10 or 8X12 - $1.49
11X14 or 12X18 - $2.99

No inks costs, no paper costs, no having to replace or refill cartridges- just seems simpler. I'd have to get about 37 8X10's out of a set of cartridges to justify the cost.

- Joe U.

[SkipT]

I have the Epson 1400 and have done 12 13X19 and about 10 8X10 on the carts that came with the printer. So if you go by costco price that would have been $54.78 + gas + time to run down to costco. But on the other hand $16.00 x 6 = $96 for a full set of inks. Or you could go for a Bulk ink system for Epson Printer 1400 UV INK CIS CISS it comes with 600ml of ink (about 60 carts) and go's for about $50 to $100 bucks on ebay.
It is not using epson inks tho.
Epsion sells the same thing but at a much higher price.

I myself like to print my own stuff, and hate driving around to get prints made.

Good luck to you tho.