Shinko Professional Printer

[MasterCurtis]

The Shinko S2145 printer is one of the most versatile printers i've ever used.... I was able to use it without inconveniences on my PC, and now that i made the transition to Apple i can use it on my mac... I've been looking to upgrade my shinko because it is is a little old, so i decided to research a little online and found that a company called imageTech Marketing is doing a contest in which the last e-mail they receive before they launch their new site gets a free shinko s2145.... just what i was looking for.... soooooo happy!!!

[Photo-John]

Never heard of it. Is this a photo printer? Is this spam?

[Cathathome]

Happy to be entering a contest? Playing the lottery must be bliss...

Spam, spam, spam, spam

[Medley]

The Shinko S2145 is a dye-sublimination printer best suited for pro shops and serious amatures. It also bills itself as a printer for Event photographers. But at over 60 lbs and $1350 to $2200, you would have to be dedicated indeed.

It does boast a 7 second 4x6 print time (12 sec for 5x7). But still............

- Joe U.

[MasterCurtis]

Hi Photo John,

The answer to you question was given by Joe U.... Taking pics is a hobby for me... i got my first shinko a few years ago (a dear friend of mine (the same one who told me about the contest) didn't want it anymore and gave it to me), but technology moves forward so fast, i feel that what i have now is a little obsolete... Joe U is right, they are expensive if you're not a professional photographer or something, but hey, if i end up winning that contest, i don't even have to think about spending $2200... Hey Joe U, what kind of camera did you buy? If i don't win the printer, i might be willing to spend the money on a new camera....

[SmartWombat]

Shinko, Kodak, Mitsubishi, Hiti, all are in this market space.
At PMA they were showing them either with a PC based mini-kiosk or with event photography solutions.

At cents per print, if you sell event photos on the day at $10 each it's the equivalent of printing your own $10 bills


Wasn't it Robusto who asked about this kind of printing?
There's two ways to go about it, either print one of each image and hope enough sell to make a profit - or to print on demand from customer picks on screen.

For those who come from a film background printing one of each is familiar.
When I do the charity day at Spa Francorchamps, the photographer still uses film and has a chemical mini-lab on a truck to develop and print one of each image.
He doesn't save or file the negatives so there is no opportunity for reprints or web sales after the event.
Buy it on the day or they get thrown away.

Contrast that with a Smartclub event, where they shot digital and you had to pick your image off a laptop screen.
They had a network of laptops and you scrolled through a directory of images until you found your car, then wrote down the image filename and gave them a list of your order.
They then printed them on inkjet, waited for them to dry, mounted them and collected your money.

I found the print everything approach much more user-friendly.
All the prints were on a simple folding-screen arrangement under an elastic strip.
Just walk round the pictures, pull off all the shots of my car, walk to the exit and pay.
No need for computers, no need for order forms, just hand over the money for what's in your hand.


To take the print it all approach, you need low print cost, high speed, and for outdoor events weatherproof prints.
Of course you need to take good photographs first time (as if you were using film) not digital diarrhoea or spray and pray.

[MasterCurtis]

Paul, thanks so much for your insightful input, i really appreciate it...