[Leica] Second printer? Talk me into/out of it. . .

[rich815 at gmail.com (Richard Sintchak)]

Sorry, cannot help talk you out of it.  I have a 2200 I run for color
and B&W (using QTR), an 1160 originally bought to run MIS quadtones
through but is now back to using OEM color inks as it does a darn fine
job on color snaps, and an old workhorse 870 that I used for BO with
MIS eboni ink for a spell but now use for high-res color glossies and
lustre prints for friends and such.

A used 870 can be had for less than $30 on eBay.  Consider that for
color.  The 870 are FAR better built as far as I can tell than the
newer cheapy C-somethings.

Richard


On Mon, 27 Dec 2004 17:51:40 -0800, Peter Klein <pklein@2alpha.net> wrote:
> For the last couple of years I have been a printing on an Epson 1280.  Had
> to replace the print head once due to a clog that wouldn't clear.  I'm very
> pleased with it now, with some anxiety about future clogs.  I've mostly
> printed  B&W with MIS grayscale inks.  I recently upgraded to the best
> solution I've used yet--the "Ultratone 2" hextone inks.  Haven't yet tried
> this with semi-gloss or glossy paper, but matte is great.
> 
> Lately I've been getting more of an urge to print some of my color
> work.  Especially now that I have the Olympus E-1, which does really nice
> color right out of the camera.  Color will not replace B&W, though--I'll
> probably print substantially more B&W.
> 
> I rarely print bigger than letter size, but having the 1280 is nice for
> that occasional 11x14 or 13x19.
> 
> I am not interested in going to a RIP-type workflow for B&W.  If I were to
> get a printer for both color and B&W, it would have to have some sort of
> grey-ink ability, like the Canon  7660.
> 
> So, what to do?  Some possibilities:
> 
> 1. Get an inexpensive printer like the Epson C84 and use it for color right
> now.  It would even do B&W later with the above Ultratone inks, if the 1280
> died.
> 
> 2. Go for a newer printer, either just for color, or for both B&W and color
> (the Canons).
> 
> 3. Go have a nice glass of wine, forget this dual printer nonsense, stick
> with what I have for B&W.  Take my best color pictures to a local lab with
> a good printer on CD, CF card or "jump drive."  It might be more 
> economical.
> 
> It strikes me that the next couple of weeks might be a good time to buy
> something if I'm going to, since a lot of businesses will want to clear
> unsold Christmas stock, and there may be rebates as well.  It also strikes
> me that having two printers might be having three times the worries.  If I
> do it, I probably should keep them the same brand so as not to have to
> stock two different brands of paper.
> 
> Any thoughts, suggestions, gentle questionings of my sanity. . . ?
> 
> --Peter
>