do it your self cheaper-better

I don't have a printer, so I have to do it outside.

go buy a printer. you can get a good one for $100.

Why is my question being evaded?

*anti-per bump*

I apologize for the rudeness, finals week is getting to me.. :(

DIY! I have heard so many stories of people buying $400 printers and producing beautiful portfolios. $400 sounds like a lot, but you are left with a printer - unlike paying a company big bucks and never seeing the money again - like I did.

that is sounding like a good option. anybody have any suggestions on good printers to buy. I need to print 11x17 and trim down. Also, does anybody know anything about folding heavy weight paper. I have seen some professional documents that seem to have a manufactured crease to facilitate the fold. when I try to fold it my self I get all sorts of fissures surrounding the fold. Is there a better option to scoring it with an exacto. there must be.

i just bought this epson for my portfolio. i previously was printing 11x17 and trimming to 8.5 x 11 but this one does borderless real nice. and it comes with ink. hurrah!

If you're looking for 11x17, try the epson stylus photo 1280. Great quality, 6 color, borderless. Its a bit expensive, but has saved me money in the long run. The conveinence of being able to print at home is worth it. Also, comes with color and black cartridges.

epson 1280

almost forgot, has $100 rebate so cost is $300 not $400

how many pages is the folio and how many copies do you want ? you can buy a great epson or cannon printer for under $100 which is LESS than having anyone else print them.

If you have a lot of pages total, the personal printer is probably a bad idea. my last one was 25 pages x 15 or 20 copies and i spent +700 euros on all of it. a real bummer.

the printer is less the ink is where they get-cha

yep. 15 euros per cartridge for my epson printer. it's pretty sweet though.

I guess i'm looking at 15 pages front and back, maybe 2-3 copies in all..

everyone avoids them as common, but of the places I tried before I bought my printer, Kinko's turned out the best. They got the ink/paper combination just right so that the colors turn out brilliant, and the paper is bright white but not so heavy that you portfolio gets bulky.

this is what i use

The only complain I have is that it drinks ink. printing ten 60 page books I used 4-twin packages at $63 each. The colors are yummy though.

+q - what model is that and does it print large format (11x17)? Can you put rigid material through it? like a light card stock?
also, I read some online comparisons saying that HP is better than epson. what do you think?

epson r1800. excellent quality. prints large, and pretty heavy paper ( i did 340g/m2 at some point). the ink goes pretty fast though, important to consider at 13$/cartridge.

one nice feature on say the nicer epsons is that they have completely separate inks. so if you run out of magenta, you don't have to replace the whole cartrige. just magenta. but this is not so on the lower end ones..

two-headed boy: use a bone folder to get nice creases. you can get them at a hobby shop or craft suply store usually... or do a google search for online retailers. There are also cheaper plastic versions of the same tool.

Look at newer Epson's than the 1280, there have been two upgrades since then (I think that's pushing 3 years old).
Canon has a great 11x17 ink jet for less than $500 - look at PC Mag for a review, I think they gave it their best (the Epsons, too, but the new ones are more $$).

Personally, I"ve never seen anything come out of Kinko's that compares to an ink jet. Not much can compare to a quality ink jet, really, with the exception of super high end.

It'll be much better to get a printer and do it yourself, unless you don't care about the quality. If you don't, just go to Kinko's and pay the $1.25 or so per color print.

Oh, yeah, and I print my CD's for my biz on my Epson, and it's got a snazzy roller attachment and color printer. I got a refurbished (it's really new, warranty and all) Photo 960 for $200 2 years ago and it works wonderfully.

Only problem is that NO WHERE stocks the ink!! I have to order it from Epson. So just ask a local Best Buy or something if they carry it. Although I am sure this will be more common, as they seem to becoming out with different kinds all the time.

I picked up an HP designjet 100 for $650 24" x whatever.

There are a few companies that make double sided 22" x 17" paper as well.

2-headed:
That is the 2610 from HP
no, not 11x17, but 8.5x11 borderless
I like it a lot, the colors are perfect.

only problem:
cost of ink!!!
Epsons and Canon's are cheaper because they dont include the print head on the cartridge. That means your Epson printer will probably be non-functional in about 2 years, but you would have saved hundreds in cartridges. I think is better to have clean heads and spend the exytra cash specially since I print a lot.

what companies make 22' x 17" double-sided paper? The largest I have been able to find is 11x17.

BTW- I also use a Designjet...the 120NR. I got it brand new on ebay for around $700 I think. The designjets are MUCH more efficient with ink than HP's standard ink jets.

I was reading Wired magazine over the weekend while flying from Dallas to Detroit. There was a short little story about printing companies. They referenced 4 companies that will print your book...whatever it is...at any size. As I seem to recall, the cost was less than $10 per book and less than $.05 per page.

That seems pretty resonable to me. I will post links to the websites later.

Here's the story...if anyone is interested

Red River paper sells a few varieties at 22 x 17, including double sided paper.

http://www.redrivercatalog.com/browse/2side/76denali.htm

mmmm i used the red river double sided semigloss zeppelin 45 lb. looks super. great depth in photographs. 4 stars.
they've also got this great thing where if you order a sample pack and then consequently buy a full pack of paper of one of the items included in the sample, they'll reimburse you for the price of the sample pack.

spirk -

those companies seem to do just text... not the more complicated graphics that most portfolios need...

"Submit a Word document along with JPEGs for cover art" doesn't really cut it.

yeah, i noticed that too. seems to be more geared to self publishing books and not portfolios. still a good resource though.

I noticed that the article dealt with mostly text after I posted my first response. But since I promised the link I figured that I would post it anyway.

They might have the capabilities to print a heavily graphic portfolio.
maybe it is something that magpie could look into.

i guess i should start working on my great american novel and forget this useless portfolio...

Mods gotta shut this thread down; too many bots invading