Jon Canfield

By far the most expensive component of printing your own digital images is the cost of consumables--ink and paper. There are plenty of paper options out there that range from very reasonable to extremely expensive, and I'll take a look at these in a future column. With paper, you're kind of stuck with paying for the type and look you want. Ink, however, is a...

One of the most common complaints about digital imaging is the lack of consistency when going from one device to another—most commonly screen to print. Dark prints are the typical complaint, but color shifts are also a contributor to choice language and lack of hair. Yes, we tweak the image until the sky is that perfect hue of blue, or the skin tones have just the right amount of warmth and vibrancy. When it’s all done, the image is posted online or printed and it looks nothing like what we expected. The image is too dark, skin tones are too red, any number of problems. Where did it go wrong?

In almost all cases, the culprit is an uncalibrated display. Back when CRT displays were the common screen type, color could be wildly different and it was usually pretty easy to detect when the display was at fault. With modern LCD displays that isn’t necessarily the case—color is often close to correct in hue, but luminance, or brightness, is where the problem usually lies.

A popular option for many photographers looking to print images at up to 17 x 22 inches has been the Epson 3880 printer (and before that the 3800). Essentially an affordable option to Epson’s professional level 4800 and 4900 printers, the Epson 3880 and 3800 use smaller ink cartridges and forgo the ability to use roll paper. It’s been several years since this photo printer lineup has been updated, so when Epson gave me the opportunity to review their new 17-inch SureColor P800 I was interested to see what they were able to come up with to improve an already very good printer.

Epson’s 17” Stylus Pro 3800 has been one of the most popular printers in its size for the past three years. With a good combination of price and size, this C-sized printer has filled the needs of photographers looking for the ability to print 17x22” on a variety of media without the bulk or expense of a large format printer.

Since the introduction of the 3800, Epson has...