PhotoGenia customers demand Epson print quality

PhotoGenia, the Institute of Photographic Studies, offers a comprehensive training programme for amateur and professional photographers, as well as organising photography exhibitions and promotional events. To accommodate the often disparate requirements of its customers, PhotoGenia responded by purchasing Epson printers.

The PhotoGenia Institute spent a long time testing large-format printing solutions, but Epson was the leader from the word go. The print stability ratio, printhead durability and other criteria drove PhotoGenia toward choosing Epson – one they have never regretted.

Jan Sucharda, Senior Art Director of the PhotoGenia Institute, explains, “After we made up our minds to invest in quality printing, we spent months travelling from one presentation event or trade fair to another, testing a wide range of printers. After a while, it became clear that Epson were winning hands down. The reasons why we chose Epson were multiple and have remained the same to this day; actually the number of reasons to remain loyal to the brand has grown.”

Since 2006, PhotoGenia has bought printers from the Epson Stylus Photo 2880, Epson Stylus Pro 3880, Epson Stylus Pro 7890 and Epson Stylus Pro 9900 series. The institute has been more than satisfied with all of its purchases.

“For many years we have been doing prints for very demanding clients who we cannot afford to let down, which means our requirements are very high too,” says Jan Sucharda, Senior Art Director of the PhotoGenia Institute. “One of our important clients is the photographer Jan Kratochvíl, for whom we regularly process prints for private collections for gallerists and collectors from the US and Western Europe. Perfect print stability and colour lightfastness are essential for these. For these purposes we have had very good results with the media from the Digigraphie by Epson project and the UltraChrome K3 Inks,” Sucharda adds.

As well as prints destined for private collectors and galleries, PhotoGenia is increasingly seeing a demand for more conventional orders. Many clients, particularly due to the collapse of photolab services, have been seeking a different way of having their prints done. Most amateur photographers who need prints up to A3 size look for high quality yet cost-effective printing. For a long time there was no adequate printing solution on the market – until Epson came up with ink tank system printers which guarantee colour-accurate printing at a low cost.

“With ITS systems, we paid a bit more up front, but this investment was returned over the course of several months,” says Jan Sucharda, evaluating the benefits the printers have delivered. “Speed, very favourable price, and undisputable quality have won our customers over, and they have become accustomed to it very quickly.” Combine this with the user-friendly interface and excellent customer service and you have a perfect solution, Sucharda believes.

The Institute of Photographic Studies grew from educational activities run by the Silentium professional photography studio and the Brno School of Photography, and was established at the start of 2001. Over the course of several years, the institute has developed distance learning, and individually tailored study programmes that have become flagships in the field of photographic and professional education.