Print me a selfie

Photo printing has come a long way from the days that photographs were developed at the local pharmacist or printing lab, but no matter the changes in technology that make photography digital, wireless and stored in the Cloud, consumers still want to hold or frame a tangible print of their treasured memories.

Even so, the photo printing industry has had to adapt as technology has evolved from complex, chemical-heavy film development and printing that took up to a week to deliver, to the arrival of the one-hour photo lab (that never really took just one hour), to the modern day photo printing shops that offer plug-and-print technology, or wireless solutions that allow consumers to print straight from their personal devices.

It’s not just the photo printing companies that have had to adapt – the manufacturers of photo printers have also had to invest in new technology that keeps pace with the changing ways that people take and share photographs.

Epson, a global leader in printing and imaging technology, has always aimed to provide its customers with comfort and affordability. Epson provides quality and innovative products to meet the needs of its customers, putting Epson at the forefront of printing innovation and soultions. 

Today, Epson maintains its innovative approach to photo printing by offering affordable photo printers that make it easy for consumers to print their favourite memories, while also offering compact and cost-effective solutions for the modern-day photo-lab owner.

Mark Kidd, of Mark Kidd photography, reiterates just how important it is for the print industry to keep up with the needs of businesses – especially small enterprises looking for the best return on their investments. Kidd, who used to own a chemical lab, recently purchased an Epson D700 printer from ImageMed - one of Epson South Africa’s Acreditted Specialised Resellers - to enable him to work from home.

“It is the best decision I ever made,” says Kidd. “I am so impressed with the convenient size of the printer which makes it really suitable for at-home printing. The chemical printing at photo labs simply doesn’t match the colour range offered by the Epson line of printers, it really is impressive.”

The Lion Park, one of Johannesburg’s biggest tourist attractions, originally subcontracted a mobile photographer to capture photographs for visitors and print them on site. However, the facility sought a more comprehensive solution that offered top-quality prints, and installed an Epson SureLab D3000, as well as order an Epson SureLab D700.

Andre Lacock, project manager of the new Lion Park Photographic Centre, says “The Photographic Centre needed a robust, reliable and easy solution to print post-card and jumbo sized photos, but it also needed one that could print larger than usual prints to include in photobooks.”

As a conservation organisation, the Lion Park team also sought an eco-friendly printer that would be energy efficient. The Epson printers responded directly to all these requirements, making them the obvious choice.

The SureLab D3000 makes it possible for visitors to the Lion Park to order prints on media that is between 10cm and 30cm wide, and between 9cm and 121cm long. This means that they can print photos, cards, invitations, flyers and leaflets on glossy, lustre or matte paper.

On average, the Photographic Centre at the Lion Park prints over 500 A4 prints on a weekend, offering its guests a physical momento of a rare encounter with one of South Africa’s big five.

The Epson SureLab D3000 uses Epson’s UltraChrome D6 six colour ink set that achieves a wide colour gamut, offering long-lasting prints that are vivid and lifelike, with excellent black density – factors that are vital to consider when printing a photo of that once-in-a-lifetime cuddle with a lion cub! The printer can print on glossy or matte paper, providing more options to print photos, greeting cards, calendars or photo books.

The Epson SureLab D3000 offers a print quality and colour consistency that is comparable to Epson’s professional graphics printers, as well as being able to produce images on a wide range of media sizes and print runs.

Photographer Johan Kleynhans from Majestic Studios sought a reliable and compact printer to transport to his photography shoots at schools and events, and opted for the Epson D700 printer. 

“The speed and quality of this printer surpasses that of any other printer I’ve used before,” he says. “The small footprint of the printer was the main factor that influenced my purchasing decision, as well as the printer’s affordability. It can print up to 8 x 12cm a print, which means you effectively have a mini-lab on hand. I am going to buy another one soon to make my event photography even more efficient!”

The Epson SureLab D700 is one of Epson’s first six-colour compact photo production printers, offering a wide range of media and format options.

Combining vibrant colour output with reliability and cost-efficiency, it is ideally suited to photo production businesses, independent photo shops, event photographers, minilabs and copy shops as well as businesses that need to print high-quality panoramic images, greeting cards or mixed print jobs on demand.

This model can print on a wide range of media and formats including glossy, lustre and paper-based matte media, varying in size from 10cm to 21cm wide and from 8.9cm to 100cm in length. Crisp clear quality is guaranteed with Epson’s improved Micro Piezo printhead technology.

With their convenient size, wide colour range which allows for vivid colour printing, as well as the printers’ affordability which allows for a quick and effective return on investment, Epson’s printers respond to the evolving needs of the photography.

There is no doubt that as imaging technology develops, so the demands from the market will change too. The truth remains for now, though, that consumers still want hard copies of their photos – and Epson is making sure that they get the best possible quality prints in an instant.