 For more tips, go to the 100 in 100 Part II HomepageThis week, we look at inkjet printers: the best ones for photographers, how to troubleshoot them, and get the best quality prints possible at home. We start with an excerpt about ink from Jon Sienkiewicz’s classic AIRC Inkjet Printer Buying Guide. How many inks are enough for photo-quality inkjet prints?Photo quality inkjet printers by-and-large use six-color inks. General-purpose inkjets use four-color. A few high-end models use seven or eight colors. The more inks used, the wider the range of colors that the printer is capable of reproducing. A six-, seven- or eight-color printer will produce prints with a range of rich, finely-detailed color.
| Number of inks |
Best For |
| 4 |
Small office/home office |
| 6 |
Amateur through professional prints |
| 7 and up |
Exhibit-quality prints |
 Depending on the printer, ink may be available in individual wells, or as a set. With separate cartridges it’s possible to renew one color without wasting the unused portion of the others. The disadvantage is the price shock when purchasing six new cartridges at the same time. When the color comes as a set, the black ink cartridge is usually separate–which is good if you use your color inkjet for other household printing chores like memos and letters. What about black-and-white?If you plan to make black-and-white prints, look for a printer that has more than one level of black ink. Some manufacturers have introduced inksets that are all grays and blacks. The idea is, like color, that the more different variations of grey ink in the printer, the richer the tonal reproduction in a black-and-white print. Of course, if you want a sepia-toned look, you’re better off using standard color inksets and setting the tone in your image-editing program.  One more thing about inks: Many printer makers strongly discourage users from using any other brand inkset, and some go as far as to say that using off-brand inks will void the warranty. And with good reason: when a well-known photo magazine recently attempted to use an off-brand inkset in a well-known-brand printer, the ink gunked up the works, and ruined several machines before the test was finally cancelled. But that was an exception. There are third-party inks that will work fine in the printers they’re designed for, but before you buy, get on user forums and look for recommendations. Do your homework. If you use the manufacturer’s ink, you might not get much variety but the risk is much lower.Previous tip | Next tip © 2008 Adorama Camera, Inc.
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