Digital Prints

206
Mastering Digital Printing
Wide-Format
Wide-format inkjet printers are much more expensive than desktops, running anywhere
from $1,500 to $30,000. However, again, the purchase price is only part of the equation.
Because wide-formats are widely used by commercial print-service providers who need to
keep an eye on the bottom line, a Running Cost Analysis is a standard factor in selecting
a wide-format. Similar to print speeds, ink and media costs are usually figured on a costper-square-foot
basis. Since the calculations can get complex in determining ink and paper
costs per unit area, Royce Bair at InkjetArt has come up with a handy Excel spreadsheet
for doing it for the Epson Stylus Pro 7600 and 9600 models (only). You can find his “Cost
Per Square Foot Calculator” at: www.inkjetart.com/pro/7600_9600/Pro_print_cost.xls.
Printmaker Jan Steinman has estimated that ink and media cost him about $2-$3 per
square foot for the premium-quality media and pigment inks he runs through his Roland
Hi-Fi JET. He knows he can reduce his costs to under $1 per square foot by using dyebased
inks and cheaper media, but he recognizes that that would be unacceptable for his
high-end market.
Cost Per Print can also be used for wide format. As an example, customers of ILFORD’s
Studio system (see “Printing Packages” for a description) are provided a cost-per-print
analysis (see a partial example in Table 6.4). Only to be used as a guideline, these print
costs are estimates (at the time of this writing) based on purchasing the ink and media
directly from ILFORD. As you can see, an 8 × 10 RC paper print runs $0.91–$1.10 in
Table 6.4 Cost Per Print Using ILFORD Studio (media: RC paper - Roll)
Print Size (inches) Studio 24 (Epson 7600) Studio 44 (Epson 9600)
8 × 10 $1.10 $0.91
8.5 × 11 1.29 1.06
11 × 14 2.12 1.75
16 × 20 4.40 3.64
20 × 30 8.25 6.82
24 × 36 11.88 9.83
30 × 40 n/a 13.65
8 × 10 on 11 × 14 $1.38 1.19
11 × 14 on 16 × 20 2.74 2.37
16 × 20 on 20 × 24 5.00 4.24
1 Cost includes RC paper (100' roll) AND ink at standard price in U.S. dollars.
2 Sizes assume full bleed unless otherwise specified.
3 Ink usage is calculated at 2.6 ml/ft2 TOTAL for all 7 colors.
4 Ink costs assume 110 ml cartridge for Studio 24 and 220 ml cartridge for Studio 44.
SOURCE: ILFORD Imaging