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can color printers print images as well as getting them developed at Costco / Target / etc?

as far as lasting as long for framing for example, quality, etc.

Public Comments

1. Some printers are even better. I use EPSON R1800 and the images from them are vastly superior (color, quality, life, etc.). This printer use pigment ink. Most of the cheap printers - no. They will fade. These printers use dye inks. Good luck....
2. They're just as good IF you use good quality ink, proper photo paper, and adjust your settings to photo instead of document.
3. Dye-sub and inkjet printers can produce images that are supposed to last up to 200 years, but the inkjets that do that use special inks and paper to make that a reality. True photo prints can actually produce better colour prints, but the colour pigments in the paper are susceptible to UV light Doing the monitor calibration on your computers monitor and then matching it to your printer can be a very time consuming operation and the calibration devices cost over $250
4. Yes, but I think you will find the that high cost of inkjet ink and photo print paper may be much higher than getting prints at Target and Cosco.
5. If you get a print from Target, for instance, it has a UV cured plastic coating on it that is very durable. I have held their prints UNDER RUNNING WATER (as a test) and wiped them dry with no visible damage. If you get a print from Mpix, it will be made using a silver halide photographic paper, with a laser photo printer. This should hold up extremely well. If you print at home, you can use the newer inks, such as Epson's Claria, that claim up to 200 years life. They stipulate that the print must be stored properly and "proper storage" does not include putting the print in a frame and hanging it on the wall. I think the prints I am getting with these inks will hold up as well as any traditional photographic prints I have, though. When I have printed an image, I do not touch it for at least 24 hours. It sits on the piano rack or on top of a bookshelf while it dries thoroughly.
6. If you have a good quality printer, then yes you can print decent images on your computer, that will look just as good for framing and displaying at home. BUT there are also some disadvantages. You will use a lot of ink and if you print a lot of picutres, in the long run it will end up costing you more money. The other problem is that pictures from an inkjet printer fade really fast, especially if they are near a window where they are constantly exposed to sunlight. I've had pictures fade badly in just a couple of years, even though I have a good printer and I used the best photo paper I could find. Ink fades in sunlight. Most photo labs do NOT use ink to print your pictures. It's actually a combination of digital imaging AND traditional processing. They use light-sensitive photo paper, similar to how pictures are developed from film in a darkroom, except that it's automated. A machine takes the images from your pictures and exposes the paper with a laser or LCD projector. The paper is then developed in chemicals, and then it's heat treated so that it dries instantly. The next time you get pictures developed at a photo lab, look on the back of the prints. If it says "Fuji Crystal Archive" that is a real color print paper, and it's developed CHEMICALLY. Kodak also makes color paper. The advantage with processing pictures chemically is that it doesn't use ink. The paper itself is light sensitive and has dyes IN the paper itself. When the paper is exposed and developed, it forms an image INSIDE the emulsion of the paper...instead of just printing the surface of a paper with ink. So the picture ends up being a lot more durable. In fact, with a picture developed on real photo paper, you can get it wet and it wouldn't ruin the picture...since real photo paper is made to be developed with chemicals anyway. That fact has saved a lot of my pictures....if you get it wet, just wash it and let it dry. Obviously, you CAN'T do that with a picture printed with ink!
7. It's all relative. If you want to spend the money on a "good" home printer, high quality ink and premium print-quality paper then you certainly can have great results at home. However, photo shops already have all the best equipment and since they do prints in bulk can charge you less per photo. You do have to make sure you request the higher quality though - such as Kodak paper. If you will be printing a lot of photos then it may be worth it to get your own setup, but if you just have a few photos then it's better to have it done at Walgreen's or another outlet where you can pay per individual print.