Photography is my retirement hobby; I'm still very much an amateur, but I do enjoy making my own prints of some of my creations!

For over three years I've been using one of the Hewlett Packard Instant Ink A4 printers (the model I have has been discontinued) - which uses an ink subscription service. The printer was about £80 and the ink costs me £2.99 per month by direct debit, for which I can print up to 50 pages of anything* in each month, including full-size A4 photos. To put it into perspective, the cost is less than that of one monthly cappuccino in many cafés! (*But bear in mind that printing just one full-stop on a page counts as one of the 50 pages!)

The cartridges seem to have more ink in them than usual, but it isn't necessary to order or buy any more - the printer is connected to the Internet and HP send new cartridges by post before the ones in the printer run out of ink. For photo paper I use the own-brand packs from Photo Paper Direct. HP printers turn the sheets over as they run through the printer and sometimes the thicker sheets might get stuck, so I always order their 200g paper for no such problems. An A4 photo works out at about 30p, so I don't worry about making test prints and discarding them if necessary.

When printing less than 50 pages in a month, the spares are carried forward up to 150. If more than 50 sheets per month are required the subscription can be increased. (I've kept my old HP printer, using cheap third party cartridges or out-of-date eBay cartridges, for when I need to print pages of text that might take the monthly total over the 50.)

Philip

I like the reflection.

Philip

+1

Philip

Yes - congratulations, Gareth. And another set of good photos - I would vote for the railway shots.

Philip

+1

Philip

It's always good to hear from you, Peter. It looks like an enjoyable occasion and a pleasant and interesting location so it must be disappointing the property is being sold. Hopefully your club will be able to find another suitable venue for this event next year.

All the best.
Philip

A good set.

Lift the shadows in Number 4 and then that would be my favourite.

Cheers.
Philip

A good set. Great sky in the second.

Philip

The first image is my first choice (even though it's rather tightly framed). Second for me is number 3 - the stairway is superb; I just think the scene at the top of the stairs is a bit over-bright.

Philip

Interior shot of this St Albans Church with the Pentax KP & SMC Pentax-F 28mm prime - I like this lens. Mixed lighting - electric lights and daylight from the windows (ISO 500, f/8, 1/10s; -1 EV). A JPEG from the camera with some editing using PaintShop Pro.




Philip