Sunday, June 18, 2006

Please, don't print at home





badprint

Originally uploaded by ryanmshea.


I know it, you just love the convenience of printing at home on your inkjet printer. Its so fast, so easy, so affordable. Except for... it's not.

Printing at home is like buying the Salisbury Steak frozen dinner at the grocery store. In the end it cost more and was much lower quality than what you would have gotten from the professionals - but you're willing to pay for the convenience of being able to eat the meal (or make the print) in your underpants.

My exposure to home printing is admittedly limited, however nearly every time I look at what my father has printed I look upon it unfavorably. This is the worst one I have seen, so I had to snag it and scan it in. This was not a print that I pulled out of the trash can mind you, this was actually leaned up against a picture frame for people to view and enjoy.

Those of you who have met Stacey and I in person will note that we have many less magenta stripes in real life than in this print. Our shadows are less purple, eyes are less red, and our teeth are less blue.

Printing services from on-line printshops like Kodak or Shutterfly boast great quality at a low price (around 15 cents for a 4x6). Even brick and mortar stores like Wal-Mart and Cosco offer quality printing solutions for your digital prints for less money than printing at home.

One solution could be for Cosco to allow you to shop in your underpants. Another would be to bite the bullet and point, click, and enjoy quality prints rushed to your door for pennies (yes, UPS delivers even if you're in your underpants). Or you could always print yourself and show a snapshot like this to your friends at work.

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