Many photographers grapple with whether printing their images is necessary or if digital presentations alone suffice. Is it right for you?
Coming to you from Craig Roberts of e6 Vlogs, this insightful video confronts the idea that printing is the essential final stage of photography. Roberts openly shares his experience with an older printer, highlighting practical issues like discontinued inks and clogged print heads, suggesting that maintaining a printer might be more trouble than it's worth. He emphasizes the broader attitude toward photography in the UK, noting it's often undervalued as art compared to painting, influencing how photographers choose to present their work. Roberts points out that although physical prints feel special, the practicality and audience reach of digital presentations—such as social media or online galleries—often outweigh the benefits of traditional printing.
Roberts also discusses the economic realities of printing versus digital sharing. Producing prints involves ongoing expenses like ink, paper, and equipment maintenance, making it financially unsustainable for many unless you already have a following eager to purchase your prints. He recalls his own brief attempt at selling prints at craft fairs, revealing that the experience wasn't particularly rewarding or profitable. Conversely, digital platforms and ebooks offer affordable, straightforward ways to share your work widely, though they lack the tangible satisfaction provided by physical prints. Roberts makes a case for ebooks as a convenient compromise, giving you the ability to present curated collections without the financial risk associated with self-publishing printed books.
Expanding on alternatives, Roberts shares his current preference for smaller, tangible print methods like instant prints. These formats offer a cost-effective way to produce physical photographs without large upfront investment or ongoing expense. He references photographer Michael Kenna’s preference for smaller-sized prints as evidence that larger prints aren't inherently superior. Roberts clearly sees value in physical presentation but argues convincingly that you don't have to commit to expensive printing solutions to achieve tangible, meaningful outcomes. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Roberts.
If you're going to print get the professionals to print it for you. I'm very sorry but those desktop printers they're not the same quality and you'll spend a lot of stuffing around with calibration buying ink. It's just not worth it honestly if I'm doing a framed A2 piece which I sell for 699 the A2 print cost me $34. It's just such a small percentage of the overall cost. It's not worth it. Get the professionals to print for you and you'll get amazing results. I print for customers a lot and I would argue that printing a few of your own photos and putting them on your wall will also inspire you to go out more. It will also show up your faults with all due respect photos just sitting on smart phones on Instagram will look good but once you start printing you will really find out more about your own photography and what you need to do next. Even if you don't sell your prints I still think it's worth getting a few done because like I said you will learn a lot about your photography from looking at them and there. I say you'll probably be quite inspired to go out and shoot some more photos belong on walls, not smartphones.
For me, learning to print was both a nightmare and a revelation. I began printing almost as soon as I started developing my photographic voice — and it transformed my sense of color entirely.
On the one hand, printing slowed my progress. It stole time from shooting, demanded attention, and drew energy inward. But on the other hand, the act of photographing itself became more deliberate, more aware, more full of meaning.
So, in my view, if you truly want to grow — try printing. But do it seriously, with care and craft. If you're content with what you see on screen, if the process already brings you joy — you can safely leave printing aside. A large, well-calibrated monitor with accurate color rendering will serve you just as well.
I have a Canon Pro A3 colour printer that produces very good prints but I have only used it very sparingly and for printing some of my favourite images. It is a lot of hassle and expensive to use and I think compiling a photo book is a much better way to display a collection of images at a reasonable cost and is something that I will be doing more of.