LumeJet S200 Photo Prints Review

Features and Orderings
Performance
Verdict

LumeJet prints to silver halide paper for real photographic prints, giving you photo quality prints on a variety of papers. LumeJet use an RGB digital print head so you can print JPEG images without having to worry about CMYK conversion. LumeJet's prices start at £4.78 for an 8x4 print.

LumeJet Photo Prints Features and Ordering

The LumeJet S200 printer retailed for around £145,000 in 2013, so to be able to print using LumeJet's website is a unique opportunity. Here we will be printing a number of different photos on a range of different paper to see what the results are like.  

The LumeJet S200 uses a three-colour RGB Digital Print Head (DPH) developed by LumeJet, and is an inkless system, using Silver Halide photographic (light sensitive) paper, that contains the colour in the paper. The printer can print at 400dpi contone (with continuous tone), which is said to be equal to 4000dpi inkjet / halftone prints. The RGB colour gamut is wider than the CMYK colour gamut, and the print process can also print sharp text without any colour bleed.

Ordering prints - Website process

1. Registration on the LumeJet website was straightforward. 

2. Once registered you get an introduction to the service, as well as what's available. There are numerous formats available including square, panorama, portrait, landscape and vertical panoramic prints. Once you select one of these you can then select more detailed options, for example whether you want a white border or not, the size of paper and the type of paper to use for the print. 

LumeJet say they will offer trimming of photos if the size you want isn't displayed on the site, with you simply needing to select a size larger than you need, and letting LumeJet know your requirements.

The smallest size available is 8x6inches, and one print at this size costs £4.78. If you order more then the price drops.

Paper options depend on the format chosen, and include: Fujifilm Crystal Archive DP II Matte, DP II Gloss, DP II Lustre, DP II SIlk, and Fujifilm Digital Pearl. 

Paper options

3. You can then upload your photo, and arrange it in the on-line page designer. Each step comes with instructions to guide you through the process. You can add a number of images to the project, so for example, if you wanted to print 10 different images, all with the same paper type and format, then you could do this. You can also setup different albums on the site, so that you can keep your uploaded images organised. 

4. Once you've setup your prints, you get a summary of your order and you can change or edit the options before finalising the order.

5. When you go to checkout, you're shown the delivery costs, and once you've confirmed the order it is sent off to print. Standard delivery is £4.99. 

We placed our order on the 2nd September. The prints arrived around 10 days later and were well packaged in a large cardboard package so that the paper couldn't be bent. The paper was also wrapped in thin tracing paper for extra protection. 

LumeJet Photo Prints Performance

The performance section is where we look at the print quality. Additional photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Filey Brigg, photo Richard Hanson, Black and White print, with border.

Filey Brigg, Yorkshire Coast - Fujifilm Crystal Archive DPII Matte paper was used for the photo above. The colour of this black and white print is less noticeable than the photo below, which has a slight colour cast. 

Sarah Sharp, A3 Black and White print, with border.

The black and white print, shown above, had a very slight pink tint or hue. The photo was taken with the Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246). Fujifilm Crystal Archive DPII Lustre paper was used. 

Lucy Woodroffe, Colour print.

This portrait photo was taken with the Fujifilm X-Pro2 and printed on Fujifilm Crystal Archive DPII Silk paper, this paper gives a fine texture similar to canvas, and is well suited to portraits or wedding photography. We were impressed by the colour and detail of the print, and the print is perfect right to the edges, as you would expect. You can view a close-up of the paper here. 

Snow Monkey, Japan, Fujifilm Digital Pearl

Printed on Fujifilm Digital Pearl photo paper, this gives an impressive shine to the photo, and in the right light, the photo will almost glow, enhancing the colours and appearance of the photo. You can view the original photo of Snow Monkeys here, and we've shown the difference between the photo catching the light and not catching the light, in the photos below.

LumeJet S200 Sample Photos

Value For Money

It's difficult to fully assess value for money, as other basic print services will print an A3 photo for around £1, or you could look at Whitewall who offer an UltraHD print 30x20cm (roughly A4) at £8.95 including vat. If you want high quality photo quality prints, then LumeJet is worth the money.

LumeJet Photo Prints Verdict

Whilst LumeJet may feel expensive if you plan on printing hundreds of photos, it is good value for your most treasured photos, and would be well suited to professional photographers. Whilst those interested in true black and white prints may prefer a different service, for those printing colour the LumeJet prints are excellent. Overall we were very impressed with the quality and colour of the prints, and the process was quick and straightforward using LumeJet's website.