Going Out Of Business Sale

When I was in Photography School eons ago, I thought it might be a fun idea to get into the business of taking pictures when I retired.  Buy a camera, take pictures and you're on your way.  Not so much.

Everyone in the class certainly was gung-ho, purchasing cameras and lens, along with a dozen bits and pieces that we just couldn't live without.  Things that would make us "professionals".  There were even three of us who discussed opening a downtown studio together and splitting the costs, because we KNEW it wouldn't be a money-maker immediately.

The best part about all that was calling myself NK-Photography and getting a nice deduction on my income taxes for depreciation.  This gear isn't cheap with lenses costing an average of $2,000 each.  The trouble is you have to show a profit at SOME point!!

That year we all went to Photoshop World in Las Vegas.  What a blast THAT was!!  We were up at 4 am sitting on the tops of buildings, taking amazing photos, along with 4,000 other people.  Too bad no one else thought our images were amazing.  With all the improvements in cameras and phones nowadays, EVERYONE can take great pictures.  The problem is SELLING them.

At any rate, on the floor of Photoshop World sat this beautiful printer, spitting out the most fabulous printed images you've ever seen.  They made me a half-price deal I couldn't refuse, especially since the other two people promised to do all their printing with it (and compensate me) at our new storefront.

That whole plan might have worked out just fine if we were somewhere other than Podunk City California.  Someone must have overheard us, because literally within a couple of weeks, another photographer opened just that type of business.  It closed one year later for lack of revenue.  My business partners disappeared into the woodwork.  Gosh ... now I'm stuck with this printer and so it has resided in my living room for the last eight years.  Since I'm trying to downsize, it's got to go.

Unfortunately, my original computer set up to use that printer, crashed.  From that point on, I was too lazy to download the drivers, get all new cabling and resurrect my picture files.  The problem is, not using a printer is the worst thing you can do.  At any rate, it's time to move it on down the road to someone who will get more use out of it's wonder High Dynamic Range printing.  The Photography Class Instructor is interested for the right price.

It took me thirty minutes just to remember how to load the paper roll.  I pushed every button possible because the instruction manual was playing hide and seek.  Finally, a test run of the printer nozzles resulted in the pretty little pattern below.  Oh no ... two big white squares.  That's not good ... not good at all.  I ran a normal cleaning ... three times. 

That promptly ran the ink cartridges down to LOW.  It doesn't like LOW, so I had to replace three.  It's a good thing I had an extra set of ink.  Still two blank squares, so I ran an EXTRA cleaning which cleaned out all the remaining ink cartridges.  By the time I was done, I had replaced every single one with a total of $1,500 worth of ink.  No one said this was a cheap hobby!

Too bad that didn't work either.  I placed a call to Epson Support and talked to Joy who was a joy.  She gave me specific instructions on how to run a service cleaning.  If that didn't work, I would have to have a technician come to the house to clean and possibly replace the nozzels.  

Four hours passed as I said lots of prayers over the beast and pushed a crazy number of buttons in different orders until it stopped.  I printed the test sheet again.  NOTHING!  RATS!!!!!  So Monday my first order of business is to call Epson for a serviceman.  This wonderful amazing printer will either get fixed for under $1,000 or it will get a short ride to the dump.  What a shame!!  But like any other printer on the market today, the repairs and ink cost more than just buying a replacement.  

NK-Photography is going out of business.  Not that I'm selling my cameras or lenses, but the printer and all eight of my carrying cases will soon disappear.  I'm sure I could sell everything on E-Bay, but then I'd have strange people coming to my door ... not a good idea when you are a single female.  

I'll continue to haul all my gear around and still take pictures of the places I visit, but printing will have to be done at an on-line facility.  I'm pretty sure they won't really notice, since I haven't printed anything in five years.  

Unfortunately, I'll have to say a fond farewell to the tax deductions.  It's been nice knowing you!!  Maybe I can come up with another money making venture ... like a quilt store!!