Bought a Continuous Ink System with archival grade dye for my wide bed photo printer.
My per picture costs have dropped into the basement and I do not worry about what I want to print any more.
Same here. CISS is the way to go.
I’m interested... Make & Model? And how large are the prints? I’ve looked at some instructions and kits for converting my Epson to a continuous ink system but I also want to print wider images ... I’m limited to 16” right now. They can be as long as the roll of paper but only 16 inches wide.
High quality paper is expensive too. My favorite art paper costs a couple bucks per 13x19 sheet.
Then if you're serious about printing you'll need to have a color managed workflow from camera through computer to the printer. That can mean getting an expensive monitor and keeping it calibrated.
As an aside, I just bought a cheap HP color printer to use in a temporary seasonal office. It was $39 at Wal-Mart. The replacement ink cartridge cost $38. Ran all summer on the cartridge that shipped with the printer.