Unless you are making one-of-a-kind fine art prints (to sell at outrageously inflated prices), there's no need to do anything in color traditionally today. (I haven't seen B/W output from the new digital-direct-to-photographic-paper printers, so I can't comment on that.)(posted 8818 days ago)I suggest that you buy the least equipment that you can and send everything out. A good lab will have better equipment than you could afford and will know how to use it. However, even an Epson 750 (at $250) is more than adequate for personal portfolio work (in color).