where do you print?

[kubelik]

I'm starting to think about doing some prints and framing them to decorate the house with. wondering what everyone else out there is using for making large, professional-quality prints; is there some place you're really happy with and would love to recommend, or is there some place you'd caution that I stay away from?

for my own purposes, I don't mind so much if a place is expensive, I'd rather it be high quality printing on high quality paper. any suggestions of where/where not to look?

 

[Jaszek]

Under 13x19 I do at home.
Over that I do AdoramaPix

 

[neuroanatomist]

My local Target. Actually I do, but only for 4x6" prints for photo albums.

If it's going on the wall, I use Mpix.

 

[Macadameane]

Sam's Club has some good prices on printing large prints. Haha, last time went to pick up a photo they said, "We need a release from the photographer on this print." We had edited the photo of our son with a white vignette, and doctored some blemishes. Saying it was ours was good enough for them.

 

[prestonpalmer]

http://www.WHCC.com for everything. Don't bother tring to purchase your own printing equipment. Outsourcing will save you loads of money in the long run, and the end result will be better and more consistent. Do yourself a favor and calibrate your monitor using something like Spider and your prints will look exactly like your monitor!

Nothing but positive reviews for WHCC!

 

[selrahc]

i print out my 11x14" composites at samy's camera

 

[kubelik]

Thanks everyone for the replies. Preston, thanks for sending the whcc link, their rates look amazing (and I believe them because I know my wedding photographer also uses them for print services). Looking to do a couple of large prints later this year, so that will come in handy.

 

[AJ]

4" x 6" at Costco or similar. Dirt cheap, and done on cheap paper with cheap inks. I don't expect these to last more than 5 years.

8.5"x11" and 13"x19" on my Epson R1800. Archival quality, but inks are wickedly expensive. I'm looking into outsourcing.

Photo albums - blurb.com. I'm very happy with the work they've done. Looks great and cost effective.

Gallery wraps - I've found a little print shop in my city that does great work at a fair price. I've only had a few printed up but they're really really nice.

 

[awinphoto]

I use Bay Photo Lab based in San Jose, CA. They use a roes order system that downloads onto your computer and sends your files to their lab via FTP once you order. You can get 8x10's under $2 and 11x14's under $4. Once you include costs of paper, ink, proofing, and color correcting using your epson, it does not come close. They also offer Luster papers and gloss/matte at no extra charge. I use my epson for soft proofs and if i need a print like yesterday, however anything else I use Bay. Also their standard UPS shipping is $1.50 so it's cheap all around. Also if you clients want, they can do canvas prints, mounting, spraying, wall clusters. A lot of stuff to offer your clients. Dont get me wrong, adorama pics is generally a hair cheaper in prices however i've sent the same file to both labs and some how bays photos are a tad sharper and crisper than adorama.

 

[distant.star]

I second Bay. Fine work, very fast and very responsive. Well set up for pros -- drop ships and any possible kind of geegaws clients could want.

I use Bay Photo Lab based in San Jose, CA. They use a roes order system that downloads onto your computer and sends your files to their lab via FTP once you order. You can get 8x10's under $2 and 11x14's under $4. Once you include costs of paper, ink, proofing, and color correcting using your epson, it does not come close. They also offer Luster papers and gloss/matte at no extra charge. I use my epson for soft proofs and if i need a print like yesterday, however anything else I use Bay. Also their standard UPS shipping is $1.50 so it's cheap all around. Also if you clients want, they can do canvas prints, mounting, spraying, wall clusters. A lot of stuff to offer your clients. Dont get me wrong, adorama pics is generally a hair cheaper in prices however i've sent the same file to both labs and some how bays photos are a tad sharper and crisper than adorama.

 

[awinphoto]

Plus, with Bay if you sell by packages (8x10, 2 5x7's, etc) in their roes system you can set up your packages with exactly what you want in each, choose which image you want to use, line it up and order it, youre done. It couldn't be quicker and hassle free if you do a lot of portraits or sports photos... Also a month ago they had a buy 1 get one free for 16x20's and larger... I had a few friend photogs take me up on that (including my service fee for processing them (clicking order)). They didn't mind and it was still cheaper and better than other companies. Dont get me wrong, I used adorama for a few years however once I switched to bay because they took fewer holidays than adorama did, I was hooked.

 

[gary]

Up to 13x19 I use a Canon 9000 and I also use Bay Photo for larger prints in particular Giclee

 

[Clamdigger]

I have had very good luck with Nations Photo Lab http://www.nationsphotolab.com/ in Baltimore, MD—fast, high quality, good range of products and services. Prices aren't bad. They also use the ROES system, which takes some getting used to at first, but once you're up and running, you're set and ordering is easy.

 

[dstppy]

Search here really frickin sucks -- I searched and almost decided to post, then browsed and found this topic

This was exactly what I was looking for -- but I call into question "Target" and such -- I'd read that before, that people just get prints done at local places, so I recently had some father's day stuff done at CVS. I couldn't BELIEVE how crappy it turned out. The images were dark and unclear -- not blurry, but, sort of like they were printed in a color palette with a lot less colors, and down-sampled badly (is that even possible).

My family maligns me for my high standards in pretty much everything, but this time my mother could clearly see it and my wife (begrudgingly ) admitted that they didn't look exactly right.

So, I'm sending a rush job off to AdoramaPix, which would have been cheaper, had I not waited so long and just relied on CVS.

From this, it's obvious that you can't just go ANYWHERE, so my question is:
Are particular stores are better because people are actually trained on the equipment/the printers are well maintained & calibrated -- OR -- are all of particular chain stores (e.g. Sams/Costco) better because they carry higher end equipment and yield nicer prints.

 

[steven63]

I print all my photos at home using a Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Pro9000-Inkjet-Printer-3295B002/dp/B001R4BTIA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308144807&sr=8-3) and I calibrate it and my monitor with a ColorMunki profiler (http://www.amazon.com/ColorMunki-Photo-Monitor-Projector-Profiler/dp/B00169N0BK/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1308144776&sr=8-10). Calibrating your monitor and printer is ESSENTIAL to getting a high quality print.

Buy high quality frames and customize the mats to fit your prints. They will look amazing and you will have the satisfaction of knowing it was your hand that did it all from beginning to end.

 

[Chewy734]

I print all my photos at home using a Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II (http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Pro9000-Inkjet-Printer-3295B002/dp/B001R4BTIA/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1308144807&sr=8-3) and I calibrate it and my monitor with a ColorMunki profiler (http://www.amazon.com/ColorMunki-Photo-Monitor-Projector-Profiler/dp/B00169N0BK/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1308144776&sr=8-10). Calibrating your monitor and printer is ESSENTIAL to getting a high quality print.

Buy high quality frames and customize the mats to fit your prints. They will look amazing and you will have the satisfaction of knowing it was your hand that did it all from beginning to end.

Yesterday that printer was on sale at BH and Adorama for $50 after a $200 rebate. I picked one up, and can't wait to receive it!

 

[motorhead]

I'm another that prints at home but then I admit it will never be the cheapest option.

I want to remain in total control of the finished product and am happy to pay for that control. My experience of commercial labs is that in general they vary between mediocre and appalling. There must be good ones out there but I've yet to find one.

 

[awinphoto]

As I stated in a prior post, my favorite commercial lab is Bayphoto. They got options where you have them either use their techs to control the color, or if you have the image the way you want it (and everything is calibrated), they can print it as is (for cheaper). They are a tad sharper prints than adorama and I have never had any complaints from my clients regarding their work. While printing at home has the most control, after buying premium paper, inks, time, etc... to print in mass is just not as cost effective anymore at home.