Scott Bell
EF1
I am wanting to get some of my photos printed to frame and put up on the wall (probably 8x10 or so). Does anyone have recommendations of places to take/send them? Thanks for any info you can provide.
Scott
Scott
recommendations for getting photos printed?
- Thread starter Scott Bell
- Start date
Allan Jeffers
EF3
If you wanted to you could probably get a decent photo printer that could do up to 8x12 prints for under 200 bucks and do it yourself. I have taken mine to a lab a couple times and had the prints come back lacking contrast and milky, but that was at a grocery store. Now if I had access to the machine like I did at one time, I would do it. Most of the 1 hour labs just run things at default.
If you do decide to have some one do it, go to a higher quality lab or at least find a lab where you can make the adjustments.
Just my take
If you do decide to have some one do it, go to a higher quality lab or at least find a lab where you can make the adjustments.
Just my take
Mike Moore
EF2
I highly recommend mpix. The metallic paper they offer is awesome, and they are one of the few places left to offer true B&W paper. I've also had a few shots done as canvas wraps, and the quality is professional grade. I tried the photo printer route, but by the time you add up ink and maintenance it's a better deal IMO to go to a professional lab.
Another plus for mpix is you can instruct them NOT to color correct your photos. That way if you make adjustments to the photos in Photoshop, the lab won't "fix" them for you.
Another plus for mpix is you can instruct them NOT to color correct your photos. That way if you make adjustments to the photos in Photoshop, the lab won't "fix" them for you.
Patrick Martin
EF4
Great question Scott! I've got 2 printers at home, including a fairly new Canon mp490 dedicated photo printer, and I've been less than pleased with the results. I find that sharpness is retained with pics from my Canon 50D, but I have to pump up the brightness to get a print of anything resembling the original image. Problem is that eyes end up dark and some color/contrast is lost. I've tried looking through printer settings, calibrating both my laptop and desktop monitors, and I end up with the same results. Quite frustrating.
I got the Canon printer free after cashing in some airline miles that were soon to expire, so if I give up on it and sell it for a song, it won't break my heart at all. I'm likely to just go with something like mpix (Thanks Mike for the site info!) for the stuff I want to frame, and stick with Costco for my "bulk" prints. Been pretty happy with Costco prints overall, and their website is far and away easier to use than Ritz/Wolf.
I got the Canon printer free after cashing in some airline miles that were soon to expire, so if I give up on it and sell it for a song, it won't break my heart at all. I'm likely to just go with something like mpix (Thanks Mike for the site info!) for the stuff I want to frame, and stick with Costco for my "bulk" prints. Been pretty happy with Costco prints overall, and their website is far and away easier to use than Ritz/Wolf.
Marcus Hicks
EF2
I use Wallgreens for 5x7's and I'm really satisfied with that and then Harolds Photo for poster sized photos.
Wes Carter
EF5
I'm a big fan of Bay Photo. They are always very fast, friendly, and will never put you through hell if you have a problem with your order. They also will handle your color calibration if you like; meaning if you edit your photo on your $200 HP Monitor that is 100% NOT designed to replicate light and color well enough for truly professional prints, they will handle that for you. I've been totally satisfied with their products.
http://bayphoto.com/
My wife uses Mpix to make books and one-off's of vacation pictures and such. They too are easy to work with although the # of images we have had to have them re-do has been higher than I would expect. They are a high-volume printer though and blemishes and such are to be expected to make it through proofing. They are the perfect solution though for novelty and gift items.
http://bayphoto.com/
My wife uses Mpix to make books and one-off's of vacation pictures and such. They too are easy to work with although the # of images we have had to have them re-do has been higher than I would expect. They are a high-volume printer though and blemishes and such are to be expected to make it through proofing. They are the perfect solution though for novelty and gift items.
Drew.Gardonia
if you have a good inkjet printer, you can print them youself...only problem is with some of cheap office max, office depot, wal-mart photo paper is they will turn yellow over time (2 years or so to see the effects), I recommend going to a shop that sells specialized photo printer paper (not an office depot or office max, but an actual print supplies shop) and get some printer paper that is specifically made to print high quality photos and will last over the years and that is compatible with pigment printer ink...it will say on the package if it is or not.
Ilford makes very good photo paper to print on.
here's some reviews you can read
http://www.photographyreview.com/pls_4335crx.aspx
Ilford makes very good photo paper to print on.
here's some reviews you can read
http://www.photographyreview.com/pls_4335crx.aspx
Ryan McGinnis
EF5
MPIX was probably the best answer in this thread. Adorama does a good job, as well. Kodak Professional Endura paper is excellent, as is the Metallic.
Using your home inkjet is a bad idea, unless you have a several thousand dollar inkjet printer and are using archival inks on archival paper. It's hard to beat the longevity of traditional silver halide prints.
If you do take it to a local lab, ask the tech to turn off the automatic color correction (often called "Image Intelligence" on the Fuji Frontier printers, the most common printer you'll run across). The auto color correction works well for snapshots from non-photographers, but if you have a keeper shot you want enlarged, you've probably already worked the photo in Photoshop to get it just where you like it and won't be pleased if the Fuji software runs an autolevels on your print.
Note that many labs are moving to inkjet based printing systems. They call this a "dry lab" -- ask your lab if they're wet or dry. Dry lab prints aren't necessarily a bad thing; they actually have a bit more color gamut than traditional wet lab process, but the longevity of the ink on the paper is something I'm not yet sold on. There is some data that the inks these labs use should last a while, but it's still too early to be real-world tested.
Using your home inkjet is a bad idea, unless you have a several thousand dollar inkjet printer and are using archival inks on archival paper. It's hard to beat the longevity of traditional silver halide prints.
If you do take it to a local lab, ask the tech to turn off the automatic color correction (often called "Image Intelligence" on the Fuji Frontier printers, the most common printer you'll run across). The auto color correction works well for snapshots from non-photographers, but if you have a keeper shot you want enlarged, you've probably already worked the photo in Photoshop to get it just where you like it and won't be pleased if the Fuji software runs an autolevels on your print.
Note that many labs are moving to inkjet based printing systems. They call this a "dry lab" -- ask your lab if they're wet or dry. Dry lab prints aren't necessarily a bad thing; they actually have a bit more color gamut than traditional wet lab process, but the longevity of the ink on the paper is something I'm not yet sold on. There is some data that the inks these labs use should last a while, but it's still too early to be real-world tested.
