Photo Lab Solutions

[dawnita]

With all my questions, it is quickly becoming obvious just how new I am to this part of photography. Going from taking a picture as a hobby to wanting to explore the business side is raising one question after another.

So here is my question of the day...How do I find a photo lab that will not charge an arm and a leg to print my pictures for resale? Right now, I am not in a position to buy a nice printer, but I don't want to pay a fortune for something that I know will cost considerably less if I only had a printer to do things myself.

Thanks for being so patient with me.
Dawnita

[rpk717]

Dawnita,

Someone may know of a lab with good quality but they need to know what area you live in. Many local labs are good and with them you do not have to pay postage. Before I starting printing my own I used a lab in Denver, very good quality but not exactly cheap. I have a fairly good lab locally but for less that half the price I can do a better print at home on my printer. Depending on what size you want to print, you can get a printer of reasonable quality that will do a 8.5 x 11 inch print that will cost you under $150. Inkjets are fairly cheap.

[dawnita]

Do these printers provide archival quality? What type of printer should I be looking at?

Dawnita

[ngass]

I don't know exactly what you're looking for, but you might want to look at SmugMug. I'm a beginner, but I am pleased with the photo quality and they have some professional options. Here's a link. http://www.smugmug.com/

[rpk717]

Do these printers provide archival quality? What type of printer should I be looking at?

Dawnita

Most claim 50 to 100 years. Epson, Canon and HP lead the field. I use Epson, there is much on the internet that give comparisons.

Epson Stylus Photo R380 $129.99
Epson Stylus Photo 1400 $299.99

Canon PIXMA iP6220D $141.99
Canon PIXMA iP4500 $123.99

I think any of these 4 would be a good beginner printer. I have prints from a $49 Epson hanging in my office along side prints from a $650 Epson. Most can't tell the difference.

Printing can be frustrating, there is a lot to it. Monitor calibrations, using photoshop to work your images, buying the right paper, and on and on. You can't just download you image from the CF card and plug in the printer and expect to print good images.

[SkipP]

I've had pretty good success with Mpix. ( www.mpix.com ) Turn around time is very fast and they are a division of Miller Labs (very exclusive pro lab). Prices are reasonable and they offer a lot of options. They use a "wet chemistry" process so it should be fairly archival.

Skip

[bucklermark]

You can produce archival results on your own printer...just do your research. I have always used epson and for a while they were the clear leader in inkjet quality. However, both HP and Canon have caught up and produce outstanding products as well. You can access archival test results for various consumer/pro printers and paper at http://www.wilhelm-research.com/. Don't forget that the media and how prints are displayed has a great effect on image durability.

I have had very good success with the following labs and use them frequently:
West Coast Imaging
Millers
Laser Light Photographics

West Coast and Laser Light are expensive, but they are true custom labs and produce outstanding prints to exacting standards. I use Miller's for a lot of my volume work and portraits.

Make sure that you test out the labs before placing critical orders. It will be important to make sure the print matches your calibrated monitor.

Mark

[dawnita]

So how do I calibrate my monitor?

Dawnita

[rpk717]

So how do I calibrate my monitor?



You use a colorimeter such as a Eye-One or a Spyder 2.

Here is a link to the Spyder 2 (http://www.adorama.com/ICVS2100.html)

Here is a link to the Eye-One (http://usa.gretagmacbethstore.com/index.cfm/act/Catalog.cfm/catalogid/1861/Subcategory/Eye-One)

Some of the regions have one that can be borrowed but it best to have one as calibrations are better if they are performed every month or two. There was a Spyder 2 Pro for sale in our classified forum for only $65, a few weeks ago. It was sold fairly quick.

[dawnita]

Wow! I have soooo much to learn. Thanks for explaining that to me.

Dawnita

[whitty1]

I vote for MPIX as well. I have gotten very good results with them and I usually get my prints within a couple of days. I prefer an Epson Printer as I love their ability to print directly on the CDs. I also use the Monaco EZ Color kit to profile my Monitor, Printer, and Scanner.



I've had pretty good success with Mpix. ( www.mpix.com ) Turn around time is very fast and they are a division of Miller Labs (very exclusive pro lab). Prices are reasonable and they offer a lot of options. They use a "wet chemistry" process so it should be fairly archival.

Skip

[olliet]

A couple of good professional labs are:

WHCC www.whcc.com
H&H www.hhcolorlab.com

In my opinion, if a lab does not have color profiles available for their printers they are not really a pro lab.

To get the best quality prints on your own printer or from a pro lab, you will need to calibrate your monitor and use soft proofing in your image editing software.

Recommend that you check out the "From Camera to Print" tutorial on www.luminous-landscape.com. I think it does a great job of explaining the entire process. It is not free, but a great value for the amount of information provided.

Ollie