If you have purchased images on disc & want them to look as good as possible, picking the right place to print is a huge part! If you are taking the time to read this you are making the the first step to getting awesome prints for yourself….I am sending you a BIG HUG. Thank you for being here!
Let me preface this by saying that buying prints your photographer will always get you the best result. I use a professional lab only available to professional photographers. I have a separate workflow in Photoshop to prepare images specifically for printing after the client orders a specific size. It involves re-sizing & cropping each picture appropriately based on the size it was ordering in, sharpening at amounts specific to the size it was ordered in. Sometimes it even involves going back to the original & re-editing to gain space back so the print looks right (in cases where the print is ordered in a non-standard measurement & area is lost around the edge). Basically, there’s a lot to it….
However, I understand the value of a digital image. Everyone wants them so you can keep them forever & go back to re-print whenever you want. I know I would want them, too, and usually only choose photographers who offer this option for my own photography needs, because I value having the digitals. For all of these reasons I will help you as much as I can by giving you my recommendation. They won’t be able to be prepared quite as technically as I would do it myself, but if you listen to my suggestions, your prints will turn out great.
We have established that choosing a good lab plays a huge part in making sure your pictures look great. There is a lot to learn about printing, printing in different sizes, etc. In this post I will touch mostly on the subject of where to print.
After you buy images on a disc, what do you do next? Please please please, don’t say Walgreens or Walmart, Target, etc. (the list goes on). Beautiful, professional photos are done no justice when printed at a bad lab, so don’t do it! I know they are quick…I know they are cheap…yes, I’ve made the mistake myself long long ago, but it’s not worth it. Their machines alter the editing, crop, change aspect ratios & completely ruin your images! You will be left with bad color, wonky skin tones & much more….not worth it. But don’t you worry because I have a recommendation! I don’t get a kick back from this companies… What I hope to gain from giving my recommendations is a happy customer who has prints that look GREAT! I want the pictures that hang on your wall to look as good as they possibly can for YOU & for ME, too! That’s why I sincerely appreciate you not printing my art through a bad lab.
For printing my favorite recommendation to you is MPIX at www.mpix.com . You can choose higher quality paper & luster coating to help preserve the pictures longer from things like fingerprints. When printing black & white photos, you can choose True BW paper to print on, which is nice. They have a metallic finish option, too. Choose e-surface prints, then add luster coating…it’ll be worth it. Your MPIX prints will still be extremely reasonable with those upgrades. I always recommend printing in matte finish. I think it is more professional.
MPIX is an online company that offers a lot of different photo services, like photo books, canvas, mounting, retouching, greeting cards. I think you will be happy with the quality you receive. I have had good results with them & my customers have been happy, too.
I don’t really recommend any local labs. I have done a lot of test prints locally at labs available to people everywhere & my conclusion is that MPIX is the ONLY thing I am comfortable recommending. Plan ahead a little bit so you don’t get caught in a bind needing to go somewhere local just so you get your prints in an hour. I really recommend MPIX even over places like Snapfish & Shutterfly. There is a huge difference from what I have seen with all of my experimenting. Their prices are competitive with those two & they are just as fast anyway.
I am working on getting some “proof” together for you. I know there are a lot of people out there who have to see it to believe it 🙂 I am getting prints made all over the place to show you the difference in a “good” lab & a “bad” one.
Thank again for reading this! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.
