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06/23/2004 02:27:20 PM · #1 |
Could you please recommend any places that do good printouts of digital photos? Is the quality any different from say... a photo kiosk at Wal-Mart? I'm more interested in larger prints like 8x10 or more. Thanks.
Mo |
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06/23/2004 02:31:36 PM · #2 |
| Costco has a good digital lab. 12X18 prints are $2.99, 8X10 or 8X12 are 1.99. Quality is very good. |
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06/23/2004 02:49:42 PM · #3 |
Depends what you mean by good.
The best prints I've had made are done by //www.westcoastimaging.com
Slightly more expensive than walmart or costco though. Their best quality 8x10s are $75 each. Standard colour 8x10s are $35 each - if you do all the preprint work yourself, the first print is $15 with each additional print being $10.
Exhibition quality 12x18s are around $119. while a selfservice 12x18 is $20.
Message edited by author 2004-06-23 14:51:21.
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06/23/2004 02:57:12 PM · #4 |
| I was very happy with mpix.com |
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06/23/2004 03:13:36 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by Gordon:
Depends what you mean by good.
The best prints I've had made are done by //www.westcoastimaging.com
Slightly more expensive than walmart or costco though. Their best quality 8x10s are $75 each. Standard colour 8x10s are $35 each - if you do all the preprint work yourself, the first print is $15 with each additional print being $10.
Exhibition quality 12x18s are around $119. while a selfservice 12x18 is $20. |
Gordon,
How significant, in your opinion, was the difference in quality between the photos produced by West Coast as opposed to a CostCo, Walmart, etc? I mean, is it a night-and-day type thing or is it a a subtle thing that gives a print another push for something like a gallery exhibition or a print based competition?
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06/23/2004 03:56:37 PM · #6 |
I can't believe no one suggested it - how about DPCPrints.com?
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06/23/2004 04:08:42 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by StevePax:
I can't believe no one suggested it - how about DPCPrints.com? |
I'll second that Steven, the quality is guaranteed, you may get cheaper but I haven't seen better.
Paul.
p.s. just uploaded this one, waiting for approval.
sorry for the hijack :)
Paul.
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06/23/2004 04:29:35 PM · #8 |
I compared ezprints (dpcprints backend) and westcoastimaging, on a 16x20 print of 
The quality is substantially better from West Coast Imaging, in several areas. It becomes a personal decision if these matter to you or not.
Pros for West Coast Imaging, compared to ezprints (on my limited sample/ experience)
The profiles are spot on for west coast imaging and it is a supported, integrated part of their workflow.
Cropping is carefully defined, with you providing a crop line on the image that is carefully followed. I have heard of variable cropping issues from ezprints for some customers.
Quality control. WCI check your print prior to sending it. I've had large prints from other places that have been damaged, in the center of the image (hair in the printer from the looks of it) yet I had to pay to return the image at my expense for a reprint. WCI check it prior to sending and would pay themselves to replace it.
Printer gamut: Beautiful print quality from WCI - some banding issues and blocking up with ezprints, particularly in the blue smooth regions in the bottom of that image - both images were profiled using provided ICC profiles.
Packaging: WCI ship pretty much _everything_ flatpack - not rolled up. Makes for easier framing - they are very well protected in shipping.
Paper quality: WCI prints are on heavy quality photo paper. My framer commented that this was much better to work with than previous prints I'd brought to her - as well as remarking on the much better print quality.
Output options: Canvas, fine art papers, piezography print process, various paper & printer choices allow you to select the output that suits your image and its own particular gamut & needs. This isn't a one size fits all thing so you have the luxury of matching image to printer, ink & paper.
I may just be a bit on the fussy side - but as mentioned, without prompting my framer noticed the quality difference too. I'm only bothering for things that I'm going to put on my wall, that are over 8x10 size though - I have an epson R800 for anything up to 8x10s that gives beautiful results with archival quality.
Edit: I also woudn't bother going this route if you aren't using a hardware calibrated, colour managed workflow. If you don't have these things in place, anything is just pretty much luck of the draw in terms of colour reproduction anyway, so it isn't worth spending much money on.
Message edited by author 2004-06-23 16:35:07.
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06/23/2004 05:24:02 PM · #9 |
| lens and shutter does nice job as well, depending on where you live. (Sorry dcp prints, but when you live in canada they are more expensive, plus the exchange, plus the shipping. But DPC"S are very nice0 |
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06/23/2004 06:43:15 PM · #10 |
| Gordon, what exactly is a selfservice print? I have a jpeg that I've touched up and cropped in Photoshop and looks good to go (assuming my monitor's color calibration is ok). I'm just looking for a place that will give me an accurate reproduction of my picture in large print. Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. |
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06/23/2004 06:46:52 PM · #11 |
//www.westcoastimaging.com/wci/page/services/colorprint/fileprint.html describes what they mean by preflighting/ selfservice. Basically you do all the photoshop work and they just print exactly what you give them. The normal print process they do most/all of the photoshop work for you as well as the printing.
Basically I do my own soft proofing, put the crop marks on the image and upload it to them. Shipping and handling can almost double the price, particularly for a small print, so if you are going this route you need to realise the costs involved.
Or you can submit it to dpcprints at a much lower price point.
Message edited by author 2004-06-23 18:47:36.
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06/23/2004 08:07:33 PM · #12 |
I have wondered the same thing, glad to see this thread here!
I was taking my media card into the local CVS/Eckerd and printing them out at the little Kodak booths, but the quality and paper sucks! I would not recommend using those at all.
I then started going to Walmart and using the Fuji Machine. The Fuji Machine is easy to use and the Fuji Paper is top notch! My camera is a Fuji and has the FujiColour, dunno if that has anything to do with it, but the prints are awesome! The paper is grainy and really holds the ink! I bought some black frames, B&W mats and had a few B&W 8x10's printed at Walmart and they turned out pretty good! I had reduced the size of the photos to 1024x768 and touched them up in photoshop, but next time I will touch up the actual size that comes out of the camera to see if the quality is better (should be, right?).
If you use Walmart be prepared for them to refuse to print your work. I dropped my prints in the Fuji Machine, left for an hour, came back and the girl handed me an envelope with 1 photo and written on the envelope was: "These images are clearly done by a professional and are copyright protected, Walmart will not print them." I was floored. I was really upset but I also felt complimented. I had to speak to the photo center manager, show him my camera (which I happened to have with me), fill out a copyright form and wait an extra hour for my prints to be made.
I will definitely look into this westcoastimaging. I have a beautiful photo of my dog I want in 16x20 and WallyWorld only goes up to 8x10.
Thanks for the great links! :)
Message edited by author 2004-06-23 20:13:47. |
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06/23/2004 08:29:59 PM · #13 |
Hi, I recomend shutterfly, and yeeeeeeee they use Fuji
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06/23/2004 09:58:33 PM · #14 |
| if you live in canada Lawbalws is the cheapest and id have to dsay the best 8x10s are 2.99 canadian. And there way better then ones i have payed 8.00 for. |
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06/23/2004 10:11:02 PM · #15 |
| You can use Ofoto.com if you'd prefer Kodak paper to the usual Fuji. |
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06/29/2004 09:16:56 AM · #16 |
| Has anyone heard of Kellards. I had a friend recommend them to me, so I placed an order with them for 100 8x10's and I was really happy with thier quality. They use Kodak Royal Paper, They offer Glossy and Matte finish as well as white borders. I think the price was preety decent too. Let me know |
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06/29/2004 09:24:42 AM · #17 |
Another good option if you need 1 hour/fast turnaround is Ritzpix.com. I needed portfolio images for a Monday presentation. I was able to upload my own files, and they printed them out on Fuji paper, ready in 2 hours for me to pickup. The pickup service isn't available everywhere yet.
Clara
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06/29/2004 09:47:30 AM · #18 |
| In most reviews I've read, PhotoAccess and Shutterfly are regarded as the best in terms of photo quality. The prints I've seen from Costco and WalMart may look good on their own, but they're garbage compared to output from these two. Both sites use archival Fuji photo paper. I think PhotoAccess is cheaper for large prints, but both places will print your first 10 or so 4x6 photos for free, so you can try them out and judge for yourself. |
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06/29/2004 02:29:25 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by oksamit:
Hi, I recomend shutterfly, and yeeeeeeee they use Fuji |
I use Shutterfly and DPCprints. I am very happy with the quality of both. I have never ordered over an 8x10, but the 8x10s i have ordered were crystal clear and very nice. The cropping can be a pain, but you can set that up ahead of time. Or just choose a black or white border, which looks nice.
:) |
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