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06/14/2005 09:48:50 AM · #1 |
| I know some people print at home and some send out. I am looking for input on good home printers that do professional quality printing (but don't cost an arm and leg) and also input on places to send digital files to that will return a professional look at decent prices. I believe someone suggested "snapfish" to me once. What/who do you use to make your prints and gift products for your clients? |
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06/14/2005 09:54:01 AM · #2 |
| Canon printers have never let me down - I have the i960 and i9100, but the i9900 is what they have out now, I think. As for sending out, I use mpix.com and am VERY pleased with them. I have tried snapfish, ofoto, and shutterfly, and mpix is my favorite, hands down. |
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06/14/2005 09:56:37 AM · #3 |
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06/14/2005 09:59:16 AM · #4 |
| I have used OFOTO in the past |
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06/14/2005 09:59:21 AM · #5 |
| I should have mentioned that I have Canon S820 and I really like the prints I get but only when I use Epson paper with it. I don't know if they look "professional" enough or if it is more cost effective than sending out, that's why I need send out places to compare. Anybody out there use the same printer as me or know someone who does that doing it as a business? |
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06/14/2005 10:07:25 AM · #6 |
| I use DA prints.. DeviantArt $25.00 life time print account, but they use EZprints, i've been far happier with them than every other place in town, including Ritz, Target, CVS, Eckerds, Walmart, as well as ShutterFly (online). |
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06/14/2005 10:37:06 AM · #7 |
i use Richmond Camera. their quality is beyond compare, and their prices are spot-on ($0.57 for 5x7s, $1.00 for 8x10s, $3.50 for 11x14s). i use their ftp software to upload, and anything uploaded by 11pm will be ready before the end of the next business day.
they will also do private-label shipping, meaning that they will either send things out in blank envelopes, or in envelopes that i provide. as far as the recipient knows, i printed them myself. and i'm comfortable enough with their quality that i would be willing to let them do the shipping without me having to review the prints, first. |
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06/14/2005 10:44:56 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
i use Richmond Camera. their quality is beyond compare, and their prices are spot-on ($0.57 for 5x7s, $1.00 for 8x10s, $3.50 for 11x14s). i use their ftp software to upload, and anything uploaded by 11pm will be ready before the end of the next business day.
they will also do private-label shipping, meaning that they will either send things out in blank envelopes, or in envelopes that i provide. as far as the recipient knows, i printed them myself. and i'm comfortable enough with their quality that i would be willing to let them do the shipping without me having to review the prints, first. |
Hey Skip...you forgot one thing! Their website...! Do they do work from out of town. Sounds like great prices for quality work. Do they do large projects, like sports, weddings, ect? Would like to get to know them better. Thanks for the tip. |
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06/14/2005 10:47:31 AM · #9 |
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06/14/2005 10:58:44 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by skiprow:
i use Richmond Camera. their quality is beyond compare, and their prices are spot-on ($0.57 for 5x7s, $1.00 for 8x10s, $3.50 for 11x14s). i use their ftp software to upload, and anything uploaded by 11pm will be ready before the end of the next business day.
they will also do private-label shipping, meaning that they will either send things out in blank envelopes, or in envelopes that i provide. as far as the recipient knows, i printed them myself. and i'm comfortable enough with their quality that i would be willing to let them do the shipping without me having to review the prints, first. |
Skip, how do you get these prices? I just checked their website, seems to be a bit higher...
Item price
4x6 or Smaller 0.19
5x7 0.99
8x10 1.99
8x12 1.99
10x13 5.99
11x14 5.99
11x17 6.99
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06/14/2005 11:07:41 AM · #11 |
I just had some 11x14s made up to enter in the Mid State Fair. Took awhile to even find someone who would print that size.
Mpix came through. VERY pleased with the results. I will definitely use them in the future.
Their website is very user friendly also.
Message edited by author 2005-06-14 15:08:10. |
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06/14/2005 11:18:31 AM · #12 |
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06/14/2005 11:24:19 AM · #13 |
my local print shop let me down...just sold two prints on DPC, waiting for customer feedback...I have never seen a print from DPC though...
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06/14/2005 11:26:13 AM · #14 |
Originally posted by thatcloudthere:
and in Canada? |
When in Ottawa I used the local Sooters studio for prints larger than 8 x 12 and was very happy with the results. They had a two day turnaround as well. This shop had a computer set up with a card reader and the printing was done direct from photoshop.
There may be a Sooters close to you that you could try. |
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06/14/2005 11:38:24 AM · #15 |
Most of the people in my real-life photo club swear by Mpix, but honestly, I've never used them. However, I've seen some of the results, and the prices look pretty good.
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06/14/2005 11:43:24 AM · #16 |
In terms of sending stuff to be printed:
So far I haven't found anywhere that is consistent in terms of colour rendition, saturation, lightness etc.
I think I have found somewhere and I may even be happy with their prints for a while and then something changes.
It's happened so many times now I just accept it as normal.
:o(
I don't have a home printer.
Message edited by author 2005-06-14 15:43:58.
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06/14/2005 11:44:37 AM · #17 |
MPIX.COM and nobody else. They are the best i've tried, and i've tried practically every online printer I have come across. The quality of MPIX's prints are outstanding.
They aren't a bargain basement printer (like Snapfish, Shutterfly, etc.) but I am more concerned with quality.
I used to print all my own prints on my Canon printer until I found MPIX, now I just do everything through them. I highly recommend them. They still have good prices (1.99 for an 8x10) and they have some nifty specialty papers (metallic) that are pretty to cool to use on occasion.
Give them a shot, you won't regret it. |
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06/14/2005 12:20:02 PM · #18 |
I use winkflash. I have yet to be disappointed. //www.winkflash.com
Cheapest prices, and shipping is $.99 US. I like that they offer 8x10 in matte prints. They're good enough for me. |
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06/14/2005 12:25:04 PM · #19 |
| I've only tried Ofoto and Snapfish. Shutterfly looked the same as Ofoto so I didn't even order from them. I was disappointed with Snapfish. The image quality was noticeably worse. But now I will have to try Mpix as it looks promising! |
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06/14/2005 12:32:49 PM · #20 |
| I have tried almost all professional stores here in Iceland and I found out that my Epson 2100/2200 printer does a much better job then the "professionals" |
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06/14/2005 01:04:49 PM · #21 |
I use a local pro lab that has just gone on-line. They have a great user friendly ordering system (ROES), that is totally flexible. You can edit right in the system, changing colors, adding frames, creating collages, etc. You can also choose between lab color (they make the corrections) or studio color (you do it). They've recently set up their shipping department, so they can ship anywhere. And, they are really nice people to work with.
Check them out at www.photoprismcolorlab.com. |
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06/14/2005 01:16:11 PM · #22 |
I do my own printing using a Hewlett-Packard 1220C wide carriage printer and a Canon i550, with Ilford Galeria papers. No more expensive than commercial facilities and I get the result I want.
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06/14/2005 02:29:15 PM · #23 |
Originally posted by ltsimring:
Skip, how do you get these prices? I just checked their website, seems to be a bit higher... |
sorry for any confusion...
because they are local, i have used them before for things that i could not or did not want to do myself, and they gave me their 'professional' rates, which are better than the retail rates they publish on their website.
however, they referred me to express digital which has a number of products and services geared towards digital workflow, including printing. one of their products is PhotoReflect.com which is an internet storefront for selling prints. through photoreflect, you can set up a labtricity account where you can ftp images directly to any of their lab partners (of which both Richmond Camera and ezPrints are both members...). they are primarily geared towards event management (weddings, sports, etc.), but you can set up a gallery to sell just about anything.
their expressdigital.DARKROOM-web edition is free, and there is no setup charge; they charge something in the neighborhood of a 17% commission for handling orders booked through their service. they accept all credit cards, as well as personal checks. there is no charge for using the labtricity service, meaning that you can create a private gallery and ftp your images to a lab, get the lab's best prices, and not have to pay any service fees.
i'm not going to say that they are the be-all-end-all, but they are a great place to start. it takes about 15 minutes to download their software and set up your storefront. once its setup, you simply upload an event folder (and this is not really uploading--their software takes a snapshot of your image, it does not copy the whole file across the network to another server. the only time a file of yours leaves your machine is when you ftp it to the printing lab.).
let me give you an example of what it can do. two weekends ago, i shot candids at a street festival; some went in the newspaper, most will go on the festival's website. i uploaded them to an event gallery. when the paper came out on thursday, my byline ran with my web address. on friday morning, i had orders for prints!!! all i had to do was manage fulfilling the orders; some went to Richmond Camera, some i printed in-house. all orders shipped yesterday. i'll get paid in two weeks (they cut checks every two weeks, regardless of the amount--ie, there is no minimum). you can check it out here (click the 'Prints' link at the bottom left) Strawberry Faire
if you've read this far and are still interested, here are some links:
express digital
PhotoReflect.com
labtricity
if you have any more questions, let me know.
skip
btw, in addition to being referred to them by Richmond Camera, mavrik also uses them. |
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06/14/2005 02:32:13 PM · #24 |
mpix has awsome quality, I have never been disapointed with them. Check out their metalic paper.
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06/14/2005 02:34:19 PM · #25 |
| I've been getting fine results at my local Costco -- if you are already a member it's great. 4x6 prints are 14 cents, 8x10 or 8x12 are $2, 12x18 is $3. They also have an on-line ordering system, although I thnk the small prints are a little more expensive that way. |
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