Photo Processing Lab?

HI,

I have used a number of photo labs in my area, and I don't feel I am getting
very consistant results. A couple labs will produce really supperior prints
at times, and other times they are just not as good.

I am ready to try sending some photos to a lab out of the area, I am looking
for some suggestions on labs that will produce high quality, consistant
results for my prints. I am intrested in a lab that also has some of the
high contrast metalic papers (like endura or something similar).

Can anyone suggest any labs that I should give a try to?

One other question, how much difference does the paper that a lab uses make
in the end result, vs there equiptment, vs the training of the operator that
is printing the photo.

Thanks!!

Jd

On Feb 1, 11:14 pm, "Just Me!" wrote:
HI,

I have used a number of photo labs in my area, and I don't feel I am getting
very consistant results. A couple labs will produce really supperior prints
at times, and other times they are just not as good.

I am ready to try sending some photos to a lab out of the area, I am looking
for some suggestions on labs that will produce high quality, consistant
results for my prints. I am intrested in a lab that also has some of the
high contrast metalic papers (like endura or something similar).

Can anyone suggest any labs that I should give a try to?

One other question, how much difference does the paper that a lab uses make
in the end result, vs there equiptment, vs the training of the operator that
is printing the photo.

Thanks!!

Jd

hey i worked in a mini photo lab... part time.. and im a photography
student as well and i can tell you for a fact...
that all machines, all chemicals and all papers produce very different
results.
if the machines arent calibrated properly they can come out looking
like pants!!
Change in chemicals and change in temperature can effect the print...
everything counts

my best advice is to go to a profesional printers..they are costly but
if you dont mind the cost then
they produce the best results.
As for normal photo labs.. try one via the online... http://
www.photobox.com do excellent prints... and post quickly.
i actually ordered a few books and big gigantic prints off them. they
were great
Hope that helped

"Just Me!" writes:

HI,

I have used a number of photo labs in my area, and I don't feel I am getting
very consistant results. A couple labs will produce really supperior prints
at times, and other times they are just not as good.

I am ready to try sending some photos to a lab out of the area, I am looking
for some suggestions on labs that will produce high quality, consistant
results for my prints. I am intrested in a lab that also has some of the
high contrast metalic papers (like endura or something similar).

Can anyone suggest any labs that I should give a try to?

http://www.mpix.com

Others are cheaper, but mpix has never disappointed me with regular prints.

One other question, how much difference does the paper that a lab uses make
in the end result, vs there equiptment, vs the training of the operator that
is printing the photo.

Quite a bit. I used to get prints done at Walmart, until they changed the
parameters of the machine which upped the saturation and lost the shadow
details. About at that time, the senior staff (that I knew on sight) started
disappearing, being replaced by the minimimum wage teen ager who likely was
sweeping the floor the day before. So I stopped going there, and printed
either at home on my HP printers (using Ilford Classic Pearl paper), or sent
out to mpix.com.

Also, before Walmart went downhill, I had a chance to try Walgreen's photos,
and both companies used the same printer (Fuji Frontier), but the Walmart
prints at the time were so much better than Walgreens due to the paper used
(Walmart at the time used Fuji crystal archive, and Walgreens used something
else).

During the 70's when I shot film, I tended to like the colors of the Fuji
process (slightly more blue/green than the red/brown of Kodak). When I
switched to digital, I liked the output of the Fuji printers until I discovered
mpix. Mpix is the first Kodak prints that I have liked in a long time.

--
Michael Meissner
email:
http://www.the-meissners.org

"Just Me!" wrote in message
. net...
HI,

I have used a number of photo labs in my area, and I don't feel I am
getting very consistant results. A couple labs will produce really
supperior prints at times, and other times they are just not as good.

I am ready to try sending some photos to a lab out of the area, I am
looking for some suggestions on labs that will produce high quality,
consistant results for my prints. I am intrested in a lab that also has
some of the high contrast metalic papers (like endura or something
similar).

Can anyone suggest any labs that I should give a try to?

One other question, how much difference does the paper that a lab uses
make in the end result, vs there equiptment, vs the training of the
operator that is printing the photo.

Thanks!!

Jd

We've used Mpix.com and White House Custom Color (whcc.com) and been very
satisfied with both. Both offer the metallic paper you mention, and,
indeed, it looks great. Both labs also offer true black and white printing,
in the case of Mpix, on Ilford Multigrade black and white paper. Both are
reasonably priced and fast.

--
Skip Middleton
www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
www.pbase.com/skipm

my best advice is to go to a profesional printers..they are costly but

Any suggestions on how you tell if someone is really a "professional
printer"? I know that there are walgreens / walmarts that I do not consider
professional at all. There are a number of local camera stores / small
photo studios that print photos in my area and if I asked them, I would
guess that most of them would tell me they are professional labs. However,
there results between the labs, and between the lab technicials do vary
quite a bit...

I would pay more for a lot of my photos if the quality was there and they
were done consistantly..

thanks

jd

if you dont mind the cost then
they produce the best results.
As for normal photo labs.. try one via the online... http://
www.photobox.com do excellent prints... and post quickly.
i actually ordered a few books and big gigantic prints off them. they
were great
Hope that helped

Quite a bit. I used to get prints done at Walmart, until they changed the
parameters of the machine which upped the saturation and lost the shadow
details. About at that time, the senior staff (that I knew on sight)
started

I have to agree with this. I used to be more impressed with walmart prints
than I have been recently. In recent processing with walmart, I have been
very disapointed with there prints. There has not been much density or
saturation to the photos.

disappearing, being replaced by the minimimum wage teen ager who likely
was
sweeping the floor the day before. So I stopped going there, and printed
either at home on my HP printers (using Ilford Classic Pearl paper), or
sent
out to mpix.com.

Thanks for the info. I have run across the Mpix site, and I though they
looks like they might be worth trying. I am glad to hear that you have had
good results with them.


Also, before Walmart went downhill, I had a chance to try Walgreen's
photos,
and both companies used the same printer (Fuji Frontier), but the Walmart

The few times I have used walgreens in recent years, the results have been
disapointing.

prints at the time were so much better than Walgreens due to the paper
used
(Walmart at the time used Fuji crystal archive, and Walgreens used
something
else).

During the 70's when I shot film, I tended to like the colors of the Fuji
process (slightly more blue/green than the red/brown of Kodak). When I
switched to digital, I liked the output of the Fuji printers until I
discovered
mpix. Mpix is the first Kodak prints that I have liked in a long time.

That makes scenes, kodak has always tended to be warmer with there film and
fuji seems to be cooler, sharper and more accurate.

Thanks,

j



--
Michael Meissner
email:
http://www.the-meissners.org

Thanks Skip.


"Skip" wrote in message
...
"Just Me!" wrote in message
. net...
HI,

I have used a number of photo labs in my area, and I don't feel I am
getting very consistant results. A couple labs will produce really
supperior prints at times, and other times they are just not as good.

I am ready to try sending some photos to a lab out of the area, I am
looking for some suggestions on labs that will produce high quality,
consistant results for my prints. I am intrested in a lab that also has
some of the high contrast metalic papers (like endura or something
similar).

Can anyone suggest any labs that I should give a try to?

One other question, how much difference does the paper that a lab uses
make in the end result, vs there equiptment, vs the training of the
operator that is printing the photo.

Thanks!!

Jd

We've used Mpix.com and White House Custom Color (whcc.com) and been very
satisfied with both. Both offer the metallic paper you mention, and,
indeed, it looks great. Both labs also offer true black and white
printing, in the case of Mpix, on Ilford Multigrade black and white paper.
Both are reasonably priced and fast.

--
Skip Middleton
www.shadowcatcherimagery.com
www.pbase.com/skipm

In article ,
"Just Me!" wrote:

my best advice is to go to a profesional printers..they are costly but

Any suggestions on how you tell if someone is really a "professional
printer"?

They charge more than $5 for an 8x10.
Seriously though there is strikingly less knowledge all the time
regarding printing, I learned long ago to do it myself wet darkroom and
and all -and i just laugh at the feudal attempts to save money and get
"Professional results"

--
Would thou choose to meet a rat eating dragon, or
a dragon, eating rat? The answer of: I am somewhere
in the middle. "Me who is part taoist and part Christian".

On 2/2/07 9:07 PM, in article
, "Just Me!"
wrote:


Any suggestions on how you tell if someone is really a "professional
printer"? I know that there are walgreens / walmarts that I do not consider
professional at all. There are a number of local camera stores / small
photo studios that print photos in my area and if I asked them, I would
guess that most of them would tell me they are professional labs. However,
there results between the labs, and between the lab technicials do vary
quite a bit...

I would pay more for a lot of my photos if the quality was there and they
were done consistantly..

http://www.kodak.com/global/en/profe...cators/qLab/se
arch.jhtml

Or

http://tinyurl.com/3y6l7a

Good luck!


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