Online Printing Comparison

[Paul Shields]

Great link.

I'm starting to accept that most of my prints will now be uploaded to one of these online facilities as they are cheaper and as good a quality as I can do at home - and much more convenient. I wonder if this could become an exodus from the extortionate grip of the home printer manufacturers? Maybe one day ink will cost what it's worth...

[Mr. Pickles]

A good place to look and read, but you have to take a look at the reviews and decide things for yourself. I mean, I read this "review":

Blues are well-saturated, excellent. But several reds are way too unsaturated. Also prints are a little dark. Requests for reprints with corrections were identically bad.

Several reds? Is that in reference to varying tones of red on the same image, or the color red on different images? Hard to say...maybe a color profile issue?

And the prints are all a little dark? Could this be from a Color Calibration issue with the reviewers monitor (Monitor brightness set at 100, or 9300K, or...)?

Requests for prints that came back bad, is actually a good thing to me. Shows consistancy. I'd hate to have them come back with a different color cast, knowing that I didn't do anything.

[Paul Shields]

Very true - you'll never know until you try them for yourself. I'm going to alternate through several suppliers for my next run of large prints. I know what I expect, so it will be a case of comparing results to my expectations.

[blumesan]

After having tried several of the more popular on-line sites, with mixed results, I have recently switched to White House Custom Color

www.whcc.com*

I can't recommend them highly enough.* They use a color managed workflow, requiring your images have an embedded color profile; so if your monitor is properly calibrated you get back just what you expect.* Before you place your first order they ask that you send them 5 color images (8x10) which they will print and return at no charge whatever so you can compare the color rendition.* They request images at 300ppi so resolution is maintained.* Prices are very reasonable: 5x7 can be as low as $0.35 each and 8x10 is $2.00.* Minimum order is $12.00 and shipping is free.* The turnaround time is about 72 hours; they ship by UPS air.* I just got back several 8x10 black & white prints that are excellent.* No other on-line service or local lab has produced satisfactory B&W prints before.

I would like to hear comments from anyone who gives them a try.

Cheers.
Mike.

[JDArt]

I've used only mpix up to this point but must give whcc a try.