[JoeyO]

I'm not having much luck getting some nice photographs printed. I want them professional quality for hanging on a wall in my office.

I go to various different pharmacy type stores (CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid) and they all print differently. I mean vastly differently. None of them match what I see on my iPad (iPad screen is pretty good by the way). I'm wasting a lot gas driving around so....

Where do you guys go when you want really nice prints? (USA)

[Foodle]

I've had good luck with online services like Shutterfly, BUT you need to make sure that you do your color management properly (calibrated monitor, matching color spaces, etc) if you want your print to look like what you see on your screen. I don't know if an iPad display can be color calibrated.

[Seminole]

How big are you looking for?

I've had two canvas prints made for me at Costco, one of them being this 16X48in one:



For reference here is the original, I only edited out the moon and croped it before having it printed:


San Francsisco Night Panoramic by Seminolez, on Flickr


It's a little hard to tell but the colors are very close and it looks great. I submitted the photo in very high resolution (around 300 pixels per inch) and the detail is very very good. Anyways, Costco has a bunch of different size canvases to choose from as well as regular photo sizes. Based off my experience with them I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them. I just checked the prices at Shutterfly and Costco is way cheaper for the canvas. The photo above was only $79 with pickup at the local store. I had a 16x32in of another photo printed for $65 or so as well.

[Litos]

if you're a photographer, go to Miller's Lab.

they're freaking fantastic !!!

probably not justifiable to get professional prints like that if you shoot with a point and shoot.....

[ddk632]

I used to use Hooper Camera back in Los Angeles and printed some 30x40s and 20x30s with great results; not sure where you are now but if you're in LA I'd check them out. Hope they're still in business!

Ritz Camera will also do prints, and if they are like Hooper they'll ensure the color is correct.

If you want to go smaller, you can get a photo printer that will print rolls. I have one (Epson Stylus R1900 - 5 years old already) that can do 13x19s and you can get a roll to print 13x44 with it!

[JoeyO]

Thanks guys. I'm not looking for any anything special. Just two simple 5" x 7" photographs.

But I want good quality.

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

Thanks guys. I'm not looking for any anything special. Just two simple 5" x 7" photographs.

But I want good quality.

lol; go to target brah

[Augenbrauezug]

Originally Posted by infinitekid2002

lol; go to target brah

It's all about the quality of the file you give them, any place like Target or walmart or omax, can make a high quality print with a high quality image.

[JoeyO]

Originally Posted by Augenbrauezug

...any place like Target or walmart or omax, can make a high quality print with a high quality image.

That has not been my experience. I guess you have to have an eye for quality to realize it.

[Augenbrauezug]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

That has not been my experience. I guess you have to have an eye for quality to realize it.

Bring them a 300DPI file, and any location with a good printer [walmarts, targets, and omaxs in my area have nice equipment] and they can do it no problem. I've done it enough to know that the quality is great. That being said I always have my image edited myself before I bring it in.

[ddk632]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

Thanks guys. I'm not looking for any anything special. Just two simple 5" x 7" photographs.

But I want good quality.

Find a dedicated camera store, like Ritz, or a local shop, and you'll get good quality prints from them.

I agree Walmart, Target, etc., are not great quality, but they're cheap. I use them to print large quantities of 4x6 images (or use Costco) and then decide which ones I want to re-print at a camera store if not printing myself.

[Bimmer84]

I agree with Ritz or similar over Target or Walmart...

[infinitekidM2C]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

That has not been my experience. I guess you have to have an eye for quality to realize it.

this guy

[Litos]

my fucking god - a whole goddamn thread for two 5x7 piece of shit prints !?!?

[JoeyO]

No swearing in my thread.

[Seminole]

Originally Posted by JoeyO

No swearing in my thread.

[JoeyO]

No funny pictures in my thread.

[Mr Tonka]

MPix is the shit.

http://www.mpix.com/

[Paul W 1138]

Originally Posted by MP0WER

MPix is the shit.

http://www.mpix.com/

+1. They do a fantastic job.