OT: Printing PIctures...

jrazz wrote on 7/24/2006, 8:49 PM
Where do you who are in to photography get your pictures printed? I have been using Wal-Mart and Walgreens to print, but the service is less than adequate. As far as I can tell, there are no instructions as to "how much is to be cropped off". I tried for several hours one night guestimating their cropping and could not get it to load right online. They both have a "cropping" view that shows you what will be cropped but no numbers.
I have some pictures that I want to make into posters as well as some 16x20 prints but I cannot stand to lose some of the areas that they will crop. So, that is why I ask- where do you all print and does anybody give specs for what amounts they will crop?

I know that I should shoot with cropping in mind, but how can I adjust if I don't know how much will be cropped! I wish some of these big ventures would give pertinent information like this.
Thanks,

j razz

Comments

Steve Mann wrote on 7/24/2006, 11:26 PM
I use printroom.com for my printing, but I crop and color correct in Photoshop before I upload the images.

Steve M.
dibbkd wrote on 7/25/2006, 4:06 AM
Do you go to the WalMart store, or upload your pics from Walmart.com?

I use Walmart.com and Target.com, I've never had a problem with the cropping. I use them because they both print using the Fuji film proccessing system, and your prints come out as if they were printed from film, as opposed to even the best inkjet or laser printers you can buy.

I haven't printed any 16x20's, mostly all 5x7 and 4x6's.

If bring your camera to the store, they use a different printing system that isn't as good as they use when you go online to print.
JJKizak wrote on 7/25/2006, 4:53 AM
I use Adobe Elements 2.0 with the Epson 1520 printer and paper. The 1520 paper feeds wore out so now there is an Epson R1800 in the mail.
Why are you messing around with third party people when you can make prints about a zillion percent better than they?
JJK
jrazz wrote on 7/25/2006, 5:32 AM
Why are you messing around with third party people when you can make prints about a zillion percent better than they?

I do not have the means to print anything over the A4 size.

I am sending my pics in via the online photo upload service. The 4x6 and the 5x7's are okay although the 5x7's do lose some from cropping and the 8x10 loses a lot more and the higher up you go the more they crop.

As for cropping, I do everything I want to the pictures before sending them, but for the pictures to fit on the given paper size, they crop them even further. That is why I was asking.

j razz
Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/25/2006, 6:23 AM

Can't you ask them (whomever it may be) to simply print the image "full frame" on 16x20 paper then trim it when it arrives?


jrazz wrote on 7/25/2006, 6:32 AM
I have asked Walgreens about their dimensions and how they crop. No one there in the lab knows anything. They gave me a number to call and I called it and it was to a lab that does their printing of posters. The guy I spoke with stated that he did not know the dimensions as everything is automated. All he does is load the paper and keep the ink supply up.
Walmart- well, I called them. The person I spoke with did not even know that they did posters. She could not give me any numbers to anyone that worked with pictures, but she assured me that she would pass the information along and see about getting the dimensions posted online.

As for "full frame"- there is no one to ask. They say that the machine is all automated.
So, are there any places out there to get your pictures printed where you can specify or find out what is to be cropped?
Thanks guys,

j razz
Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/25/2006, 6:46 AM

You'll have to go to a custom house, not Wal-Mart.


johnmeyer wrote on 7/25/2006, 6:52 AM
You can't compare machine prints to custom house. Custom houses still do better work than you can ever do on an inkjet -- even a photo inkjet, and they do it on real photo paper, which, depending on the chemistry, can have "archival" longevity. By contrast, pull out your machine prints from the 1970s or your inkjet prints from five years ago. Not pretty.
jrazz wrote on 7/25/2006, 7:46 AM
You'll have to go to a custom house, not Wal-Mart.
Hence the question, where do you all get your pictures printed?

j razz
Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/25/2006, 7:53 AM

I print them myself. I've only gone to a custom house rarely--it's been years. Do a web seach for "custom photo lab" and I'm certain you'll find plenty of options.


jrazz wrote on 7/25/2006, 8:09 AM
Steve,

I checked out printroom.com
It looks very similar to what I use now- darkroom.com-I think is the name, but they give a whole list of printing houses to choose from and not about the differences between them. The printroom.com company charges a few percentage points less than darkroom.com and gives options on crops or no crops. I might just switch over to them and give them a try.
Do you know what shipping is coming from them? I did not find that information on there.

If anybody else has any suggestions- I would be glad to hear them.

Jay, what kind of printer do you use to print out posters?

j razz
Jay Gladwell wrote on 7/25/2006, 8:19 AM

I don't print poster size... Using Epson R800.

Here's a custom house that looks promising.


JohnnyRoy wrote on 7/25/2006, 8:30 AM
> If anybody else has any suggestions- I would be glad to hear them.

I have been using Ofoto.com for several years (since 2000) and I’ve been very happy with the results. They got bought out by Kodak but they still do great work. ;-) My wife and I tried ShutterFly, Snapfish, etc. and we were never as happy as what Ofoto produced.

~jr
JackW wrote on 7/25/2006, 11:05 AM
Surely there are photo shops in Tennessee near you that do custom printing. There is one within a mile of me here in Washington, and dozens within 10-15 miles.

Working locally, rather than on-line, provides the opportunity to discuss exactly how you want the prints cropped, the kind of paper, etc., and gives you someone you can turn to immediately if the job isn't done correctly.

Jack
jrazz wrote on 7/25/2006, 11:33 AM
We have places like Allegra Print and Imaging, MinuteMan Press, and a place called Signs First. I do a lot of design work that I get printed at these places- depending on the job.
Although, I am unsure as to what they do in regards to photos. I didn't think to ask as I use them for signs, brochures, fabric posters, etc.
Thanks for the thought.

j razz
fldave wrote on 7/25/2006, 6:54 PM
I have a 16x20 print of a 3 megapixel photo of my son at the beach. Local print shop that specializes in poster-size prints. I carefully resized it larger and larger (not all at once to avoid blockiness) to about 120MB bitmap. Took it in, showed the guy what I wanted, and they did it as requested. Hard to beat a local shop, you can say "that's not what I wanted", until they get it right. Cost about $20.

I have read lots of good things about Ofoto (Ophoto?), solid business. If you want 6x4 or an occasional 8x10, Ofoto probably can't be beat. If you want a poster or decent size wall pic, find a local business you can trust.