Mini-lab advice

[o4_srt]

Hello, i'm a supervisor at a 1 hour lab (noritsu qsf v30 film processor, noritsu qss 3011 paper processor), and i'm looking for general tips and tricks to get the most out of the equipment. Anything from chemistry, print/negative handling, photo editing (the 3011 has built in editing software to edit pictures before they are printed), or even just general photography advice that would help me help customers.

as it is a large retail store that owns the lab (CVS to be exact), there are some things that i cannot do, like changing the chems every day (they get changed when the densitometer says that the control strip is out of its limits), but pretty much anything you want to throw at me would be appreciated.

 

[KevinR]

Well, those labs are made to not need chems changed everyday. That's why they have replenish tanks. The heat control, and the preventative maintenance is the most important things with a mini lab. Those racks should be pulled and cleaned really often. The biggest problem I remember with customers is when they use flash. Either they blow out the subject, or if you print for that, they wonder why they can't see anything behind them. Also, it amazed me how many people tried to shoot through glass with a flash. Learn your color corrections really well. This is one of the biggest skills I would look for when hiring people for the labs I managed.