Costco Photo Printing - Quality?

ryan_caldero · Dec 13, 2010

OK so the last few times I took my images to costco to be printed in an hour and they look like crap. They are not sharp and colors are not vibrant after editing.
I printed 5x7 at 300dpi and they just look like crap, so its either me or maybe their photo processing is crap, is it better to take to a pro photo lab place like Sammys, Ritz, etc????

Suggestions, Comments? Help my pictures not look like crap!

Derrel · Dec 13, 2010

A talk with the lab manager would be a good first step. Costco's finishing can be excellent, but each outlet is its own entity...so keep that in mind. How are you preparing the images? Have they been shot in sRGB or Adobe RGB? Are you adjusting the images on your computer and burning them to discs? Or are you printing images directly off of your storage cards? There are a few ducks that need to be lined up in neat rows...

vinithbraj · Dec 13, 2010

Just my 2 cents, As already pointed out by Derrel, each outlet is different. So what you need to do is sample the outlet where you intend to print. What you see on your computer and what comes out as print could be very different.
Print out a couple of test shots at the costco location so you know exactly how to calibrate your images/monitor so they appear the way you expect in print.

ryan_caldero · Dec 13, 2010

They are shot in sRGB and then I upload them to their site. Sometimes they are printed ok, but the last few times its just not up to my standard. I am using a Canon 50D. I am at home right now and not in my office so I should have posted one of my pics. These are the steps I followed
1. Image>Image Size
2. Uncheck "Resample Image"
3. Change DPI from 72 to 300DPI
4. Check back "Resample Image" (Leave at Bicubic)
5. Changes inches to 5x7 inches from the the much larger size
Thats IT!

kundalini · Dec 13, 2010

Most of the time it is user error. :raises hands: Make sure you download their (whatever lab) color profile. Make sure you provide them with their required file format. Make sure your monitor is calibrated. Make sure you're printing on the right paper type.

1-800-help-me-out-cuz. A simple call to the lab's customer helpline may be of a benefit.

BuS_RiDeR · Dec 13, 2010

The Costco here does a great job on anything I've brought them.

However, I do find that they use cheap/thin paper. But at 5 or 8 cents for a 4x6.... its hard to argue.

They use Fujifilm paper. And I believe that is company wide... At least it is in Canada.

ryan_caldero · Dec 13, 2010

I forgot to mention that I then save it to JPG
JPG Options:
Quality 12 - Maximum
Format Options:
Baseline Standard
Should it be Optimized? Progressive?

PavementPilot · Dec 13, 2010

I realize you asked about Costco, and we don't have one here yet. We've used Walmart with great satisfaction. Maybe give them a try with the prints you were unhappy with. See if you them or not.

IgsEMT · Dec 13, 2010

Price vs quality.
Send it to a pro lab and you'll get the quality. Send it to kid who presses a button - let's hope your shot doesn't need any further processing. :sexywink:

Robin Usagani · Dec 13, 2010

ryan_caldero said:
They are shot in sRGB and then I upload them to their site. Sometimes they are printed ok, but the last few times its just not up to my standard. I am using a Canon 50D. I am at home right now and not in my office so I should have posted one of my pics. These are the steps I followed
1. Image>Image Size
2. Uncheck "Resample Image"
3. Change DPI from 72 to 300DPI
4. Check back "Resample Image" (Leave at Bicubic)
5. Changes inches to 5x7 inches from the the much larger size
Thats IT!

Why do you have to change it from 72 to 300? I'm putting my money on user error.

ryan_caldero · Dec 14, 2010

Schwettylens said:
ryan_caldero said:

They are shot in sRGB and then I upload them to their site. Sometimes they are printed ok, but the last few times its just not up to my standard. I am using a Canon 50D. I am at home right now and not in my office so I should have posted one of my pics. These are the steps I followed
1. Image>Image Size
2. Uncheck "Resample Image"
3. Change DPI from 72 to 300DPI
4. Check back "Resample Image" (Leave at Bicubic)
5. Changes inches to 5x7 inches from the the much larger size
Thats IT!

Click to expand...

Why do you have to change it from 72 to 300? I'm putting my money on user error.

when I resize it from the original size which is 44 in x 66 in at 72dpi.. This is what comes from the camera, I then resize it to 5x7 at 300dpi. I am guessing its operator error, some pics come out awsum but the last ones I got back were not sharp, but in PS they are slick looking. Its like they are getting washed out and sharpness is degraded.

If others can share what steps they follow in order to get maximum results and slick quality pics using PScs4

cyngus · Dec 14, 2010

so you're using costco as a digital lab and your wondering why your print quality is... ****ty?

really?

if there isnt a photo lab in your area just check out the many online.. AdoramaPix - Home has always done me right.. and they are cheap

Derrel · Dec 14, 2010

It sounds like a color profile mis-match to me...I think the printing machine is ignoring the color profile you have assigned, or just as likely, your software (well, your processing preference choices) is not assigning color profiles to the images....I suspect there's a color profile problem with the files. Sure, they can be shot in sRGB, but if either your software or the printing machine is NOT on the same page as it were, the pics will look crummy. So...again, a talk with the lab manager, and a rundown on how the machine is set up: does it accept whatever profile comes with each file? Does it CONVERT images to a predetermined color profile space? Does it assign a color profile to the files that are loaded into the machine? What, what, and what are questions the lab manager should be able to help you figure out the answers to.

Some customers are going to want NO color correction or profile manipulation done to their files, while others might wish to have color management done on their images. So...again, the need to talk to the person in charge of the printing setup...

Robin Usagani · Dec 14, 2010

Dont resize it. Just leave the size the way it is. Just select save to highest quality (12). No need to resize the image. What matter is the pixels. You will ruin your file if you resample it. No need to size the file to the print size. Leave it be. And if your print has a different width and height ratio, they will give you a warning and ask you to crop it on their website (lab I use anyway).