Help....??

Artograph · Mar 31, 2009

If I want prints of my pics, how/where do I get descent ones??? I mean, if I go to the nearest Kodak kiosk.....it's crap. The colours are wrong...part of my photo is missing (along one edge or the other...).

Since I don't have a (good) printer....where do I get prints made?? Anyone have any places that they can recommend??

Thanks!

Sherman Banks · Mar 31, 2009

You need to crop your photos before getting them processed. This will make sure you don't get crucial areas cut out and you can decide what goes. As for where to print them, your local camera shop should be able to do some quality prints for you (Ritz, etc).

Sarah23 · Mar 31, 2009

mpix.com is a great place if you are just wanting to print stuff for yourself and dont have a business.

Big Mike · Mar 31, 2009

Firstly, do you calibrate your own monitor? If you don't, you can't really be sure if it's the prints or your monitor that is out of whack. But if you use a calibration device, you can be reasonably sure that what you see on your screen, is what you should get in a print.

Secondly, as for parts of the photos getting cut off...this is a common mistake/misunderstanding. You need to realize the aspect ratio of your images and the prints that you want. For example, look at a 4x6 print and now look at a 5x7 print and an 8x10 print....they each have a different ratio....so if you took a 4x6 image to get an 8x10 print made...something would have be cut off. Most of the kiosk machines that I've seen, will let you choose how the image gets cropped...but the default is probably right in the middle. As mentioned, the best thing to do, is crop the images yourself before you take/send them to get printed...that way you know what you are going to get.

There are plenty of places to get good quality prints...what city/area are you in? I usually recommend using a local lab so that you can have somewhere to go and someone to talk to, in case you need it. But there is nothing wrong with ordering prints on-line either.

I use Technicare, which has offices across Western Canada. I've used London Drugs with fairly good results. I used to use Blacks/Astral.

Artograph · Apr 1, 2009

Thanks everyone...but now I have more questions!! LOL!!

I don't calebrate my monitor...No $ right now for that.

Soooo...I have to crop each photo before I get them printed...??

Ok, and...how on earth do I get them printed at a lab, when I've done the pp on them (on my computer)?

Thanks so much for taking the time to try to help me!!!! ....Remember, type slowly....so I can understand you!!! LOL!!

:O)

Graham18ce · Apr 1, 2009

You can usually put the images back on to a memory card or burn to a disc and then take the disc to the lab.
Some labs are better than others in my opinion. There are usually many to pick from dependin gon your area. i just take a handful to the different places and see what the quality and consistany is like. I have a lab in brampton that i have been using for years and they do basic colour correction if needed based on the monitor to there printer.

Big Mike · Apr 1, 2009

Soooo...I have to crop each photo before I get them printed...??

Only if the ratio doesn't match the print size that you want....and only if you don't want the lab/printer to do it, instead of you. Different cameras shoot with different ratios. Most DSLR cameras at 2:3, which is perfect for a 4x6 print. But if you are printing an 8x10, something will need to get cropped...so either you do it, or the lab/printer does it.

Ok, and...how on earth do I get them printed at a lab, when I've done the pp on them (on my computer)?

After you do your PP...you save the file (don't you?). You should be saving this as a copy and not overwriting the original file. If you are going to print, then you should save the file (or another copy) as a JPEG.
There are several ways to get your JPEG files to the lab. You could transfer those files onto a memory card or USB drive or you could burn them to a CD/DVD. Then take them into the lab and either turn them over or use the self serve kiosk.
Alternatively, most labs have an on-line submission & ordering service. Just go to the web site, sign up, upload your images and order your prints. Then you can either pick them up or have them sent to you.

dcclark · Apr 1, 2009

Try going to mpix.com, log in, and look at their submission procedure. Then upload a sample photo and (pretend) to order a photo (just don't actually submit the order). That should run you through the common things you need to think about: what it means to crop a photo (and how it looks when you do it online -- mpix shows you how it will be cropped, right onscreen), what sizes and qualities you can have, and how you can submit a digital photo directly online.