Just had somebody order two prints, how to get the best quality for B&W?

[fjrabon]

So I just had my first paying 'client'. He wants two very large prints 20X30 or 16X20, he said whatever I thought worked best for the pictures, both are in B&W. What service gives the best quality B&W prints? Can I just take them to walmart? Should I order from shutterfly? Do I need to go to a dedicated camera store like a wolf/ritz photo?

Also, I had no idea what to charge, he just offered $100 each, I countered with $100 each plus printing costs, which he accepted. LOL. I have no idea if that was way too much, too little, etc. He saw them on my facebook account (he's friends with my parents) and said he had to have them in his office in higher quality. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't scared to death over this, but $100 is chump change for this guy. Still, somebody's paying $250 or so for my 'art', which seems like a big deal to me at this stage. LOL, all I can think is him getting them, blown up way giant and thinking "God, this sucks!" At the very least I can comfort myself that he actually saw them and wanted them, but I'm freaking out over the GD paper and ink it's printed on. haha.

Also, what style should I get, glossy, matte? He's going to frame them without glass.

Here are the two, by the way (I've done CC on both before here, but I've fixed both up a little bit since in photoshop):




DSC_0262 by franklinrabon, on Flickr


millfix3 by franklinrabon, on Flickr

 

[gsgary]

Was he on crack ?

 

[fjrabon]

Was he on crack ?

I'd guess this guy is more of a cocaine type of person.

 

[Scuba]

Was he on crack ?

I'd guess this guy is more of a cocaine type of person.

LOL

I don't know how well #1 is going to print with all the black. I don't know much about prints though. I can't believe he is going to pay that much for those images.

 

[fjrabon]

Was he on crack ?

I'd guess this guy is more of a cocaine type of person.

LOL

I don't know how well #1 is going to print with all the black. I don't know much about prints though. I can't believe he is going to pay that much for those images.

to be honest, when I had the audacity to counter his offer with "plus printing costs", I wanted to kick myself, then he shrugged and said "yeah, that's fair." I guess they both hold sentimental value to him, because that mill was his first job and the guitarist is a good friend of his. I don't really think they're among my best shots, and my best shots aren't even very good, lol. I guess sometimes you just get lucky and somebody likes the image you took, poor technical aspects aside.

Yeah, all the black is why I'm worried about having the top quality printing. It's gotta be stark, pure, consistent, even black.

 

[Scuba]

ah ok that makes sense then. LOL about the printing costs, I would have been in such shock that I would have never been able to even think of asking for more.

 

[fjrabon]

ah ok that makes sense then. LOL about the printing costs, I would have been in such shock that I would have never been able to even think of asking for more.

I went to law school, so when in shock I have this instinct that takes over with a counter offer. I literally didn't even think about it until it was already out of my mouth.

 

[ann]

Regardless of the feelings from folks here, the buyer wants them.

I would suggest you find a printing shop that uses high end epson printers and the individual with the knowledge to get the best from the files. They should be able to guide you as to their needs with the file so the results will satisfy everyone. Or, a shop that uses a printer with all gray inks, they should be able to do neutral black and white for you.

You might ask the client what type of lighting source they are going to be using on the wall when displaying the work as that can create a color cast.

Printing neutral black and white images has been an issue with me for a long time as my training and traditional work with silver makes me very picky.

For a long time I tested a lot of printers , some using all gray inks. THe Epson"s 7900 up seem IMHO to be doing a much better job these days.

 

[redessa]

Not walmart! Try mpix.

 

[fjrabon]

Also, I think I got really lucky in that his frame of reference for buying pictures is that he has bought 10 authentic Jim Marshall prints that were probably all like $5000 plus.

 

[mjhoward]

Find someone that prints using pigment based inks, not dye based. Pigment based inks are more suitable for B&W from what I understand.

 

[Ballistics]

Why not just contact customer service at mpix.com and ask them?

 

[fjrabon]

Why not just contact customer service at mpix.com and ask them?

cool, thanks, I had no idea if mpix was any good before this thread, as I hadn't even really considered prints for anybody other than myself. I had used shutterfly a few times and thought they were okay, but that was about the extent of my knowledge on the subject.

 

[DiskoJoe]

You need to ask the customer if they want gloss or matte finish.

 

[Helen B]

If he is paying for printing, and you are worried about quality and longevity, I suggest you try Digital Silver and get them printed on traditional fibre-based silver gelatin photo paper.