Of printing and editing...

[MonicaBH]

I have a few questions regarding online printing sites as well as editing software.

Where is a good place to have photos printed online? I am interested in having a couple of my pics made into "gallery wraps". Primarily, I'd like to know how to determine what pics are best suited to print, then where the best place to have them done would be. The pics I'm interested in having printed are here. I'm nervous to spend the money to have these printed if they won't turn out well...

Also, does anyone have any opinions on Apple's Aperture as an editing software? I haven't seen it recommended around here much, so it stands to reason that it's not popular. I just wanted to ask anyway.

Thanks for your help.

 

[MonicaBH]

Someone?

Anyone?

 

[Robin Usagani]

use Costco if there is one by your house.

 

[Big Mike]

Where are you located? The lab I use, has it's head office/branch in my city and they are one of the best labs in Canada. But it won't do much good to recommend them if you are in Sweden.

If you can find a local lab, they will certainly have samples. That should be a good indicator of the quality you can expect.

There are many places selling canvas prints & gallery wraps these days, but many of them are cheap ink-jet prints and I have never been impresses by them.
The 'good' ones that my lab offers are as follows...

Photo Canvas prints are produced starting with Kodak
Endura Metallic Paper, stripping the emulsion from its
paper base, laminating the emulsion and, under extreme
pressure, permanently adhering the laminated emulsion to
traditional artists canvas.

 

[MonicaBH]

Where are you located? The lab I use, has it's head office/branch in my city and they are one of the best labs in Canada. But it won't do much good to recommend them if you are in Sweden.

If you can find a local lab, they will certainly have samples. That should be a good indicator of the quality you can expect.

There are many places selling canvas prints & gallery wraps these days, but many of them are cheap ink-jet prints and I have never been impresses by them.
The 'good' ones that my lab offers are as follows...

Photo Canvas prints are produced starting with Kodak
Endura Metallic Paper, stripping the emulsion from its
paper base, laminating the emulsion and, under extreme
pressure, permanently adhering the laminated emulsion to
traditional artists canvas.

I live in NC, USA. I'll try to find some local print labs, but I don't know how much luck I'll have. What is the name of the lab you use? I'd at least like to look into it and have it as an option.

Thank you.

 

[Big Mike]

I use Technicare

Also, does anyone have any opinions on Apple's Aperture as an editing software? I haven't seen it recommended around here much, so it stands to reason that it's not popular. I just wanted to ask anyway.

From what I understand, it's similar to (but not as good as) Adobe's Lightroom. Either of which, isn't a direct substitute for a full on editing program like Photoshop or Elements.

 

[vivalaveritas]

Canvas on Demand is pretty good. I believe you can even get a 16x20 for free.
I'm not a big canvas fan, so I don't have any personally, but when clients order I use canvas on demand. I believe all the other big name print labs offer wraps as well (mipixpro, bayphoto, WHCC).
You can download a trial version of Aperture and see if you like it. I don't much care for it, but I'm an Adobe guy, so I'm already used to Photoshop & Lightroom.

 

[KmH]

A very popular online consumer print lab is Mpix and their gallery wrap info is here: Mpix.com - Gallery Wraps

Note that the wrap is 1.5 inches.

Photos destined for print as a gallery wrap are best taken with extra room around the edges to allow for the 1.5 inch wrap.

Quality gallery wraps are not inexpensive.

 

[JeffieLove]

I use BayPhoto for my printing. They seemed to be the best price for the quality.

As far as editing, I use photoshop and lightroom.

 

[IgsEMT]

MPIX, MPIX PRO, Black River Imaging, ALKIT, Simple Canvas, Miller's.
I use these labs for different things. Some things are cheaper in one vs the other. Some of these labs are for pro studios only, keep that in mind if get rejected for the account.
good luck

 

[adversus]

I use MPIX, I've gotten 20x30 canvas from them and have gotten great results.

I use Aperture for my general editing, Pixelmator for beefier edits. Then get the printer profiles from MPIX's website and proof in Aperture.

 

[FavillePhoto]

I see this thread is a few months old, but, just in case you're still on the hunt for a quality canvas print shop, I thought I would stop in and give a couple of quick pointers, and offer my services, if they can be of use.

A few people have recommended some of the bigger names in giclee printing that are available on the web. Based on your initial post, it seems like you aren't 100% sure of what you want printed, or if your photos will even look good on a canvas. In your case, especially, I'd recommend sticking with a smaller print shop, as opposed to one of the bigger companies. The problem with a bigger company is, you upload the file, and that file goes into their system and processed with all of the rest of the orders, and sometimes not even looked over by a human before it's finished. You have to make sure your image accounts for the gallery wrap, and if it doesn't, you could have part of your image on the side of the canvas, without any warning that that could happen. Or, if your image is too dark, or too light, you could be very unhappy with the printed result. By sticking with a smaller print shop, you're going to get 1-on-1 service from your printer, and hopefully, if they're good at what they do, they can tell you beforehand if you're going to have any issues with your image, and if necessary, they can help you correct those issues before the image goes to print. If you have a local print shop in your area, always start there first - save some money in shipping. And, after that, if you can't find anything good, you're always welcome to check out my small, personal, giclee print shop. I own and operate "Faville Photo" located in Mesa, AZ. You always work with me directly, and if you have ANY questions or concerns, I can help you address those concerns before any money is exchanged, or any printing takes place. We'll make sure you get a very high quality, satisfactory product, the VERY first time. Not only do you get personalized, 1-on-1 service, our prices are typically better than most of the bigger online print shops anyway. Just for an example, we're about 5% cheaper than all of Mpix's prices for the 1.5" gallery wrapped canvas prints. Even better than that on other products.

By no means am I trying to convince you to work with us, but, I DEFINITELY recommend working with a smaller print shop, if one is available. I think you'll be much more satisfied with the service and quality that you'll get. Plus, you'll save a ton of money by not having to order reprints of your stuff when they get processed by a computer and turn out too dark, or too light, or half of your image gets wrapped around the side of the canvas.

Good luck to anyone who's considering ordering photo prints on canvas! You will not regret the decision to do so! Canvas giclee prints are very elegant, and a growing craze among buyers these days. They only continue to get more and more popular.