Online Digital Printing

[AprilRamone]

Hi Everyone,
I have recently purchased a Canon 20D and am starting to learn more about digital and one thing I'm having a lot of conflict with is getting my images printed. I always used to go to Wolf Camera when I was turning in film and they usually printed my stuff just fine. (About 75% of the time anyway). Well, now that I am turning in cds to them with my digital images on them things have started to go south very quickly.
I try to crop my images in the camera when I am taking the shot, but obviously, it doesn't always work and I have to crop them in photoshop. Well anyway, I turn in cds with all sorts of different sizes and shapes of crops and tell them to just print them on 4x6" paper and leave white space if needed just as long as they don't fit it to 4x6" if it's not in that shape. Well, they for some reason just can not understand what I'm saying. I had to take back the prints from one shoot I did 3 times!
I guess I am just asking for advice on good online printing places that can send my prints to me and doesn't cost a whole bunch and don't try to make my square images fit a 4x6" shape!
Am I making sense?
I appreciate in advance any suggestions!
Frustrated ,
April

 

[celery]

The majority of printing places expect you to send them images ready for printing and won't bother cropping/formatting an image they recieve. They just run it through their software and print it at the size you asked for.

So if your image is less than 4x6, just use photoshop and go to
Image > Canvas size

Then just extend the canvas to the desired size (4x6) and it will create a border of flat color (default white) around the image.

 

[AprilRamone]

Thanks for the suggestion. I didn't realize I needed to set it up for them like that.
Any suggestions for a good online printer? Once I start getting more work I don't want to have to stop by Wolf everyday!
-April

 

[Big Mike]

There are a few people here who use on-line printers. They should be along soon to make some recommendations.

I will 2nd the recommendation that celery gave...don't expect them to think. Just give them a file that is the same size as the paper...4x6, 5x7, 8x10 etc.

One good way to crop the images and set the PPI for printing is to do this....open a new canvas in PS, pick one of the standard templates (4x6 at 300 PPI, for example). Then go to your image, select all then copy, then paste the image into the blank canvas. Re size and/or move the image around on the new canvas until you get the crop that you want. If you end up with some of the canvas background, then just leave it white and they will print it like that.

What I do, is set the crop tool to the print size I want at 300 PPI. Then, when I'm cropping, I only crop at the correct aspect ratio for the print.

 

[voodoocat]

I use mpix for all my printing needs. Much more like the real labs than the cheapy online printers.

 

[Alison]

I also use mpix.com and they have no problem printing a non standard size and request that you submit them just as you have done in the past. For example, I recently had them print a 10X13 on an 11X14 piece of paper and that's just what they did. I have to trim it at home, but that's fine with me. Their pricing is very reasonable and their quality and turn around time has been excellent so far!