WHERE TO PRINT PHOTOS

jeremyamayora · Dec 4, 2011

Where do I go to print my photos? On the computer they look great but if I send them to walgreens to be printed then they only look ok. Is there a certian backing or print style or place you should go to get the best out of the photo.

CCericola · Dec 4, 2011

Mpix is a good source. There is also Bay Photo, WHHC, Collages, just to name a few.

spacefuzz · Dec 4, 2011

Your problem is the photo color space / monitor calibration / printer interaction. There are a ton of threads covering your problem here, search would be the best bet

MLeeK · Dec 4, 2011

Walgreens will definitely look FAR different than your images printed by a good lab, even in the right colorspace. Exact same image, exact same everything=huge difference.

Some labs:
H&H Color Lab
Pounds Labs
Millers Labs
Bay Photo
CPQ
White House of Custom Color
AdoramaPix
MeridianPro
MPixPro
Mpix.com

paigew · Dec 4, 2011

my photos from costco always look great! They are just snapshots though. Nothing professional. I have tried almost every place (target, walmart, cvs, walgreens) and costco has been my fave.

iresq · Dec 4, 2011

Print for what purpose? I use costco. Don't print that often and don't sell my prints. They have always done a good job for me.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk

MrsLittle · Dec 4, 2011

I will never get my pictures printed from Walgreens. I ordered some 5x7 and they came stuck together. Plus the paper is very thin. I like Miller's/Mpix.

jeremyamayora · Dec 4, 2011

I'm far from a professional but I have a few I want to frame and hang on my wall. And the walgreens just no longer had the pop my computer had. But ill try a lab thanks for the info.

KmH · Dec 4, 2011

Your computer display uses the RGB color model and is back lit.
Prints are fore lit and are printed using the CMYK color model, so prints will always look different than your computer display does.
However if you have the ICC profile for the printing device/paper he print will be made on, and image editing software that allows it, you can soft proof the print on your computer display for a close approximation of what the finished print will look like.

There are 3 main types of computer display.
The least desireable (but cheapest) display type is a Twisted Nematic (TN) display, because the color accurate viewing angles are so narrow you cannot see an entire image accurately unless it is displayed so small as to be useless for image editing.
The next best display type is Parallel Vertical Alignment (PVA) type displays, but there aren't many offered.
The desirable display type for image editing is an In-Plane Switching (IPS) display, like Dell's UltraSharp line of computer displays. Top-of-the-line IPS displays cost thousand's of $$$$'s.

To trust your display, whatever type it is it has to be calibrated periodically using a coloriometer. i1 Display Pro

Or the discontinued, price reduced model (while they last) i1 Display 2

I highly recommend this small group of tutorials and that you do other color management and printing research independently: Tutorials on Color Management & Printing

jeremyamayora · Dec 4, 2011

Thank you ill look in to that article tonight.

MichelleDavis · Dec 21, 2011

Walgreens will butcher your photographs everyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

I would recommend that as KmH said, you check the RGB and CMYK parameters in your computer. I don't know if you use Photoshop at all but this is an old article that helped me a while back. This guy's really good The Hidden Power of Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements: Tools and Techniques: Calibrating My Home Printer

If you ever need something Pro, I recommend going to an actual printer. They're a bit pricy sometimes but you can find many online with nice deals, I used this one place for a large print I had to do about 5 months ago and was very pleased with the overall look (it was supposed to work as a cling).

I recommend them, because they'll send you a proof before you actually pay for the print and won't charge you for it.
online large format prints | 4OVER4 (for large prints)

I hope that helps