lauraC

I would like to know what online professional printing photo labs you would recommend? Thanks!

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

I have used Bayphoto with fantastic results.

tradio Loc: Oxford, Ohio

I've been using "Printique" (Adorama).

donphotog

Shutterfly (www.shutterfly.com) has done several excellent 30X40 prints for me.

National Park

I have used both Bay photo and Shutterfly; Bay Photo has my vote.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Bay Photo I think is the go to lab for most.
However, there are many. Google pro photo labs.

yssirk123 Loc: New Jersey

White House Custom Color or Bay Photo

Just Fred Loc: Darwin's Waiting Room

CG Pro Prints did my last order. Bay Photo is on my list, too.

jrcarpe Loc: Jacksonville,AR

M Pix has done a great job for me. A friend likes Shutterfly.

DavidPine Loc: Fredericksburg, TX

I like Bay Photo for the best results.

cjc2 Loc: Hellertown PA

Personally, I use WHCC due to my East Coast location. If I were out west, Bay Photo would be my choice. YMMV. Happy New Year!

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I used to work for a few professional labs (one ate the other which ate the other) — Delmar Studios, Herff Jones Photography, and Lifetouch. At both Delmar and Herff Jones, I was involved in many roles in sales, production, marketing, and IT. I used to go to PMAI conventions and trade shows, Kodak Professional Seminars, and other industry events. So I've met with many folks from other labs. It wasn't my job, per se, but I also intervened when our lab customers had particularly thorny issues getting what they wanted from their film or digital files.

There are many competent pro photo labs out there... Find one near you that you can *communicate well with*, and use them. Look for folks who establish a consultative relationship with you, sit on the same side of the table, and solve problems together.

Here are just a few; I could name a dozen more if I bothered to look them up to see if they're still around:

Bay Photo (Scotts Valley, CA)

WHCC (White House Custom Color) (Eagan, MN)

mpix (Pittsburg, Kansas and Columbia, Missouri) (They also have a pro division for high volume customers, called Millers)

American Color Imaging (Cedar Falls, IA)

United Promotions, Inc (UPI Lab in Charlotte, NC)

Full Color (Dallas, TX)

If you enter "professional color lab" in a search engine you'll find many.

The skinny on labs is that most of them are capable of excellent work, now. The tools are pretty universal. Color science is well-refined, and if you understand how to manage YOUR OWN color, then what you see on your monitor CAN BE what they print. But that's the BIG IF in dealing with labs or offset printers. It's mostly up to you how your prints look. The monitor calibration and profile can make all the difference between award winning prints and bird cage liners.

The most important thing you can do when getting set up with a lab is to establish personal communications channels with the right people there. You may need an account rep, a customer service rep, and a technical service rep. Be sure you understand all their programs and expectations for how you submit your images (file type, color space, monitor calibration and profiling, proofing profiles for their printers...).

Some labs serve the "street corner portrait and wedding studio," while others serve large volume portrait photographers (school portrait studios, big box studios, church directory photographers), and others specialize in sports team and league products. Some serve commercial studio photographers. Some offer film processing and scanning services. Some, like Graham Nash's Nash Editions, are "boutique" printers who offer giclee printing (very high end inkjet printing for artistic photographers, collectors, museum exhibitions and "carriage trade" portraits) photographers).

So I encourage you to browse the web, talk to the folks at a few of the labs that do what you need done, and send some sample work.

Nicholas J DeSciose

Reed Photo art. They do work for fine art photographers all over the country. Top-of-the-line the very best

photoman43

I also use BayPhoto and recommend them.

gwilliams6

The highest consistently top-rated one in the USA is Printique by Adorama, bar none. I have used them for years and all my clients are totally satisfied. Yes owned and operated by Adorama Cameras.

https://www.printique.com/

Cheers