swartfort Loc: Evansville, IN

I posted this on that thread, but I wanted to share this on it's own so that it didn't get buried:

"OK..... I got my prints today. Overall I am very pleased. I misprinted before, it was 10 8x10's for less than $65.00 INCLUDING shipping.

Prints arrived packed very securely. They are mounted on 2mm backing and they are packed "back to back" and then slid into clear envelopes for protection. Each "set" is then packed and taped between sheets of cardboard. Nations' also included a non-mounted 8x10 of each print. These were stacked all together like normal prints and then slid into a single plastic sleeve for protection. That sleeve was then sandwiched between two cardboard sheets and stacked over the other product.

The prints themselves are crisp and clear. Colors are vivid and bright and contrast is as I expected. I ordered them with the "metallic" finish, and I definitely see that finish. I am not sure I would order that finish again for wildlife images. Probably luster or gloss would have been a better choice.

Also, and no fault of Nations Photo... When I cropped and sent the images, I cropped them and they looked good on my monitor. Upon receipt, they seem cropped too close. I went back and looked at what I sent them, and they are exactly as I sent the images. I believe that if I were to re-submit these images, I would not have them cropped as tightly as they were. I believe the screen vs. the print is a bit deceptive. Just a thought."

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On my screen this look "proportional". On the print it was clearly overcropped

SonyA580 Loc: FL in the winter & MN in the summer

I think it's a good idea to do your own cropping before sending them out to be printed. Otherwise, this can be the result.

swartfort Loc: Evansville, IN

If you read my post, I did do the cropping myself. It was no fault of Nations. The way my images fit on my screen, they appeared with a border of sorts so the perspective was different. I will know better in the future. Nations printed exactly as I sent the files.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

You should always crop to the size you wanted printed, in your case 8x10. If you have Lightroom, the Develop/Crop tool makes this very easy. And, you can adjust to get the image you want then crop.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

I've seen that. Some places print slightly larger than the anticipated print area, thus cropping slightly.
It might be so that the image is guaranteed to cover the print area.
When I printed B&W, I usually went (enlarged) about 1/8 (maybe 1/4) inch past the edge of the speed easel, which gave me some, but minimal cropping. This way there was no chance of the image being "off-center".
I think you'll find that most places do this. Rare to "print to the edge".

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Did you print without borders? If so, the "bleed" takes up a small portion of your image. That can make it appear to be "over cropped." I've started printing images that will be matted with borders. That means I have the FULL print showing, and I have a border that will slip under a mat. Also, different printers use different amounts for the bleed, so it pays to know your printer.

Virgil Loc: The Hoosier State

I think they all missed the point!

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Which was?

Virgil Loc: The Hoosier State

Your prints will not be the same as what your monitor shows. Which is what he stated.

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

You could have saved about $20 with Mixbook. Their quality is very good and offer discounts.

BlackRipleyDog

Always do your own cropping and resize to fit the final output. Demand that they do no further adjustments to your image. Print exactly as you submitted.
Rookie mistake.

swartfort Loc: Evansville, IN

LMAO.... Rookie mistake is not reading the original post.... I cropped them as I thought I liked them. It says so in the post. When I saw them on the screen there was a "frame" around them as they did not fit the screen exactly.

I noticed it when they arrived that if I had to do it again I would have cropped them differently.

NOW after I have put them in frames... They look fine and I like them as they are. The frame both in the computer and in the frames makes a significant "proportion" difference to the eye.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States