maryo wrote:
I have been using mpix but would like to find a better place for this photo. My husband wants it printed. Thanks.
I wrote this as a former portrait lab digital products manager:
mPix/Miller's is a great lab. Have you been disappointed with their work in the past?
Others here mentioned White House Custom Color and Bay Photo. They are two more of the dozen or so favorite professional color labs on my list. I won't list them all, here, because on a good day, any of them can make an excellent print. Policies, products, prices, services, shipping, and rapport may vary, and only you can choose those qualities.
Actually, nearly all of the professional color labs that have been around for a few decades are excellent. In Kodak's heydays, I used to attend conferences and seminars with reps from about 100 of the best labs in the country. We all had access to the same tools, supplies, and information.
The challenge to getting great output from any lab is in two things:
First, are your monitor, calibration, and custom monitor profile qualities. (Are you using a monitor suitable for 100% of the sRGB color gamut reproduction? Better, still, would be a monitor capable of 99% of the Adobe RGB color gamut reproduction. Are you using a colorimeter or spectrophotometer and its accompanying software from Datacolor or X-Rite to calibrate it monthly and create a new custom ICC monitor profile at the same time?) If you rely on your monitor to evaluate changes to color or brightness of images, the monitor has to be calibrated and profiled to the standard — IF you want prints that match the monitor.
Second, think about the entire digital reproduction system from camera to file. If you rely on the camera to save JPEGs, are you optimizing camera exposure, white balance, and the various camera JPEG processor menu settings for the scenes you photograph? If you save raw files and process them after photography, are you taking advantage of the additional six to eight stops of dynamic range and full control over all image parameters? IF you have the time and knowledge and experience, you most probably can create a better JPEG for your lab, and take advantage of "soft proofing" via the lab's printer profile for "What I See Is What the Lab Prints" color.
Finally, there's a lot more to working with a good lab than just choosing one. Both photographer and lab technicians have to hold up their ends of the deal. GIGO or QIQO... To achieve the latter, talk to the lab's technical service representative to be sure you are getting the most from them. They can guide you.