Gene51 Loc: Yonkers, NY, now in LSD (LowerSlowerDelaware)

Most low-cost print labs use C-41 processed silver halide paper prints - aka wet-process. These prints will almost always look better and be far cheaper than what you can get with a non-professional consumer-oriented printer. Costco is good, but so is Bay Photo, Mpix, White House Custom Color, AdoramaPix, etc etc etc

Bobbee

I send my quickies to Walgreens. When you sign up you get emails on discounts and offers. it is easy and not expensive. The photo guy knows me there and they see me coming. 4x6 and 5x7's are printable without much consideration. When you get to the 8x10 and above for quality delivery to a customer I would go else where. My Smugmug site is hooked into Bay Photo. Adorama was good. I used them while in NY.

hj Loc: Florida

I switched my MO several years ago with no regrets. Got tired of ink costs, clogged printer etc so started using a Brother Laser printer... so inexpensive. Then when I want something in color I upload it to WALGREENS and can pick it up in about an hour. Walgreens are everywhere so convenient for most folks.... and they often have specials on prints, enlargements and photo gifts. I get a free 8 X 10 enlargement every couple of months. The upload process is quite easy. No more inkjets for me!!!

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

I have an Epson. 5 cartridges, roughly 15 dollars each on Amazon. Prints look great and printer does not guzzle ink

johnst1001a Loc: West Chester, Ohio

I keep posting this, the Canon MX922 and several others do a very good job printing photos for general use, particularly if you calibrate your computer screen and the printer. The printer costs $90 on Amazon. And the "Ink4works" cartridges you can also buy on Amazon are about $1 apiece, sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. I have not had one cartridge give me an issue after using about 100. They last just as long as Canon cartridges, don't plug up the printer, and have very good color. Is this printer a studio grade printer, no, but it is great for most photos.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I stopped using inkjet a LONG time ago.

I do the following: for the occasional digital color print, I use a Canon Selphy 910 which spits out a dye sub 4 x 6 print. For anything larger or more of, I send to Adoramapix, or Nations Photo Lab.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I don't think that most shops print wet anymore. Most print digital. It's VERY hard to find anyone printing real chem-wet printing; I had to search to find anyone. I only found two: Blue Moon Camera, and Black River Photo Lab.

katbandit Loc: new york city

i use a local CVS for a quick print...however if you go to different ones they have different qualities from store to store..i use Mpix.com for any of my professional work..and lately I've been using ..Shutterfly to put hard copies of my work in their books when they run specials..this way i can show them to people and it is easier than having prints handed around..it is all a matter of taste..printing your own is not cost effective..the ink eventually will fade anyway and if god forbid it gets any moisture on it it will bleed..use a printer for smaller items like coupons or airline itineraries etc ..but it is not wise to do your photos on them

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

You may want to try "499.com" where (most) compatible inks are $4.99 each. I found their colors to be a very good match with HP's

SilverthorneRuth Loc: Silverthorne, Colorado

I have (only) a Walgreens and Office Max available. Extremely happy with Walgreens. If you don't like how the prints, posters or canvases turn out, you don't pay for them or can redo them with changes. Also, they always have coupons available. Just google 'Walgreens photo coupons' for the best offers.

mas24 Loc: Southern CA

For quick prints, Walgreen's and CVS. I'm not a member of Costco, but my father loves them for prints.

newsguygeorge Loc: Victoria, Texas

I have an HP 832C I bought in 2001 that’s still going strong. I’ve had two 2006-2010 era HP printers fail badly. I now have a 2014 or 2015 HP 7640 that performs very well and is not an ink hog. In other words, the time Carly Fiorina and Mark Hurd ran HP into the ground was reflected in the quality of the products. Since they’ve been gone, the firm has rebounded.

That said, when we ran our newspaper in print, we used an Epson Stylus 1400, bought in 2006, for 11 x 17-inch proof pages and it’s still going strong at home. We don’t print many photos with it but it does fine and it’s not an ink hog. I’ve not used either of the new HP for printing photos, but the old one does fine on occasion.

My pro photog friends here either have their own high-quality printers or they have them done locally at a place that does archival quality work.

James R. Kyle Loc: Saint Louis, Missouri (A Suburb of Ferguson)

I have two (2) Canon Printers ...
1.) a Pixma 9000
2.) a Pixma Pro 100

With the Pro 100 I have been very satisfied with the quality of prints from it. I bought each from people on E-Bay who sold them with the Unopened and Seals not broken for 150.00 Each..... This was about 4 and 2 years ago. Both are working great and I print - on an average - of two to four prints a month ... Sizes of 8X10 up to 13X19.

I have recently been Refilling my ink cartridges = Using ink from "Precision Colors". Seems to be good ink. (( I first made a print and left it out in the bright sun for three days and nights. Only a very little fading after that. So I would suspect that the prints that are indoors and under glass, without total sunlight on them, will last for a long time. )) The cost of the ink refill is about 15 Cents per cartridge - as compared to 16 to 18 bucks a new cartridge.

Others here will have their own thoughts on this, as everyone is a bit different - and that is how it should be. This is only my views and findings.

See E-Bay for details on the Canon Pro 100 == Here is only one example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Canon-PIXMA-PRO-100-Digital-Photo-Inkjet-Printer-w-Inks-/171254552905?hash=item27df911949:g:k84AAMXQEgpTEIR8

AND The Black and White prints are Very very good.

BudsOwl Loc: Upstate NY and New England

I use my canon printer for making prints that I look at and then decide if they need cropping or further editing. Then I send the files out to McGreevy in Albany, NY if I want to frame them. Their cost is reasonable, and they can also do some processing if necessary.

Bud

NJphotodoc Loc: Now in the First State

I've stayed away from HP for the same reasons - high cost of ink, difficulties using aftermarket cartridges, and so-so images. I've had a Pixma for a number of years, but recently got a Brother MFC-J4200W. I found, that while primarily an office machine (copy, scan, print, fax), the quality of the photos is exceptional and cost per photo (mostly 4x6 but some larger ones as well) is quite affordable. I haven't tried aftermarket inks as yet, but will pick up a set and see how they do but even with mixed use (photo and office printing) I'm getting a higher yield than my old HP and even my Pixma.