Order prints from online or print your work at home?

9 years 8 months ago #390862 by ubookoo
I gave up printing at home. I probably did not print enough and my printer ink would gum up the jets. I would spend a lot of time running the cleaning cycle, then end up buying new cartridges which are expensive.

So I now order everything online with a lab who provides UPS delivery. I usually get the prints by the next day directly to my door. I like doing this because I can order the same print in different paper stocks to see which I like better and not have to keep paper on supply at home.


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9 years 8 months ago #391799 by KCook

KCook wrote: My Canon i560 hasn't completely crapped out, but I can see that day is not far away, and I'm fed up with high ink prices anyways.

Ran an abbreviated trial by a few online printers.  Got the best Pearl results from ProDPI, and very nice glossies from WHCC.  Both outfits have a minimum order of $12, which they may or may not enforce.  I have little interest in the baseline Lustres, or textures, so I did not make those comparisons.

www.prodpi.com/all-products/

www.whcc.com/products

ProDPI shipped from Colorado and WHCC from Minnesota and Texas.  I am in Arizona, dunno if either outfit has other locations.


Addendum:  Since posting that I have also given Bay Photo a try.

www.bayphoto.com/pro-products/

This was for glossies, to compare with WHCC.  The results were quite good, though slightly less pop than the WHCC prints.  Due to slightly less saturation and "clarity" (stealing the meaning from the ACR slider).  There was a trade-off.  The WHCC prints tended to block in highlights, Bayphoto highlights had very good fidelity.  In view of that trade-off, I see this glossy comparison as a draw.  I have not tried the other finishes or textures.  The Bayphoto prints shipped from California, which may be a disadvantage for anybody on the east coast.

Kelly

Canon 50D, Olympus PL2
kellycook.zenfolio.com/

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