Digital Developing

[nusspli]

What is the best way to have digital prints developed as 4X6 or larger? So far I have just brought my CF card to CVS, but the processing isn't that great. The colors never look the same as on screen.

Thanks,

Jessica

 

[VTernovski]

What is the best way to have digital prints developed as 4X6 or larger? So far I have just brought my CF card to CVS, but the processing isn't that great. The colors never look the same as on screen.

Thanks,

Jessica

You're better of bringing your files to a professional shop, or if you have a computer, you can make the prints yourself if you go out and buy an Epson photo printer and use Epson photo paper. CVS or any other kin dof one-stop-shop photo processing will never yield great results.

 

[Gilligan]

Jessica the colors will not be the same on a print as on the monitor.

Another option is to process your photos to you liking in a good software program. Crop them yourself to the size you want the print and save them as TIFF's at 300 dpi. Burn them on a CD ROM and take that in to get the prints.

Also, the camera pics are not compatible with print sizes unless you set your camera in advance for that (if the camera has that option). So if you don't re-size them yourself they will be auto-cropped at the store.

I had some prints done at Costco that I touched up and resized myself. They came out great with the exception of being a little on the light side. Now that I know that I can make them a little darker on the monitor before burning them to the CD for prints.

 

[nusspli]

Jessica the colors will not be the same on a print as on the monitor.

Another option is to process your photos to you liking in a good software program. Crop them yourself to the size you want the print and save them as TIFF's at 300 dpi. Burn them on a CD ROM and take that in to get the prints.

Thanks for the tips. I do have an HP Photo Ink Jet printer. I've only printed a few photos on it though. I'll try Epson paper to see if it makes a difference.

 

[Gilligan]

Jessica,
I think you may find that if you make a lot of prints on a home printer it will be more expensive than outsourcing them.
The home printer is an ink hog when it comes to printing photos.
I doubt prints made on any home printer can match the quality of out-sourced prints which are done on the same equipment as 35mm prints.

 

[MildlyDamp]

I second the motion for using Costco. Not only are they dirt cheap ($3 for a 12x18!) but their quality is very good. You will have to "calibrate" the process, but this is true of virtually any photofinisher. This means compare your digital file to the print to see where it departs in terms of exposure and color. When I first started with Costco, I just made up a "test chart image" of various colors so that I could see exactly how they reproduced. I generally find that blues shift the most, which is obviously rather critical for UW photography.

 

[nusspli]

I second the motion for using Costco.

...I've never seen a Costco store in MA...

Maybe someone in the Central MA area will have some recommendations.

 

[DesertEagle]

The only Costco store in MA that I know of is in Dedham. Still there are a number of stores with digital minilabs: Ritz Camera, Walmart, Walgreens.

So far my best bang for the buck has been at Newtonville Camera. They will do 8x10 or 11x14 prints on polyester-based paper. You can give them slides, CDs or media cards.

For a good quality print in Central Mass, check Autumn Color Digital Imaging. They aren't cheap but their prints are excellent.

 

[SimonJ]

Having spent far too much money on paper and toner for my Epson photo printer...I have given up. I find I get the best results from Ofoto.com or one of the online services.

 

[gj62]

Has anyone tried SnapFish.com? I get great service, and like the quality too. Note that I am not an accomplished photog, so my acceptance level may be well below yours...