Thinking of starting prints...

Tyler138

Tyler138

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Name
Alex Tyler
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In the summer i will be shooting a lot of mountain biking races and would like to try and sell some photos.

I would like to try sell prints but wouldn't really want to buy a printer and such as i wouldn't no if it would be worth it for how many i would sell.

So is there any good sites do order prints and such which are well know for this not the likes of tescos and such..?

Thanks,

Tyler
 
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I've found asda to be pretty good for prints (well my local one) they use the same machines as DSCL loxley photobox so the quality is pretty much the same between them. find the cheapest place that does the quality you like and bobs your uncle.

Photobox lets you have a pro account which means you can upload images and people buy them on the site and you don't have to do a thing.
 
Beware, Asda and Speedy Snaps and other High Street printers print their name on the rear of the print. Most peeps get seriously miffed when they find out they've paid a tenner for a print from Adsa that csts 30p.

I know that's not really what they are paying for but that's how they think, plus it doesn't look very pro does it?
 
admirable said:
Beware, Asda and Speedy Snaps and other High Street printers print their name on the rear of the print. Most peeps get seriously miffed when they find out they've paid a tenner for a print from Adsa that csts 30p.

I know that's not really what they are paying for but that's how they think, plus it doesn't look very pro does it?
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Thats what i was worried about with some of them, i used snap fish as a test a while ago and they done it. Maybe get a few stickers to cover it up with my name. :shrug:

Do you know of any good ones that done print the name on the back as well..?
 
Try and use a proper lab - it will reflect better on you and the price you want to charge.
 
POAH said:
define proper lab?
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I would say one which is a dedicated printer and which is operated by people who know more about printing than simply how to use the equipment.
 
gman said:
I would say one which is a dedicated printer and which is operated by people who know more about printing than simply how to use the equipment.
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so you can't be a pro lab and do anything else then.

having had prints done at my local asda and prints done at loxley there is no difference other than the price. maybe my local asda is an oddity
 
Well you should consider yourself lucky, the Asda you use must be unique as our local Asda prints are pants
 
POAH said:
so you can't be a pro lab and do anything else then.

having had prints done at my local asda and prints done at loxley there is no difference other than the price. maybe my local asda is an oddity
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A good lab won't need to do anything else, its not a restriction, just not usually required as good labs are busy.

Comparing Asda and Loxley if you only print small like up to 9x6 isn't the best way to check ultimate quality. For them sizes Asda or ALDI, or jessops are usually fine. But its like comparing a fiesta and a ferrari, both at 50mph....

Give them a larger print, and more opportunity to mess it up...and you will more than likely see the difference.

Not criticism. Just advice, print labs are still in business because they are better than high street offerings. It's true.

If anyone cares I use dscl or digitalab

Regards

Danny
 
POAH said:
so you can't be a pro lab and do anything else then.

having had prints done at my local asda and prints done at loxley there is no difference other than the price. maybe my local asda is an oddity
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That's not quite what I said and I think you know fine what I mean, stop being pedantic ;)

What Danny says is basically spot on in my books, however, I've just placed a hefty order with Loxely last night so I'm looking forward to seeing if their higher prices show in the quality. :)
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
A good lab won't need to do anything else, its not a restriction, just not usually required as good labs are busy.

Comparing Asda and Loxley if you only print small like up to 9x6 isn't the best way to check ultimate quality. For them sizes Asda or ALDI, or jessops are usually fine. But its like comparing a fiesta and a ferrari, both at 50mph....

Give them a larger print, and more opportunity to mess it up...and you will more than likely see the difference.

Not criticism. Just advice, print labs are still in business because they are better than high street offerings. It's true.

If anyone cares I use dscl or digitalab

Regards

Danny
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not really if they are printed on the same machine then the quality will be the same. I do all my printing at home anyway but it really gets my goat when people go on about pro labs it's the same with services. why does it always have to be expensive ?
 
POAH said:
not really if they are printed on the same machine then the quality will be the same
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Surely the type and quality of paper would also have an impact though?

Other things which spring to mind where a dedicated pro lab may outshine others:

Colour correction done by lab technicians
Trimming consistency
Ultra fast turnaround time options
Ordering system quality and support available for it

But I do agree that some things are quite expensive for a marginal increase in quality.

Just curious but how do you find your own prints compared to using a lab? I can achieve almost the same quality out of my R320 but it takes ages and costs a fortune even when using 3rd party inks (which are surprisingly good!) lol
 
POAH said:
I find my home prints more accurate and better quality than lab prints
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Well done , if you can get better results than a pro lab , then I take my hat off to you.
 
gman said:
This is the bit I would like.



This is the bit that puts me off.

And I'm guessing it's a fairly expensive process to get there in the end?
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don't know about expensive I use a CIS and get free samples from different companies when they release paper so not a huge cost lol
 
not really if they are printed on the same machine then the quality will be the same
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So, I give 10 photographers the same camera in the same room to photograph the same subjects...

.... will they all be the same photos?

If you honestly think the same equipment will give the same results you really don't understand that the person who presses the button has the biggest influence - and to a degree, the same is goes for the printer - and the way the files are prepped - how "on aim" the machine is kept - which paper is used - how maintained the equipment is kept - and most importantly how skilled the person is who looks at what comes out at the end!

I'm in total control
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Perhaps - as you are in a "closed loop" so if an image comes out too dark you can adjust the screen to match the output and so on - but then, when you break that loop and send elsewhere the results will be poor - and huess what - you'll blame the outside lab.

its not easy to achive
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Buy a good profile device for your screen at £100 - £150 and adjust the monitor to the correct brightness, buy a proper light to view the prints - job done if you use a good outside lab.
 
snappingsam said:
So, I give 10 photographers the same camera in the same room to photograph the same subjects...

.... will they all be the same photos?
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thats so not the same thing and you know it


snappingsam said:
If you honestly think the same equipment will give the same results you really don't understand that the person who presses the button has the biggest influence - and to a degree, the same is goes for the printer - and the way the files are prepped - how "on aim" the machine is kept - which paper is used - how maintained the equipment is kept - and most importantly how skilled the person is who looks at what comes out at the end!
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from my experiences, yes the pics look the same photobox, my local asda and loxleys looked the same. my local tesco on the other hand but they don't use a fuji frontier


snappingsam said:
Perhaps - as you are in a "closed loop" so if an image comes out too dark you can adjust the screen to match the output and so on - but then, when you break that loop and send elsewhere the results will be poor - and huess what - you'll blame the outside lab.
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I don't use a lab to print my photos and never will plus my images don't come out dark since I'm profiled out my head lol

snappingsam said:
Buy a good profile device for your screen at £100 - £150 and adjust the monitor to the correct brightness, buy a proper light to view the prints - job done if you use a good outside lab.
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I don't view my images with a "proper light" my house is not perfectly lit. an outside lab can only print on a few types of paper, they don't take a few mins to print the image and the resolution and quality is not the same if you have a decent printer. granted a lab is much cheaper and less effort for say 6x4 or 7x5s. Don't get me wrong labs are great for people that want cheap prints (compared to an inkjet) etc but like everything in this world you can buy the same product over a wide price range with the more expensive not making it better
 
POAH said:
not really if they are printed on the same machine then the quality will be the same. I do all my printing at home anyway but it really gets my goat when people go on about pro labs it's the same with services. why does it always have to be expensive ?
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I've never watched specific model car racing series like the "clio cup". But I bet its proper boring, everyone using the exact same car and all crossing the finish line at exactly the same time with everyone getting joint first...amateurs and professional drivers alike. ;)
 
Nice example Mahoneyd187 - I'll use that from time to time!

POAH - from my experiences, yes the pics look the same photobox, my local Asda and loxleys looked the same. my local Tesco on the other hand but they don't use a fuji frontier
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A year or two back the Gadget Show did a bit on online printers - and even showing the prints on a TV you could clearly see a huge difference between suppliers. Now if you ever tried sending the same files to a local supermarket and a pro lab you will see this.

One of our clients did this and posted the example on his blog http://biSPAM/cvpAQL
 
Mahoneyd187 said:
I've never watched specific model car
proper boring, everyone using the exact same car and all crossing the finish line at exactly the same time with everyone getting joint first...amateurs and professional drivers alike. ;)
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Mahoneyd187 said:
I've never watched specific model car racing series like the "clio cup". But I bet its proper boring, everyone using the exact same car and all crossing the finish line at exactly the same time with everyone getting joint first...amateurs and professional drivers alike. ;)
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nothing like the same thing and you know it. fact remains from my testing so called professional printers are no different to the cheaper alternatives I've tried. Now I'm not saying thats the whole case but to say that pro labs are better is wrong and untrue.

if you are happy with what you get then that's the important thing.
 
snappingsam said:
A year or two back the Gadget Show did a bit on online printers - and even showing the prints on a TV you could clearly see a huge difference between suppliers. Now if you ever tried sending the same files to a local supermarket and a pro lab you will see this.

One of our clients did this and posted the example on his blog http://biSPAM/cvpAQL
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I have sent the same files to a super Market and a so called prolab plus my home printer. lab prints where the same my home prints were better in my eyes.

like I said above I'd not expect all printers to look the same but to say all prolabs are better is simply not true.
 
POAH said:
I have sent the same files to a super Market and a so called prolab plus my home printer. lab prints where the same my home prints were better in my eyes.

like I said above I'd not expect all printers to look the same but to say all prolabs are better is simply not true.
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Which printer do you use? I am thinking about home printing now too.
 
You state this....

POAH said:
if they are printed on the same machine then the quality will be the same
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but then apparently it's not always the case?

POAH said:
Now I'm not saying thats the whole case but to say that pro labs are better is wrong and untrue.
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Paper? Maintainance of the printers? Calibration of the software? Calibration of their monitors? Correctly set up print profiles? Someone educated to know if theres a problem with a print?

If you get the same quality prints, then you are either very lucky that the cheap supermarket prints you get have the same excellent quality of Loxleys (one in a million...if this is the case then please tell me which Asda this is!!)..

Or...

Your software/calibration/handling/profile of the file does not match the lab's that you've tested, in which case you'll get a rubbish print...just like one from a supermarket chain ;)

What size did you get these comparisons printed?

From your experience the quality is identical then, but for most people the more expensive labs are most consistent and accurate. Which comes into play when bulk ordering for paying customers. If I place a print order for 200 8x10s, I want them all to come back as damn near perfect as possible...if I didnt use an experienced lab I would strongly suspect errors on afew of these prints. So apologising to customers for delays, posting back poor quality prints, waiting for reprint, then delivery, then rechecking.

Do I want to deal with it?..well no.

My advice (please note; no statements here, no facts, just my OPINION) would be, if you are selling prints to paying customers, use a good lab, pay a few pence more, and be done with it.

I will say no more :bonk:
 
haveing worked for nearly 20 years in the photographic products industry all i can say is poah you have not got a clue what your talking about! ive worked for a high street retailer and a pro-lab and the difference is absolutley night and day! everything, and i do mean everything in a pro lab is scrutinized to the max to ensure that the customer is getting the best possible service the lab can provide,yes sometimes there are issues and the customer doesnt get the service quality,but in a good lab its sorted out swiftly and without fuss. retail photo production is get it in the door and out as fast as possible no matter what its like,if you loose a customer,***** happens theres a dozen more just walked in the door! ive seen retail shops n labs bang files down a processor in 30 minutes or less and send it back to the customer acctually green in colour because the machine chemistry was pants! pro labs offer colour correction, scrutiny and fault cheking ,your lucky if your local asda calibrates there processor once a week! oh and by the way the machines asda use are not the same as the pro labs,there built by the same company but the asda ones are different software,parts and dont have high defenition lasers in them,also use different chemistry and paper aswell so maybe you just looked at the asda print twice to make that conclusion! also id really like to know what home printer your useing because if your home printer of a value of up to 1000 quid can out do some of the best imageing machines that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds (yes even the asda ones) with all there support structure and r&d departments,then i have to tell my boss where to buy some of those bad boys he'll be thrilled!!

i dont mind people comeing on and haveing an opinon, i do mind un-informed people comeing on and slaming with statements like "so called pro lab" when they have no idea
what actually goes into the overall process,and all there ****ed at in the end is they dont like the price thats being asked!
 
roobear78 said:
haveing worked for nearly 20 years in the photographic products industry all i can say is poah you have not got a clue what your talking about! ive worked for a high street retailer and a pro-lab and the difference is absolutley night and day! everything, and i do mean everything in a pro lab is scrutinized to the max to ensure that the customer is getting the best possible service the lab can provide,yes sometimes there are issues and the customer doesnt get the service quality,but in a good lab its sorted out swiftly and without fuss. retail photo production is get it in the door and out as fast as possible no matter what its like,if you loose a customer,***** happens theres a dozen more just walked in the door! ive seen retail shops n labs bang files down a processor in 30 minutes or less and send it back to the customer acctually green in colour because the machine chemistry was pants! pro labs offer colour correction, scrutiny and fault cheking ,your lucky if your local asda calibrates there processor once a week! oh and by the way the machines asda use are not the same as the pro labs,there built by the same company but the asda ones are different software,parts and dont have high defenition lasers in them,also use different chemistry and paper aswell so maybe you just looked at the asda print twice to make that conclusion! also id really like to know what home printer your useing because if your home printer of a value of up to 1000 quid can out do some of the best imageing machines that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds (yes even the asda ones) with all there support structure and r&d departments,then i have to tell my boss where to buy some of those bad boys he'll be thrilled!!

i dont mind people comeing on and haveing an opinon, i do mind un-informed people comeing on and slaming with statements like "so called pro lab" when they have no idea
what actually goes into the overall process,and all there ****ed at in the end is they dont like the price thats being asked!
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I trust you in every word you say, and I have just one question: which pro lab you can recommend? Thanks in advance!
 
unfortunatley i cannot recomend a specific lab for you, i dont think a lab employee recomending any one lab would be a good thing ethically or for credibility,what i can do is offer some impartial advice

most of the pro labs are very similar,we more or less use the same machinery,software,papers etc with similar product line ups. its actually a very small community and while we are competitors, due to us sourceing our resources from the same manufacturers, information,technology, product line up it all eventually filters its way around the buisness in time. so as i said were all simlar in those resepcts

what you looking for is a good quick turnaround period,quality product and helpful friendly
staff support and customer service. if the price bothers you contact the labs sales team
and request a lab tour,most labs will be more than happy to give you a tour of there setup and explain different stages and workflow,how its done,why its done and you can see just what your paying for,im sure you'll be amazed at most sites into just how much work goes in to getting your order out the door! ask for a discount on your first order,labs want your repeat buisness not just one order!

so just overall investigate your options and go with what ticks all your boxes,there are many different labs mentioned on these boards,they are all worthy of consideration
 
roobear78 said:
unfortunatley i cannot recomend a specific lab for you, i dont think a lab employee recomending any one lab would be a good thing ethically or for credibility,what i can do is offer some impartial advice

most of the pro labs are very similar,we more or less use the same machinery,software,papers etc with similar product line ups. its actually a very small community and while we are competitors, due to us sourceing our resources from the same manufacturers, information,technology, product line up it all eventually filters its way around the buisness in time. so as i said were all simlar in those resepcts

what you looking for is a good quick turnaround period,quality product and helpful friendly
staff support and customer service. if the price bothers you contact the labs sales team
and request a lab tour,most labs will be more than happy to give you a tour of there setup and explain different stages and workflow,how its done,why its done and you can see just what your paying for,im sure you'll be amazed at most sites into just how much work goes in to getting your order out the door! ask for a discount on your first order,labs want your repeat buisness not just one order!

so just overall investigate your options and go with what ticks all your boxes,there are many different labs mentioned on these boards,they are all worthy of consideration
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Thanks for advice! I might visit some if there any in London...
 
@roobear78

I am glad you have come on and responded saving Mr Pro Poah from my profanities.

Its annoys the hell out of me too when people come on here misinforming everyone.

Poah I'm sorry to inform you, but your amazon.com printer is no match for a professional printer that costs as much as a house and mostn often than not run and maintained by print professionals not some bedroom pro.
 
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