Printing Images

[russelldavis]

I very rarely print my images but have decided to get some of my favourites printed to frame and hang them. I am shooting with a D70 in RAW mode ad using iPhoto for any (minimal) post processing and storing. I printed some using Photobox but them came back much darker than they displayed on my laptop and my work computer (viewing from Flickr). Do different printing places have different printing qualities/brightness like film processing or is it pretty much the same from all places when printing digital images?
I calibrate my laptop using OSX's inbuilt calibration programme - should I use anything more sophisticated?
Does anyone have any recommendations for printing?

As I want to display these I really want them right!

Thanks

Russell Davis

[Nicole]

It's definitely different for everywhere that you get photos printed. Their printers may not be calibrated the same as your monitor, or you might be using a different colour setting that produces different colours (e.g. sRGB v CMYK). You might try a local lab that prints digitals and see how the pictures turn out because that way if they turn out dark or whatever it's easier to go back to them and see why and what you can do on your end to fix it so you get better prints Hope that helps.

[Merlyn]

Fact of life, photo printers process vary. For example, Mpix uses this ICC profile for their E-Kodak Surface process ( MPRP30E1_02_26_04.icc ). Most all photo printers can provide you with the profile that they use so that you load can it into your computer's profile database. Then you edit the print in your photo editor, using the given profile, save and give to them. Most will then ask that after you process in their ICC profile, that you then convert to sRGB for final print, some will ask for CMYK. It all boils down to computer monitor calibration.
Theirs will not be like yours. There will be some difference, mostly in the brightness area. It would be good to get one print and see how your shop printers brightness compares to yours and then make adjustments in the edit for your next prints.

This is a quote from the company Mpix:

"Every order that comes into our system is reviewed by an experienced color technician and is given an overall color correction on a calibrated monitor before it is submitted to our printers.

Please note:
Because each order can be viewed by a different technician we have no way to match colors from order to order or how they may appear on your monitor. The only way to accomplish this is to be calibrated to our printers and select the 'no color corrections' option located in the 'order summary' were files are sent directly to the printer without any adjustments."


My pet peeve is that I hate to see someone try to edit a pic on a laptop. To each his own. A laptop has to much color variance when you look at it. Looking at it from a slight angle will alter the colors you see. It has been said that an old CRT monitor will give the best color rendition. With newer LCD monitors and newer tech, LCDs are getting much better. A good monitor calibrator cost $$$$$$ and a LCD should be adjusted often as they do age.
At least once a month. Use your home monitor with as little ambient light as you can get by with before adjusting colors and brightness.

Chapters in books have been written on the subject, so there can be many answers to the ???? on print shop selection and how you edit photos to give to them. Good luck on your quest for the perfect print.