Many of our readers have been asking us to write detailed howto articles on printing, a topic we have certainly neglected over the years. Getting our work seen is very important for us photographers, because that’s why we shoot in the first place. While posting images to Facebook and Instagram is something many of us love doing, images often look completely different in print when compared to how electronic devices display them. And I am not just talking about differences in color reproduction, accuracy and perception (which are obviously important), but about other important factors that influence them such as print brightness, contrast, sharpness, reflection, glare, paper type, print material, size and much more.
Another big topic is where to print photos. While some photographers are brave enough to print at home, most prefer getting their prints done through a printing company. This is the topic we want to research in detail and aside from explaining how you can make your photos look best in print, we also want to provide specific information on which printing companies we believe make the best-looking prints. We have already identified a list of candidates that we want to talk to, but we would love to have your feedback on your preferred choice of printing company and why you believe they make the best prints. Please let us know where you print and if you outsource the process, let us know why you chose the particular company you are working with in the comments section below!
Below are the printing companies we will be researching:
- Shutterfly
- ProDPI
- Mpix
- Bay Photo
- Adorama Pix
- Nations Photo Lab
- Costco
Remember, even if you photograph purely for your own joy, seeing a physical print takes that joy to a whole different level. That’s why printing is so important.