Lab recommendations for panoramic prints on metallic paper

[final cut cafe]

I have some panoramic I would like to have printed on Kodak Metallic paper. I have found several labs

online that print on this paper, but my search for a lab that does panoramic on this paper has proven

difficult. I would like to print 12x48, 16x48 or even 19x72. Does anybody have any lab recomendations

that will print my panoramic on metallic paper, possibly by charging by the square foot?

[david.seaton]

I've printed many panoramas on Kodak metallic by ordering a large print from El-Co Color. They do a 20x30 for like $16 and a 30x60 for around $50, and they will go longer than that 60 and charge by the inch for your 19x72 (I don't know how much tho). You can usually fit 2 panos on each sheet which is great.

 

http://www.elcocolor.com/internet_only_specials.htm

[final cut cafe]

Thanks for the advice! I checked them out and their pricing seems very low. How is their quality and reliability? do you know if the ship large prints rolled up or flat? Their website says they use a Durst Epsilon. How different is this from a Durst Lambda?

[emre]

Rolled up. Both printers are good; cf. http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00H4Cg. They are very adamant about receiving files sized at 254ppi. I printed two ganged 10x30 panoramas on a 20x30 sheet, but not on their metallic paper.

[final cut cafe]

254ppi? Why? All my files are saved at 300. What will happen if I change my files to 254 in Photoshop?

[emre]

They expect you to do all the work in order not to tax their RIP so they can pass the savings back to you. In you want someone to hold your hand, go to WCI.

[final cut cafe]

I'm mostly concerned with the quality of the print at 254dpi. In the past I have used Ezprints and they take files at 300dpi. Are prints made on a Durst Epsilon at 254dpi inferior to Frontier prints at 300dpi?

[emre]

The much-touted Lightjet prints at 200ppi...

[final cut cafe]

So why are Lambda and Lightjet prints considered superior to Frontier prints if the Lambda/Lightjet prints at a lower dpi than the Frontier?

[emre]

For the same reason that your 6MP DSLR is better than your 8MP P&S: it's not all about the quantity; the quality counts too.

 

Also bear in mind that the variation between labs make matter as much as the machines they employ. A cheap lab will skimp on chemicals and processing, yielding dull and inconsistent prints.

[final cut cafe]

ok so I just found out elcocolor.com has a Durst Theta 76. Is that supposed to be better

than the Epsilon? I see we are moving down the Greek alphabet.

[sara_campos]

<p>Hello everyone! - I'm Sara Campos from iPrintfromHome.com. We are an online photographic and giclee printing service. We offer a host of different panoramic printing options (including 4", 5", 8", 10", 11", 12", 20", 30" & 40" panoramic prints in aspect ratios 1x2, 1x3, 1x4). NOTE: We do offer panoramic prints on Kodak Metallic Paper.</p>

<p>http://www.iprintfromhome.com/PanoramicPrints.asp</p>

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