Is one minilab 8x10 print much like another?

[tales of a flaneur]

<p>I need to generate about 30 high-quality minilab prints this week from scanned images. I usually use Peak Imaging for all the developing I don't already do myself and their quality is terrific.<br>

I'm just wondering if I could obtain the same level of quality for what is essentially a minilap print from, say, Snapfish, Kodak, QOOP. Quick thoughts or experiences?<br>

Thanks!</p>

[randall ellis]

<p>No. In my experience these places do not do as good a job as a pro lab. The results are fine for most uses, but they cannot compare to the prints I've gotten from my local shop.</p>

<p>- Randy</p>

[jason_hall5]

<p>If it is a "Pro" lab that does a good job of doing a properly color managed workflow, than the results should be pretty comparable from one lab to the next. If they do not use a color managed workflow, or it is not managed properly...the results would be all over the board. Some that I know that do a good job are, CPQ, Diversified, and MPIX. There are many others....</p>

<p>Jason</p>

[Tim_Lookingbill]

<p>See if this web page answers your question:</p>

<p>http://web.ncf.ca/jim/photography/photofinishers/index.html</p>

[alvinyap]

<p>Hi John,<br>

I've tried one online place and one high street minilab, and many pro labs for prints, the pro labs just blow them away. Better colors, better managed highlights. I went through like 4 pro labs of them to pick one I liked though :)</p>

<p>Alvin</p>

[david_henderson]

<p>I'm not at all sure that Peak are a Pro Lab in the true sense - its not an over the counter operation, you don't speak with the guys that do the work, and I suspect that they don't get a lot of business from the "picky" end of Professional photographers. That said my experience with them has been decent . If you've been happy with them and you now have an urgent need, it seems more than a little perverse to start threshing around in a marketplace where there's a lot of variation in both price and quality and where offering to pay more doesn't provide a guarantee of better. </p>

<p>There is a difference between labs even when they (as is common) use the same or similar equipment. The way that equipment is set up and managed, their QA process, the degree of "customisation" involved all vary and so do the attitudes and skills of the people doing it.</p>

 

[Larry_G1664882113]

<p>I find that street corner photo quick-print joints turn out mediocre images - at best. If you give them the exact image you want as a jpg and say not to make any alterations, you may do all right. If all you want is an image on a sheet of paper it's OK. I have been printing my own images lately, but I 'd use a pro lab. Many of them have minilabs that do precise work. You also have limited paper choice or texture choice with a place that the general public uses. Most people are satisfied if an image shows up on the picture and don't bother with details like exposure, contrast, color, etc. </p>

[tales of a flaneur]

<p>Quite right, all. Thanks for the reassurance. I was just feeling wobbly about having everything done at one shop, but again Peak sent me 50 splendid 8x10s in record time (and not via Royal Mail, either).<br>

I also had a couple of test prints done on metallic paper. Interesting effect. Not great for everything, but quite striking in contrasty scenes.<br>

If you're in London on Saturday, come have a look at the results at Photofair in Spitalfields!</p>