Where to print very large sizes in the US and Canada?

[cm1]

<p>I am located in Germany, and some people in the US and Canada want large prints of my photos. It does not make much sense to produce them here and ship them over the pond. Iwould like to get them printed in the US or Canada.<br>

Sizes:</p>

<ul>

<li>About 6' x 3'</li>

<li>17" x 22"</li>

<li>Letter size</li>

</ul>

<p>It might also be necessary to mount some of the large prints on a kind of foamcore or Kapa board.<br>

Can you recommend any labs that aceept orders and uploads online and that I can rely on?<br>

<br /><br /></p>

[john_reynolds10]

<p>Have a look at WHCC, Bay Photo and MPix. I'm not sure if they can handle 6'x3' but check.</p>

[ian_white2]

<p>In Canada, Toronto Image Works at www.torontoimageworks.com is an excellent source for all printing/mounting etc for photographers. I think that you will find that the size of 6'x3' is custom wherever you go. They can handle it.</p>

[bikealps]

<p>Bay Photo offer metal prints up to 96"x43" or 40"x80" in 2:1 aspect ratio. I've never printed that large and prints that large are expensive, but metal prints from Bay Photo are incredible. I'll be ordering several smaller ones soon.</p>

[Ian Taylor]

<p>As Ian says, Toronto Image Works produces all Ed Burtynsky's huge prints. He owns the lab. Those prints are of the highest possible quality and sell for $25,000+.</p>

[john_reynolds10]

<p>Personally, I've found TIW better for film than digital. I've found it difficult to get a good screen to print match there despite matching their calibration settings. For large format printing in Toronto I much prefer Colourgenics. But all this is besides the point. The OP is looking for a lab that can reliably print AND ship prints to locations in the US and Canada from files uploaded in Germany. While both these labs offer delivery services on the side they are not set up for it in the same way as the labs I suggested above - i.e. upload, place order, costs calculated, pay, prints made and delivered - click, click ,click and it's done.</p>

[cm1]

<p>Thanks to all. I browsed through some price lists and found that very large sizes like 6' x 3' are really hard to find. And I also found that photographic and inkjet prints are a lot more expensive on your side of the Atlantic. I am not always sure whether I compare Mountain Dew with german beer because many descriptions are unknown to me.<br>

Just to give you an idea what I pay to my favourite lab in Germany: 6' x 3', mounted on foam board with a metal edge, laminated for protection and lamination back to back to avoid warping/distortion of the board = $254. The only problem is that shipping costs are a deal killer.</p>

[john_reynolds10]

<p>That's an amazing price. They must outsource to China. On the other hand laminating a print isn't really considered an archival framing/storage technique so maybe they're just cheap.</p>

[cm1]

<p>They don't outsource anything, I was there when they did my last superlarge prints.<br>

<br />I think they use Neschen lamination foil. What would be a better protection for large prints than laminating?</p>

[john_reynolds10]

<p>The print itself should be printed on archival paper (such as Fuji Crystal Archive for C-Print or archival paper and inks for ink jet) Drymounted using acid free materials to acid free backed gator board probably 1/2" or 3/4" for large format (though in ultra archival methods the print would be mounted to the gatorboard with hinges but in this method the print would probably get a little wavy over time), framed with the glass offset from the print, sealed at the back with heavy kraft paper. More information on the web, do a search if interested or contact a reputable framer.</p>

[cm1]

<p>John, any idea how to to do this without glass? Putting such large images behind invisible 'Museum Glass' is extremely costly.</p>

[john_reynolds10]

<p>No I don't - I'm not an expert. I only know what I know from working with framers. Keep in mind that these are only best practices, perhaps for limited edition prints of some value or an expectation of value in the future. There's nothing wrong with going cheap - the picture might yellow a bit or the colours might get stained from organics seeping into the paper or it might delaminate and bubble or it might not or somewhere in between. Sometimes this kind of deterioration adds to the charm.</p>