Qns on sending digital photos to lab for printing.

[jOhO]

Hi all,

OK, i'm armed (or disabled, depends on how u see it!) with TONNES of shots of my brother's TWO weddings. (don't ask!)

I need to get these printed and sent to australia.

There are about 400 different shots, and most likely i'll need at least 2 of each plus some need more, so at least 1000 prints in 4R.

Questions:

1. i stupidly did not use the 3:2 ratio on my cam, does that mean i have to crop into 3:2 for ALL the shots for the lab to print it out properly?

2. princing. for that qty, wat's the price per 4R?

3. colour. does the lab tweak the colours b4 they print? becos i will be tweaking the colours in photoshop myself (not all lar..) and i know there's heaps of differences between print and screen colour.

4. large prints. how big can i print 2560x1920 b4 it starts to look like crap?

5. which lab? time is not a constraint. i would prefer a better price, over better quality (since the shots aren't very quality shots!!)

sorree to bombard with qns, and thanx in advance!

 

[linse]

Originally posted by jOhO
1. i stupidly did not use the 3:2 ratio on my cam, does that mean i have to crop into 3:2 for ALL the shots for the lab to print it out properly?

The lab will crop them to 3:2 ratio for you if you specify it. However, you run the risk of them cropping off the top of the head, etc. This probably depend on the lab operator's skill.

2. princing. for that qty, wat's the price per 4R?

KT digital imaging in Hong Lim Complex do 4R for $0.30 if you are a Clubsnap member regardless of quantity. Using Fuji Archive Supreme paper.

3. colour. does the lab tweak the colours b4 they print? becos i will be tweaking the colours in photoshop myself (not all lar..) and i know there's heaps of differences between print and screen colour.

Yes. According to their experience, the majority of digital photos are underexposed. They can also compensate for white balance etc. If you don't want them to tweak the colours, you can specify it. You have to ensure that you monitor is well calibrated. It is also safer to do a few test prints first. You may end up worse off if your calibration is off.

4. large prints. how big can i print 2560x1920 b4 it starts to look like crap?

The Fuji Frontier's resolution is 300dpi which works out to be about 8.5" x 6.4". However, larger prints are still acceptable.

5. which lab? time is not a constraint. i would prefer a better price, over better quality (since the shots aren't very quality shots!!)

See above. I have not tried any other labs.

 

[Hobbes234]

Well i use e-color at balestier point. the guy is quite friendly.. he tweeks the file for you. he charges me 30 cents a piece for 4R.
since you have such large quantity, i think you can ask him to requote you a better price. he's quite flexible.

regards

 

[jOhO]

thanx linse and hobbes! very good info esp linse. will follow up.

so i think i will crop the shots myself, to spare me banging my head on the wall, and i'll tweak the colours too, but still allow them to do it should it still need tweaking.

 

[jOhO]

anyone else wanna share experience?

btw, maybe another stupid question:

do i have to bleed?

 

[Snowcrash]

Originally posted by jOhO
anyone else wanna share experience?

btw, maybe another stupid question:

do i have to bleed?

:dunno:

don't understand your question.

 

[jOhO]

Originally posted by Snowcrash
:dunno:

don't understand your question.

bleeding..

er it's when u have extra "image" just slightly bigger than the actual (physical) crop u want, so if u crop a little salah, there won't be a white line where the ink or exposure ends, and pure white paper starts.

hope u know wat i mean now..

 

[linse]

Originally posted by jOhO
do i have to bleed?

Try reading this Frontier Print Size, Digital Photo Resizing

However, this article only applies if your are resizing the photo to exactly 300 dpi, eg 1800 x 1200 yourself. Personally, I just crop it to the right ratio for 4R eg 2560 x 1710 and let the lab resize the photo. Bleed a little, you won't get a white line but a tiny part of your picture might be cropped out. For instance, don't print the date right at the last pixel of the image because it will definitely be cropped.

 

[jOhO]

thanx linse, will have a look!