Digital print labs

[Richard Fenner]

I've decided to get a batch of transparencies and negs printed digitally. I don’t like seeing my transparencies leave the house, and several have gained scratches while at the lab for printing. I like the idea of consistent, outstanding printing at short notice - I often wondered how ciba technicians work for so little per print - then I put a few prints (made at different times) of the same tranny together and saw how - they’re inconsistent and sometimes unimpressive. Reading many sites, Chromira seems to have some advantages over Lightjet, but I'm not sure it's so significant it should put me off a firm which has only Lightjet capability. That leaves the decision of the lab.

I shortlisted reputation four labs - West Coast Imaging (WCI); Calypso; ColorFolio; LaserLight.

The analysis following includes print costs which may seem odd, but takes account of extra fees to acquire larger scans, a set no. of proof prints, cd burn, postage etc. They can be compared relative to each other, but the actual numbers will vary according to individual needs.

Breaking down my analysis:

WCI - considerably more expensive 30x24@$344, 16x20@$240 offers a 'global service' with a fair amount of work possible on the print for the standard or exhibition price.

Laserlight - 30x24@$235, 16x20@$160 similar work to WCI.

ColorFolio - 30x24@$310, 16x20@$220 similar to WCI, but INCLUDES MASTER IMAGE on CD

Calypso - 30x24@$210, 16x20@$122 - more basic service - the site says the scan is cleaned up and colour/density matched, and after an optional proof print, one global colour correction is included. I asked whether any dodging/burning, or selective colour changes, would be included, and was told NO - these would require the $125/hr fee payable in 1/4hr increments. They said that for 99.9% of customers, whose transparencies are fine, such a fee doesn’t get added because they don’t use the service.
Calypso boast a good range of testimonials, including Charles Cramer, Joseph Holmes (whose images look so much more beautiful on his site than in his book), Frans Lanting, William Neill.

I haven’t considered the reprinting prices of anyone. Prices take into account current offers - Laserlight has a 4 for the price of 3 offer, and their prices have been reduced as if taken in blocks of 4.

So, the budget option is Calypso, with prints below the 30x24 very well priced compared with others. But they do less work on the print before charging you extra (although they insist it’s rare people need it - but how many prints do you get done that require NO dodging or burning???). The expensive options are WCI and ColorFolio, both of whom state their prices include up to an hour of custom imaging time. ColorFolio includes the master file. WCI has the reputation - but reputation is easily gained if you’re big enough. Laserlight sits in the middle.

I’d like to get a lot done, (choose Calypso); I like the idea of gaining the master file (choose ColorFolio [WCI have this as an option, but it’s a very expensive extra]); I don’t want them to skimp on any work that needs doing - these should be the final versions that I can always be happy with (aesthetic preferences changing over time aside) (choose WCI or Laserlight); I want a bit of everything (the compromise - choose Laserlight). But not everything in life involves compromise.



If others are/have been in my position, what would/did sway you?



I hope this summary is useful to someone else considering moving over to digital prints.

[Harley Goldman]

I have used WCI and Calypso. The end results, the prints, were excellent in both cases but the process was a world of difference.

Calypso screwed up pretty much every step of the way. The people there were very pleasant to deal with, but they could not do anything right. They did not follow my printing instructions, they sent proofs and the print to the wrong address several times, lost my scan ( I had to send the cd back in so they could recorrect the correction) etc. etc. They made it right by giving me the final print free, but it was painful to go through.

WCI was great to work with and very easy. They are also more expensive and do not give you the scan unless you pay extra (Calypso will send the scan on a cd with the print).

[Howard Slavitt]

When I did my first digital prints they were done by Laserlight. They were fantastic. That was 5 years ago. I haven't done anything with them since because I now do all my own Photoshop work (and scans, on an Imacon). If you're not going to do your own photoshop work before printing, then I wouldn't go with Calypso. They have an excellent calibrated workflow, and I use them for all of my Lightjet prints, but I wouldn't use them for burning/dodging Photoshop work. Unless someone has negative things to say about Laserlight, I think for what you want you're likely to get equal quality from Laserlight or WCI (depends on whose doing the work that day and how effective they happen to be), and so you should decide on price between the two. BTW, I've also heard of a fairly negative experience of a photographer who had a lot of custom work done with WCI about 3 years ago, but would not hesitate to use them if I had a need for their services. It's just to say that WCI and Laserlight are probably about equally good, very good, but not perfect.

[clay harmon]

I can't praise Laserlight loudly enough. Their work is superb. They took some Ektachrome 400 slides of mine from a climbing trip and made them into exhibition quality prints without a hitch.

[David A. Goldfarb]

I've had good experiences with WCI, and I like the Chromira prints. I've ordered reprints in Chromira from scans I originally had done on LightJet, and the Chromira prints do look a little cleaner side by side with the LightJet prints, but both are quite impressive for color output.

[QT Luong]

Like Howard, I used Laserlight in the past and was pleased with the work. At that time, they would also give you the master files at no charge if you asked (although this wasn't advertised). I haven't had digital work done by anyone else since I do it myself now. Of all the people who do digital work, I would think Bill of Laserlight is the most experienced, if nothing because of the time he's been in the industry.

[Brian Vuillemenot]

WCI is actually less expensive if you get the "standard" prints ($69.00 for a 16X20, including scanning; $40.00 for a reprint). I've been very happy with the quality of these; although I haven't compared them with any other digital print services, they are far superior to the cibachromes I had gotten in the past. If you want the "exhibition" prints, you can get an 8X10 for $75 and buy an archive scan for $50.00. Then you can get bigger prints at the reprint prices.

[Richard Fenner]

Thanks everyone so far.

Brian, it could looks a bit unfair that I've given prices for exhibition prints from WCI - I should have probably said that for standard prints, they come in probably very slightly lower than ColorFolio, but that still leaves them as the two most expensive services. All the figures I've given include any extra scanning charges to make 'archival' scans of about 300Mb.

I've often wondered why the labs don't give, in addition to the main scan, a smaller version of the master file - perhaps at 1Mb, which would allow most people to resize for web use etc, without impinging on the lab expectation of reprints. Maybe as QTL says, such services are available to those who ask; they're just not advertised.

[Michael Chmilar]

Depending on how "serious" you are, you may eventually end up doing the Photoshop work yourself. Then, you just pay for scans and prints (at "reprint" rates). You will always have the "master" files.



If you already own a capable computer system, then your "cost" is learning how to set up your system and software to have a "calibrated" workflow, and how to operate Photoshop.



If you don't have the computer, you will have significant startup cost, and this may steer you towards using a service bureau for everything. Unfortunately, if you are working with 300MB scans from your large format film, you need a powerful machine and/or a lot of patience.



If you decide on the more hands-on approach, some of the service bureaus offer courses which will teach you the basics, over a weekend. The courses are usually aimed at teaching you how to set up your system with a workflow calibrated towards that bureau's scanning and printing services (although it is mostly the same for all bureaus). They should also teach you the most important parts of Photoshop, that you will use on every image (ie. curves, levels, color correction), and hopefully some more advanced things too (masking, dodging, burning). When you leave, you should know all you need to do your own "exhibition" prints.



I recommend taking such a course over trying to invent your workflow by yourself, or from reading books. Even if you have Photoshop experience, the focussed curriculum of the course will save you lots of money from wasted prints due to miscalibration.



About three years ago, I took the course that Charles Cramer and Bill Atkinson teach at Calypso's facility in Santa Clara. It was an excellent course, and I acquired a lot of practical knowledge. I highly recommend this course (or comparable courses taught at the reputable service bureaus you can read about on this website).

[Richard Fenner]

Thanks Michael. I agree doing the PS work myself would be the best route, but there are few courses in the UK to compare with the courses on offer in the US. Basic and 'advanced' photoshop, but nowhere like the specialised courses some of the US firms offer. Also, there's the drum-scanning problem - I'd still be sending out for scans. I looked at a few of the courses recently, as transatlantic fares are fairly low, but they're often in out-of-the-way locations, and I'm a non-driver!

I also noticed the courses at WCI are temporarily on hold.