Need recommendations for master printers to print my images

[n2g9J29]

*
I'm unfortunately too tied up with other life activities to delve into the complex and arcane aspects of printing fine art images, as much as it interests me.

I do have some color images that I would like printed by a master printer. One who can apply needed photoshop tweaks (mild color correction, dust spot removal, mask fine tuning, optimal output sharpening for their specific printers) and then print for me. I shoot film and digital, focusing mostly on street and landscape. I process in Lightroom and Photoshop. I have a fully color managed workflow.

Can you recommend master printers ideally in the USA or Canada who is accepting outside work from amateur photographers such as myself?
I've been considering Laumont, Ken Allen Studios, Mac Holbert, Grieger, Weldon Color Lab, The Lightroom, Dan Berg, West Coast Imaging, etc.
I am willing to pay well for the talent.

[Daniel Stone]

Talk with Bob Carnie. You can contact him through his profile here on the forum:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/member.php?3834-bob-carnie

He's in Toronto, and definitely knows his stuff. He and his lab ( www.elevatordigital.ca ) are very accomplished at what they do. He's a nice fellow as well :)

cheers,
Dan

[Sal Santamaura]

http://www.eigerstudios.com/

[David Karp]

Ctein: http://ctein.com/customprinting.htm

Lots of great options, including the above forum members.

[bgh]

I can recommend without reservation John Mannion, who is the Master Printer with Light Work Lab here in Syracuse. He's incredibly good to work with, and is about as good as they get.
http://www.lightwork.org/services/

Bruce

[koh303]

Talk with Bob Carnie. You can contact him through his profile here on the forum:
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/member.php?3834-bob-carnie

He's in Toronto, and definitely knows his stuff. He and his lab ( www.elevatordigital.ca ) are very accomplished at what they do. He's a nice fellow as well :)

cheers,
Dan

+1

Probably one of the best printers in the world currently.

[Bruce Watson]

Can you recommend master printers ideally in the USA or Canada who is accepting outside work from amateur photographers such as myself?

Tyler Boley in Seattle for sure. He's in the Adams / Weston class of printers IMHO. He's one of those who can bring a luminosity to a print that's just hard to describe. Beautiful work, color or B&W, his photographs or yours.

John Dean in Atlanta, one of Tyler's buddies and a darn fine printer on his own.

Jon Cone in Vermont had a big hand in creating digital print making. He printed with the first IRIS printers IIRC and had to invent a lot of stuff to make them work the way he wanted to get the prints he wanted. He still does this today, making his own inksets for color and B&W.

[cowanw]

Call me a cynic, but I don't think you are doing these printers a favour by naming them, here.

[Sal Santamaura]

Call me a cynic...Call me perplexed.


...I don't think you are doing these printers a favour by naming them, here.Why?

[Drew Wiley]

Several things you should clarify first. Where do you live (It's advantageous to visit your intended printmaker in person, see samples of what they can do, and see if you communicate well with them personally). Second, What kind of specific output do you want, inkjet versus lightjet, or even dye transfer...sizes, surface, intended usage, quantities, etc. Third, what do you mean by the fact you'll pay for it? A competent lab service is one thing. A master printer willing to dedicate weeks or months to a project, like personal home cooking, is something else entirely. It's like comparing a good restaurant to a gourmet one, or comparing the difference between a burrito and prime rib, even at the same place. Quality takes time as well as equipment and materials. And different printing services have different skill as well as equipment sets. Why not PM someone like Bob Carnie, since he chimes into this very forum frequently, and discuss your needs.

[Bob Salomon]

Try www.colorservicesllc.com i=outside Boston. They do a lot of museum and gallery work internationally.

[Drew Wiley]

Why, Sal? Yeah, I could throw out some names, but they wouldn't appreciate it without some screening. Some lab services are public, while other printers only accept serious museum or intensive personal projects from known names. Not all hired guns are the same. Paying a thousand bucks is one thing. Paying a hundred thousand for a long commitment or for some very special skills is another. If they advertise their services, it's safe to assume they're open for new clients.

[cowanw]

Call me perplexed.

Why?

Because, I am cynical as to the sincerity of this first time poster, who has already the names of 8 printers, who has ? Large format colour images? he is too busy to print, (despite a fully color managed workflow) and who is wealthy enough to pay "well" but seeks the opinion of the internet to help him choose the master printer.
This all sounds vaguely "Nigerian" to me.
I apologize if n2g9J29 is one of Drew's fabulously wealthy acquaintances or perhaps Brad Pitt

[Sal Santamaura]

Why, Sal?...Some lab services are public, while other printers only accept serious museum or intensive personal projects from known names...If they advertise their services, it's safe to assume they're open for new clients.Everyone who made suggestions (including me) except Bruce Watson included links to the printing services Web sites of people they were recommending. It took all of two minutes with Google to find the same for Bruce's three recommendations:


http://www.custom-digital.com/services-and-prices/

http://www.deanimaging.com/service.php

http://www.cone-editions.com/

The OP need only review all the links to eliminate those which don't offer color printing. In my opinion, if any of them screen out prospects who aren't "serious museum or personal projects from known names," they have no business publishing such Web sites.

[Sal Santamaura]

Because, I am cynical as to the sincerity of this first time poster, who has already the names of 8 printers, who has ? Large format colour images? he is too busy to print...I'm usually pretty good at sniffing out trolls, but nothing about this post set off my "insincere" detector. There's no indication that the images are large format though, so this thread might actually belong in the Lounge. We'll have to wait until the OP returns and clears that up; they've not been active here since yesterday.


...This all sounds vaguely "Nigerian" to me...Asking for printing services recommendations? "Nigerian?" Wow, you must have burned badly to reach that conclusion!

[Bruce Watson]

Everyone who made suggestions (including me) except Bruce Watson included links to the printing services Web sites...

Yes, that's true, and intentional. It was a small attempt at a screen. I figured if the OP was unwilling to spend the tiny amount of effort required to find the websites then better for those guys if he didn't call them.

But you fixed that for me/them. Oh well.

[analoguey]

May (or not) help the OP but this a good thread to follow for the recommendations :-)

[Sal Santamaura]

I'm usually pretty good at sniffing out trolls, but nothing about this post set off my "insincere" detector...Maybe you guys are much better than me at this after all. Similar questions (one for black and white, one color) have been posted at photo.net. Here's an example:


http://photo.net/black-and-white-photo-printing-finishing-forum/00cicb

The poster is going by "Bob Dobbs."


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._%22Bob%22_Dobbs

From another thread:


You forgot "intolerable". Wonder who's going to sign up for that role?

That would have been Frank.

Is the OP Frank? :)