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Six Things To Consider
Before Getting A Photo Lab
By: George Williams
Digital cameras are so popular in recent years due to its convenience and capacity. Every event or celebration you go to now has at least several people snapping away. Once you pay for the camera and memory cards, your costs are zero, until you actually have a picture you want to print. You can take 40 pictures of your new child, niece, nephew, grandchild, etc, and if only two good shots came out of that, then you only pay for those two.
In fact, owning your own photo quality printer is definitely faster. There are even people who take a small printer with them and make prints for other guests right away. It is almost as easy as a traditional Polaroid camera. The large chains have jumped into this fray in a BIG way. Wal-Mart, Blacks, Business Depot, and many others. With all this competition comes low, low pricing. A typical 4x6 print from a big chain is cheaper than the retail cost of the do-it-yourself paper that the same chain sells in their photography center. And at home you still have to pay for the ink!
Here are 6 things to consider when getting a photo lab to print your digital pictures.
- Price. All the major players have priced their 4x6 size very competitively. The larger sizes though, like 5x7 or 8x10, are usually higher in cost than what you can do it for at home.
- Delivery. Does your photo lab let you pick them up in the store, or do you have to wait for the post office or a courier? Picking them up at the store should be a no-cost option. If you can pick them up, is the location easy to get in and out of?
- Timing. How fast do they work? One photo lab has a reputation of having most orders ready in one business day. Another is a bit cheaper, but takes a week.
- Drop Off. Can you upload your digital pictures to them via the internet (very convenient) or do you have to deliver them on a floppy or CD?
- Quality. You may have to talk to relatives, friends, and co-workers about this one. Find others who have already tried various printers. One photo lab's web site states that they will not print a picture with too low a resolution (nothing under 150 DPI allowed). This can be inconvenient, but assures you of a quality print. Speaking of resolution, a 4x6 printed at 200 DPI requires a digital print that is 800 by 1200 pixels. An older model 1.0 mega pixel camera can do this easily. If you have a more modern 3.3 mega pixel camera you can create a 200 DPI print that is 8x10. One of the advantages of a better camera, say a 5 mp, is that you can "crop" part of the picture away and still have the 3.3 mega pixels required for an 8x10.
- A standard "snapshot" for a photo album is 4x6 in size. That is a ratio of 1.5. Most new cameras have a photo ratio of 1.33! What happens if you send a 1.33 picture to a photo lab and ask for a 4x6? They cut off ("crop") part of the picture you took, making it shorter on its longest side. You may not like the part they cut off! The best internet upload systems for photo labs allow you to indicate what can be cut off. Alternatively, use a program on your computer to make the digital picture the correct size and ratio before uploading.
Since you have to pay nothing for the digital camera unless you want to print it out, it is advised that you take as many pictures as possible and choose the best picture later when you want to print them.
George Williams maintains many printer websites, including Printer Cartridge Secrets, Laser Toner Secrets, and HP Printer Cartridge.Digital Photo Action Shots Photo Article 02 Digital Photo Light Source Photo Article 03 Digital Photo Control Exp. Photo Article 04 Money with Photography Photo Article 05 Money with Stock Photos Photo Article 06 Wedding Photo Success Photo Article 07 Children Photo Tips Photo Article 08 Digital Photo Terms Photo Article 09 Photo Format & Resolution Photo Article 10 Photo Controls for DOF Photo Article 11 Digital Photo Auto Focus Photo Article 12 Digital Photo Flash Units Photo Article 13 Flashlight Photo Lighting Photo Article 14 Best Photo from Camera 1 Photo Article 15 Best Photo from Camera 2 Photo Article 16 Considering a Photo Lab Photo Article 17 Advice for Photo Poses Photo Article 18 Digital Photo Online Profit Photo Article 19 The Minds Eye Photo Photo Article 20 Color Photo Emotion
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