Shopping for Digital Photo Prints (printers, CostCo, store, purchase)
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Where is your go-to source for ordering digital photo prints? (print from your phone or tablet) I've tried Walgreens, CVS and Shutterfly and their quality is "meh". I'm not looking for museum or archive quality, but something nicer than the dime store variety.
I've tried CVS and Shutterfly and both of them reduce the image size. It's like a box of chocolates. You never know where or how much they are going to crop.
I've tried CVS and Shutterfly and both of them reduce the image size...You never know where or how much they are going to crop.
That's only if you check the box for what frame size you want the image to fit in, and your photo isn't the exact same size. They give you the option to crop it the way you want it.
Nothing that is digitally printed is archival. I'm an artist and photographer, so this is stuff I absolutely need to know. Even if someone used pigmented inkjet inks, the paper is not archival because it has a coating on it that will degrade over time. Before going to darkroom only prints, I used to scan my negatives and print them using only one B&W carbon black ink. I stopped doing that because it now appears that the inkjet papers have a coating that breaks down over time.
Artists uses pigmented paints and paint on gessoed canvas or gesso covered boards. Photographers who expect permanency use film and print in a darkroom on fiber photo paper. Printers use pigmented carbon inks and print on 100% rag papers. We know for a fact that these will all last centuries. Not everyone does this, but I do because it's 100% archival. Everything else is impermanent and fugitive. Even color photo prints that are made from film in a darkroom are not permanent, only B&W is archival.
Anything that is expected to be archival has to use materials and techniques that are very, very old. Pigments from the earth for colors, and permanent photos have to come from light sensitive silver particles which are in the film's gelatin makeup. It's the same w/ the photo prints, if they are made on real photographic fiber papers in a darkroom, that is the gold standard for archival purposes. The RC photo papers have not been around long enough to know if they are truly archival.
Last edited by stephenMM; 03-07-2024 at 01:29 PM..
Nothing that is digitally printed is archival. I'm an artist and photographer, so this is stuff I absolutely need to know. Even if someone used pigmented inkjet inks, the paper is not archival because it has a coating on it that will degrade over time. Before going to darkroom only prints, I used to scan my negatives and print them using only one B&W carbon black ink. I stopped doing that because it now appears that the inkjet papers have a coating that breaks down over time.
Artists uses pigmented paints and paint on gessoed canvas or gesso covered boards. Photographers who expect permanency use film and print in a darkroom on fiber photo paper. Printers use pigmented carbon inks and print on 100% rag papers. We know for a fact that these will all last centuries. Not everyone does this, but I do because it's 100% archival. Everything else is impermanent and fugitive. Even color photo prints that are made from film in a darkroom are not permanent, only B&W is archival.
Anything that is expected to be archival has to use materials and techniques that are very, very old. Pigments from the earth for colors, and permanent photos have to come from light sensitive silver particles which are in the film's gelatin makeup. It's the same w/ the photo prints, if they are made on real photographic fiber papers in a darkroom, that is the gold standard for archival purposes. The RC photo papers have not been around long enough to know if they are truly archival.
Thanks for this info. I'll keep this in mind if I'm ever in the market to purchase a photographer's print. I'm not looking for archival quality, just a nice copy from my camera. Something better than the dime store variety.
I used to use Costco, but they are doing it through Shutterfly now, you link your costco card in your account profile.
I just got a couple deliveries and they are decent for the price.
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