OT: Who Does Your Printing?

I’m looking for information on companies to use for print fulfillment. I’m no longer interested in doing my own printing so I would like to find a company that can do my printing for me, package and ship the prints directly to my customers, and offers a wide variety of products and services. High quality prints and excellent customer service are a must. I would do my own color corrections.

I’ve been looking at Bay Photo, White House Custom Color, Nations PhotoLab, and MPix. What other companies are out there? Does anyone have experience using a ROES system for placing orders? Any companies you recommend? Any you would avoid?

Thanks for your input!

I use MPIX and they have great prints and friendly customer service.

I've used WHCC, and West Coast Imaging, of which I would say both are top notch. WHCC will give you 5 free 8x10's before you can even start ordering so you can make sure you monitor matches your prints. They also will send you print examples of all there different types of prints (luster, glossy, etc..) WCI, will also send you print examples of all there stuff too. I'd recommend sending a few prints out to several places and see what types of results you get.

I would certainly recommend BWC in Dallas....great customer service, well developed product line and everything I have gotten back both portrait and landscape has been right on. They used to be only a commercial lab, but have expanded their product line in the last several years. Most labs offer only standard sizes, but BWC offers a line of nonstantard size prints, panos, and square with no extra trimming charges.....more than any lab I have investigated.
Joe Rogers

WCI

I've used Mpix, WHCC and myphotopipe.com, the latter 2 use ROES. I have used Mpix for years, and have been very happy with their quality and service. WHCC I have only got as far as the free 8 x 10's and paper samples, but the quality looks equal to Mpix. From my experience so far I have to say that Mpix does a fabulous job with shipping and protecting the prints, whereas WHCC and myphotopipe were not quite as good.

I've been using BayPhoto recently and the prints have been top notch. They use ROES and within just a few minutes of getting aquainted, I was up and running. Their prices are wonderful, and right now they are offering 40% off big prints for the next month!

I use WHCC, and have been very happy with them.

Another happy WHCC customer here.

Long-time and very satisfied WHCC customer, for traditional chemical-process prints. And a big nod to WCI's service - and inkjet services. Most of the printers at WCI are photographers - they know what they're doing.

WHCC has a really easy drop-shipping option through the ROES system. And you can upgrade to premium packaging (up to a certain print size) - if that matters. ROES really makes ordering prints easy/fast.

I've used WHCC for years and am very happy. I use it for drop shipping prints all the time and never have a complaint.

Are you guys drop shipping unsigned or digitally signed prints?

John

WHCC.

Now you know why they have WHCC Aviation Ltd. with their own jet. They have a lot of business.

WHCC, like them a lot.

I have been using MPIX for some prints. They are very strong in their packaging, but I'm not so crazy about their finishing work or their color control. I also wish that they published an icc profile for their printers. I've had some yellow-greens come back very out of gamut with unusual results. I mostly use them to bulk print 4X6 prints.

Another Mpix user here and have always been very happy with all aspects.

* Late to the conversation, but will add some input for those who search *

Based on some of the comments here I thought I would try MPIX. As others have said, their packaging is strong. Quite pleased with how fast the images arrived and how they were packed. The finished images looked good and I heard no complaints from the folks at the shindig who viewed the prints.

I ended up getting the same image printed twice at different times and that allowed me compare their color control. I would have to say that for the average users it would be acceptable. But some of the folks here are very, very picky about what is produced. I think those who are discriminating about the colors would want to use a print shop that provides the icc profiles.

I did contact customer service at MPIX regarding a minor issue with the prints I obtained. It was a late day Thursday response by email and the person was off on Friday and Saturday (which I did not expect). So the email conversation went away for the end of the business week and came back very late on the following Sunday night. The prints were reprinted and quickly sent back out, but the minor issue was never addressed!! What was my point in contacted them and their sending new prints if there wasn't an issue to start with?? I sent a message again asking for clarification. All I could get back was what I had on my order was not how they do things. Huh? It is on your web page and on my order one way and they can do things a different way? My questions after that went without comment. I guess, as "Cool Hand Luke" would have said, what we had here was a failure to communicate. Would have been nice to talk on the phone and settle things in one 5 minute conversation during working hours instead of several days of late night emails. Also would have been nice to get things from them as they state on their web page and as I had ordered.

Bottom line. I can not give them a recommendation, but instead I lean towards a "caveat emptor".