Where do you get your photos printed?

I’m constantly getting this question from other photographers and fans of my work alike. I have no problem sharing this information because I believe in these companies and I want to see them grow. So here are the companies I use to print in various media and my reasons for doing so.

Prints on paper and metal - 

Meridian Pro - http://meridianpro.com/

These folks do a great job with both color and surprisingly black/white prints. They are primarily a color lab but many professional photographers use them for black and white as well. The trick is to send them a grayscale file but in the sRGB color mode. If you send them a file in Grayscale mode, you might get either a slight blue or yellow tint to the resulting print which is usually not what you want as a photographer. When I was getting ready to print my portfolio to be reviewed recently, I took a chance and had them print all my black/white as well as my color prints. I was very pleasantly surprised by the results! While working on a previous issue, I was put in touch with one of their consultants, Marshall Hill who advised me exactly how to prepare my files for best printing output. You get that this was me actually conversing with a real person and not being pointed to a FAQ on a website right?

My previous issue was in printing my astrophotography, I was getting dark prints that didn’t show a lot of detail in the stars. This was the first time Marshall helped me out. The solution came down to getting the AdobeRGB settings out of my post-production workflow and changing it to sRGB to match how the printer was printing and then Meridian allowed me to do COMPLIMENTARY 8x10 test prints going half stops lighter and darker from my original to exactly dial in the way I wanted them to look. Within 3 prints we got it exactly right!

On another occasion I had sent an order in over a weekend with some of the files being very dark in appearance. The lab was concerned that I would not be happy with the dark appearance so on Monday morning, I got a call from one of their customer service folks asking me if I truly wanted my prints that dark or if I’d like them to lighten them a half stop or more. Most labs would have just sent me prints of what I sent them with no questions asked. As far as I’m concerned, Meridian has great customer service.

Their turnaround time is amazing. If I place an order on Monday, I will generally have it in hand by Thursday.

Meridian prints on Kodak Endura E Surface in both Matte and Glossy and Kodak Endura Metallic as well. They also do aluminum prints, canvas prints and bamboo prints. I’ve ordered all their print products except bamboo which I’m just waiting for a reason to try. Their aluminum prints are gorgeous! Many that I’ve had them print now hang in galleries and customer’s homes. 

Digital Silver Imaging - http://www.digitalsilverimaging.com/

DSI does true silver gelatin prints from digital files as opposed to a lab that prints black and white on color paper. For my recent solo show, I had them do 12 prints ranging in size from 12x16 to 16x24 and had no complaints whatsoever! The prints are as beautiful as those I did in the darkroom using film years ago. 

DSI prints on Ilford Galerie Fiber Based and Ilford Galerie RC papers and prices vary accordingly. They also offer sepia  and selenium toning to both paper types as well as printing color. I have not tried out their color services since I get such a good deal at Meridian Pro. They also offer film processing.

On your first order, DSI will send you an 8x10 of your file printed on both the RC and Fiber based papers. I have to say both of my sample prints were gorgeous and if I’d had a gallery show to send them to, I would have been pleased to do so. 

Silver gelatin is one of those things that you get what you pay for. The prices are considerably higher than a lab that prints your b/w on color paper and the turnaround time is about 10 days but the results are stunning! In the past 2 years, all of my black and white prints going to galleries have been printed with DSI.

Canvas Gallery Wraps - 

CG Pro Prints - https://www.cgproprints.com/

Hands down the best color reproduction for the price of any of the canvas printers out there. There are some other labs that offer a higher level of detail but for my money don’t match the color saturation level of the original files. For the last 4 years, all my canvas gallery wraps have been printed by CG Pro. They have great turnaround time and all my customers have been thrilled with the quality and color of these canvas wraps. I had been a little hesitant to use them for works that might be exposed to a lot of bright light but I have a couple in a gallery in NM that routinely get placed in direct sunlight through the front window and have held their color without fading at all.

They print from 5x7 all the way to 32x48. A canvas wrap at their largest size hangs in the permanent collection at Carl Sandburg University.

Acrylic Prints - 

Bumblejax- http://www.bumblejax.com/

I saw my first acrylic print at Las Laguna Gallery in Laguna Beach, CA in March of 2015. It was a 24x36 photo of Zabriskie Point in Death Valley and was hung just about eye level. To a person, everyone who saw it leaned into it as if they could fall into the scene. The gallery owner, Lori McBride and I watched it happen several times and I told her then, next show I get into here, I’m going to do an acrylic print.

As luck would have it, I was accepted into the next show with this image, which was shot in an abandoned church near Culpeper, VA. 

I tried to get hold of the artist who had done that original acrylic print but didn’t get an answer right away so I set off to find the best acrylic printer out there. After going through several websites that featured mounting options I didn’t like, I finally ran across this small company in Seattle called Bumblejax that had some great videos on their website and who also offered half off on the first order. So I called them on the phone and spoke to them in person about what I needed done. The unfortunate part was that with the time they needed to complete the piece and the deadline for getting it to the gallery, the only way to accomplish it was for them to ship it directly to the gallery after they completed it. So I would not get a chance to see the finished product before it got to the gallery and that always makes me nervous. To calm my fears a bit, the guys at Bumblejax took several cell phone photos of the finished piece to send to me and I have to say, even as cell phone images, the result was amazing. I was torn between hoping for a sale and wishing it wouldn’t sell so I could see it in person. As luck would have it, I did get it back and I was able to feature it in my solo show some months later. The nearly 3D effect brought by the clarity of the acrylic surface is breathtaking with the right image.

Bumblejax facemounts their prints, that is they print on matte surface or metallic paper and then bond it to the back of the acrylic. They then apply a Dibond backer and your hanging hardware. Depending on the thickness of the acrylic and diamond polishing the edges, the acrylic can also obtain a 3D effect when viewed from the side.

In my view, facemounting is far superior to printing directly to the acrylic surface as some other acrylic printers do. For my solo show, I had a small amount of cash left and wanted one more acrylic print so I decided to take advantage of a sale at another lab to print this storm photo that has a ton of highlights. 

Man, was I disappointed with the results. My highlights came out over-conrasty and dull, the blue sky was way over saturated and the 3D effect was completely missing. It was just like a regular matte surface print under dirty glass. I was happy that the gallery chose to hang it in a back hallway where it wouldn’t be seen by as many people. 

The customer service for this other lab was abysmal. When I asked them for status on my print, they couldn’t even locate it at first. Lesson learned. You get what you pay for with acrylic prints. Bumblejax also does prints on metal, bamboo, Dibond and gator foam. I’ve not tried any of the these other media yet. But Bumblejax will be doing all my future acrylic printing.

Peace,

Mark A.S. Dierker/Bear Dancer Studios