Getting Reprints Made

Many of my clients get reprints made of the images I take of their weddings.

You can bring the digital files anywhere and get inexpensive 4"x6" prints made from $0.16 to $0.40. So what's the difference?

Some labs use color laser printers or inkjet printers, similar to what you could make on your own home computer and printer. Other labs use a chemical process to make prints similar to what you would get from 35mm film prints. Which are better?

Some inkjet prints are really nice. I've seen some that rival the best labs I have used in the past. But some don't look so nice. And many don't last as long either. They tend to fade over time.

My personal preference is prints made from labs that use the chemical process. These are proven technologies that will have longer lasting prints. But to maintain the right color balance, the operator of the lab must keep up with changing the chemicals regularly and keeping the water temperature constant, etc.

I suggest that you get your reprints made at facilities that use this chemical process. But don't give all your prints to the lab to make until you have tested a handful first from them. No sense giving a 100 print order just to be dissatisfied with the results! Test out maybe 10 prints with them first. If they look like the prints I give you, make more from that lab. If the colors look shifted, go find another lab.

Since I use Photoshop to correct each of the images for you, it is important to ask the lab to print the file, "As Is" without any auto-correction processes. Many consumers who bring their digital files to labs need a little "help" to make their images look better when printed, so the labs apply an auto-correction filter to the images to enhance the look. But the files given by me are already corrected, so you don't want to correct them again.

I think one reason many of my clients like how I approach wedding reprints is that they have an option of ordering prints from me or to save some money and get them printed themselves. I have no problems with this at all, although some photographers will insist on printing the images for you and charging a LOT more money for that service. That's fine... it's their way of doing business. For me, I'd rather my clients are satisfied with my work and save some money by allowing them some options like printing reprints for $0.16. By the way, I've seen 8x10 reprints cost as low as $1.50... some studios can charge as much as $80 for a print. Which would you prefer?