Choosing Bay Photo or EZPrints when ordering

WinsomeWorks

I haven't done a lot of reading on SM all summer-- just enough to mostly keep myself updated on changes, etc. Since the change of print services, I hadn't ordered any until just a week or so ago. I went ahead and ordered through the only service I could actually find, even though I know there must be some way to choose either Bay Photo or EZPrints. I could only find EZPrints. It was late at night & I gave up after a lot of checking around. I'm sure there's something obvious I'm missing. My account is at the pro level. I would like to try both. And is it true that there's no way to shut off auto-correction with EZPrints? I don't see that option in my gallery customization anymore, nor did I see the option when ordering.

I felt I had mixed results/opinions about my prints. Some worked out well, but many that I've ordered before (I make my own photo greeting cards) came out better (brighter, mostly) with our former service. One thing I really dislike about the Kodak paper is that it's so very thin. The adhesive tape I use shows through with such a thin paper. With the former FujiCrystalArchive, this was never a problem. Also, for huge prints such as the 18X24 I ordered, the paper dents so easily that it's nearly impossible to get it out of a tube without denting it. I don't think it should be rolled. My print has 2 dents that show through the glass when framed, and I don't even know if they were there when I got it or if I put them there. I was very very careful after seeing how flimsy that paper is. But I can't afford another, so I have to sell it as slightly defective. I've ordered rolled prints in the past, and never had trouble. But they were all on Fuji paper... don't know if the mils were different or just the coatings. It's hard to believe that Kodak would let such a thin paper as this pass their muster.

Anyway, I'd like to compare results by having a variety of the same files printed through both services... EZPrints & Bay Photo. But I still haven't found a way to go through Bay Photo. When I click on "buy", I only seem to have one print option. I've read the info. under pro options or pro sales, etc. explaining some differences., but didn't find anything to tell me how to actually access Bay Photo. What am I missing?? I'm sure it's right under my nose as most things are around here... Thanks for any help!

Andy

Hi, you, as gallery owner choose the lab when you set your prices - so look in the propricing tool.

As to your last order - send an email to us if you want us to review it - I and my staff would be happy to! http://smugmug.com/help/emailreal ATTN: Color Heroes

WinsomeWorks

Andy wrote:

Hi, you, as gallery owner choose the lab when you set your prices - so look in the propricing tool.

As to your last order - send an email to us if you want us to review it - I and my staff would be happy to! http://smugmug.com/help/emailreal ATTN: Color Heroes

Andy, does that mean each time I'd want to try a different company for certain photos, I'd have to re-set it gallery by gallery? And that I even need to choose the co. any of my customers uses? Yikes. Does that also mean if I let my customers stick with EZPrints, they will always be getting color-corrected photos? Some of my galleries contain almost entirely photos I've corrected myself. Some contain straight-from-camera family snapshots, etc. So if I (or others) want to order some from both kinds of galleries, they may have to order from 2 companies or deal with color-correction on all photos? Oh, I hope not.

I'm not sure what could be reviewed with the order w/o sending back-- my biggest beef is just how flimsy that glossy paper is. Would this be the same paper that Bay Photo uses for their glossy prints? As far as brightness-- with the former company, glossy tended a bit brighter than lustre (or pearl). So if I knew a photo tended to print dark, I went with glossy. Now I'm not sure this is the case. The one metallic print I ordered looks fantastic.

Andy

WinsomeWorks wrote:

Andy, does that mean each time I'd want to try a different company for certain photos, I'd have to re-set it gallery by gallery? And that I even need to choose the co. any of my customers uses? Yikes.

Yes, you choose the lab. And if you want to change it you'd have to click the other lab's log (and be sure you price stuff for both labs

Does that also mean if I let my customers stick with EZPrints, they will always be getting color-corrected photos?

no, you can choose to have color correction on or off, and it can be different on a per gallery basis.

Some of my galleries contain almost entirely photos I've corrected myself. Some contain straight-from-camera family snapshots, etc. So if I (or others) want to order some from both kinds of galleries, they may have to order from 2 companies or deal with color-correction on all photos? Oh, I hope not.

I'm not sure what could be reviewed with the order w/o sending back-- my biggest beef is just how flimsy that glossy paper is. Would this be the same paper that Bay Photo uses for their glossy prints?

Glossy (and Matte) papers from Kodak are consumer level papers. Thinner than Lustre and Metallic. Lustre is the pro paper, pro finish, and pro thickness, same with Metallic.

As far as brightness-- with the former company, glossy tended a bit brighter than lustre (or pearl). So if I knew a photo tended to print dark, I went with glossy. Now I'm not sure this is the case. The one metallic print I ordered looks fantastic.

Metallic is way superior to Glossy IMO.