Costco

justin24

Do any of you use Costco to print their photographs for clients?

Cygnus Studios

justin24 wrote: »

Do any of you use Costco to print their photographs for clients?

Absolutely not. You will be judged by your prints, why would you want to leave that up to whatever kid is working the machine that day?

justin24

Ok, Just wanted to get some takes on this idea. I've printed some personal pics and they turned out great.

JimKarczewski

If you use them strictly as a printer, like you would at home and they DO NOT TOUCH your photos, I see no issue. It's like having your own personal Fuji Frontier.

There is a website around somewhere that has a TON of Costco, Sams and other locations profiled so you can get repeatable results. Just as long as you make them aware at Costco to NOT color correct your images. And yes, TONS of professionals do this... like I said, as long as you know how to calibrate your system with theirs you will get repeatable, CONSISTENT results.

I don't print anything anymore outside of home... Too happy with the results I get off my HP Wide format these days!

mpriest13

JimKarczewski wrote: »

If you use them strictly as a printer, like you would at home and they DO NOT TOUCH your photos, I see no issue. It's like having your own personal Fuji Frontier.

There is a website around somewhere that has a TON of Costco, Sams and other locations profiled so you can get repeatable results. Just as long as you make them aware at Costco to NOT color correct your images. And yes, TONS of professionals do this... like I said, as long as you know how to calibrate your system with theirs you will get repeatable, CONSISTENT results.

I don't print anything anymore outside of home... Too happy with the results I get off my HP Wide format these days!

Costco's quality is nearly that of many professional labs...as long as you don't let them "correct" your photos. I give a disc with my packages and make it clear to all my clients to get their prints at Costco. I give direction on how to order their prints at Costco (AUTOCORRECT OFF) and really stress that their prints will look subpar if printed elswhere. Now...when ordering prints for clients I use a pro lab because that is what I said I would do. If I thought I could get away with it or had no conscious I would tell them they are getting their prints from a pro lab but simply order them from Costco. The difference is negligible if any at all.

indiegirl

I needed school photo prints quickly and had heard Costco had decent quality. I submitted three orders over the course of one week. The larger prints were a different color from the smaller prints in every case. The colors were not consistent nor were they anything like my calibrated monitor. The service was poor unless I was talking with a supervisor. I had to redo each order at least three times to get correct colors (and I checked the "no color correction" preference on all orders).

The final images were passable but the process to get to that point was unacceptable. Never again.

Pupator

I've had great success at two Costcos and bad results at another. In the successful events I was able to soft profile the printer to my monitor. After that I had hundreds and hundreds of prints made that were excellent quality. It just took a little bit of work on the front end.

There aren't any "kids" working at my Costco photo lab - just helpful grown-ups who want my pictures to turn out well and are willing to help me get there. But maybe my situation is unusual.

christinamae

Here is the website that has the Costco profiles - http://www.drycreekphoto.com/

The Costco by me has the same printer as Adorama and has produced beautiful results. Just make sure to soft proof and not to have them color correct.

Cygnus Studios

indiegirl wrote: »

I submitted three orders over the course of one week. The larger prints were a different color from the smaller prints in every case.

I found the exact same thing. If someone is only doing 1 print on occasion, they could probably get away with using Costco. Heck, even a broke clock is right twice a day.

The last thing that I want is my client opening up a box with their prints being different colors.

indiegirl

Cygnus Studios wrote: »

The last thing that I want is my client opening up a box with their prints being different colors.

Word.

VA64Skyhawk

indiegirl wrote: »

Word.

I've had very good results with COSTCO.

Glort

I have used Minilabs to print my work in the past and been entirely happy with the results.
I remember one time a Pro lab rep came round trying to win my business and I pulled a bunch of pics I had just picked up out of the packet and shoed him and he straight out admitted they could not come near competing with that quality for even double the price I was paying.

I think it's all in introducing yourself to the lab manager staff and having them spend a bit of time getting to know what you want. I will generally take a couple of sample images with me, get them to print some variations and then tell them which one I want and refine the image till I get what they want. they can then set up a channel with my prefrances and bang the work through with everyone elses but use the settings that give me the results I want.

All labs should be calirated to a standard but that depends on how much time and expense the lab goes to to keep them in calibration as well as how carefully they store their paper and run control strips etc. to minimise any variances and shifts.

If you can build a rapport with a lab or just one of the printers so your prefrances are known, there is absoloutley NO reason why a minilab can't ( and a lot of reasons they CAN) do work just as good as any pro lab.

The output is not determined by the equipment, paper or chemistry, it's largely down to the individual operator and how well the lab is maintained.

indiegirl

Glort wrote: »

The output is not determined by the equipment, paper or chemistry, it's largely down to the individual operator and how well the lab is maintained.

That that is EXACTLY why I won't trust my business to Costco or any other big-box store. I can't control, nor do I trust the level of expertise of whom they hire.

GerryDavid

You can use Costco, if you know the person behind the counter cares about their job and does the best they can, including calibrating the machines. Odds are you wont find one of these at Costco or a consumer lab.

Unless you need something same day, why not use a lab like WHCC that gets stuff back to you within 4 days. Prices are pretty good to and you know what to expect from them.

Mark Dickinson

smugmug ftw

Dreadnote

I'm just curious about those who have received subpar results from Costco - Do you upload them online? Have you downloaded and installed the ICC profiles?

http://www.costcophotocenter.com/account/default.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fDefault.aspx

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/using_printer_profiles.htm

http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/

mercphoto

My results at both Austin Costcos (always with auto-correct off) have always been great for 12x18 and smaller. For the 16x20 and 20x30 they are acceptable for home use, but not for client use. For those I always go through my Exposure Manager lab.

Shima

Cygnus Studios wrote: »

Absolutely not. You will be judged by your prints, why would you want to leave that up to whatever kid is working the machine that day?

Ditto... on that note though I need to get some prints made there to show my clients just how bad they are compared to Bay Photo. I currently only have Walgreens and Walmart prints to compare w/ my Bay Photo prints (and Walgreens and Walmart look horrible in comparison of Bay Photo).

Cygnus Studios

Dreadnote wrote: »

I'm just curious about those who have received subpar results from Costco

I'm also curious. Why in the world would any working photographer choose Costco over a proven pro lab?

If it is simply to save a couple of bucks, you might want to look over your business plan.

I would never consider giving a client anything but the best that I can find.

Art Scott

Cygnus Studios wrote: »

I'm also curious. Why in the world would any working photographer choose Costco over a proven pro lab?

If it is simply to save a couple of bucks, you might want to look over your business plan.

I would never consider giving a client anything but the best that I can find.

I use walmart and Sams club for proofing, my own proof when I have uprez a file and cut out a small piece for an .8x10 out of a 300dpi image that is 120x80"......but what the client gets comes from the Pro lab I have used for well over 20 yrs......Plus all the cheap labs back print with their name...not the studios......I cannot fathom having a client call me and ask how I can charge upto $75 for an 8x10 that I paid $1.99 for at Wally world.......nope do not ever want to have to explain that one......

Glort

Cygnus Studios wrote: »

I'm also curious. Why in the world would any working photographer choose Costco over a proven pro lab?

If it is simply to save a couple of bucks, you might want to look over your business plan.

I would never consider giving a client anything but the best that I can find.

Well not costco specificly ( don't have them here yet) but as I said above, I have used minilabs before and shown the work to prolabs who admitted they couldn't compete with teh quality for the price.

There was one girl who handled my work at the local minilab ( and pretty much only my work as i gave them so much at the time) and I got better and more consistant results from her than any lab before or since. The big advantage to me was they were literally round the corner and I could have work done while I waited if nessacary. Because i used to set up labs for Kodak in the 'late 80's when they first came out here and knew what i was doing with them, the owner of the place was also happy to let me print my own work if the girl was away or at lunch or whatever. Couldn't get better than that except the girl had a better eye and was a better printer than I was!

Labs are labs, Chemistry and paper of the same brand is chemistry and paper. There is no preimum and cheap quality from Kodak, Fuji or Konica.
Where the difference is in the calibration and setup of the machines and the care the operator takes.
If you can find any lab that does their control strips and keeps the machines correctly calibrated and educate a careful and Conciencious operator that takes pride in their work as to what you want from your Pics, then there is every reason a mini lab should produce work on par with any pro lab.

If the local Costco or whoever is just banging prints through with little to no regard for quality, then the results will obviously be sub standard but geez, i have been through more than one lab that gave dodgy and inconstiant work despite the preimum I was paying for it!

GerryDavid

Art Scott wrote: »

I cannot fathom having a client call me and ask how I can charge upto $75 for an 8x10 that I paid $1.99 for at Wally world.......nope do not ever want to have to explain that one......

The funny thing is the pro lab is cheaper than walmart, charging $1.30 instead of $3.

And I've seen many threads on these forums that helps a photographer explain why they are charging $75 for a $2 print, that the customer is not paying for the paper, but the time and skill required to get the portrait.

Glort

I agree with Gerry. The cheapest prints i can get right now are at pro labs and the minilabs etc are far more expensive.

Most weekends I charge $40 for a print that I make on my inkjet for under .50C right in front of the client while they watch.
In 2 years no one ever asked me why I charge what I do for the print and if they did i would tell them exactly what Gerry alludes to along with the investment I have in the gear and equipment.
Fortunately it seems that most of my clients are smart enough to figure it out for themselves though and understand i'm there to make a living not for the fun of it.

Of course as often documented on forums, you should mention these things and insurance and gas money and vehicle maintaince, equipment depreciation, the use of your computer and software, stationary, advertising, accounting fees, bank charges and everything else down to the cost of your shoe leather as justification for your pricing.
I think that technique for explaining your pricing works by boring the customer to the point they are sorry they even brought the subject up and just want to get away from you.

Not sure what you pay for your prints from a pro lab Art but how do you explain why you charge $75 for a print that costs you say $5 or whatever you pay??
To me the markup photographers put ( or should put) on their print cost makes any print cost irrelevant.

If minilabs there put their name in the back of the prints, i'd just cover it with the sticker I put on my prints with my contact details.
Problem solved.

In my experience clients never question what they are happy with so if you can get decent quality prints from a minilab, I very much doubt the client cares who printed it.

bbeck4x4

Costco looks pretty good right up until you send the same print to a pro lab and to Costco, then compare the prints side by side, I do this for my clients with one print, the difference is pretty dramatic. Otherwise you can't see the orange skin or the blue sky that is the wrong color, then when you see the stripes that Costco's printer left on the paper you will see the difference.