I admit, I often print my personal snapshots at a local “chain” lab. Recently, I took a studio picture of my baby that I wanted printed quickly, so I put it through with my monthly snapshot print order (rather than waiting until I sent my next pro order). When I picked it up I was SHOCKED! It didn’t look anything like it did on my calibrated monitor. Of course, I re-printed it with my usual pro lab, and I just can’t get over the difference! See for yourself; below is a picture showing the two prints…notice how the “not-pro” print is washed out and has a “cold” look to it, not to mention you can’t even see the shading of the background. (I never edited this quick comparison picture at all – only cropped it and added text – so please excuse that it’s not super sharp, lol). Yes, this is the exact same file, uploaded to two different labs. This is one reason I’m so reluctant to provide clients with full-resolution digital images for them to print themselves…I have no idea where they are printing, and they could be putting a picture like this (awful) print on their wall and telling people I took it – yikes!
Addition on July 19, 2012: Here’s another comparison, showing the drastic difference with another photo! (LINK)
