Mastercolor Labs Blog

How to get the best photo print of your pictures

Want to know how to get the best and least expensive prints of your digital photos?     You may be surprised to know that taking your digital images to a professional photo lab will result in superior quality at basically the same price as printing them at home.     Even though home photo printers are very popular and seemingly inexpensive, there are many hidden costs associated with them.   Check for yourself.    The American Consumer Institute has posted a website www.consumercalculator.com which allows you to input your information and determine how much it costs you to print your photos at home.     Based on printing 300 photos per year, the average cost, depending on your printer, can range from 24 to 42 cents for a 4 x 6 print!    At Mastercolor a digital 4 x 6 print cost 29 cents.    That photo is printed on a professional Noritsu printer by people who have an average of 25 years of photo printing experience.      Print some images at home.    Then let us some images for you.     You decide.

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Saving your files, what's best for the future...

It seems whatever digital camera you buy, there will be an editing software included.  Many of these softwares will also point you on the direction to where you can host your images, or have them printed.  Wonder why they give this away free?????  Because, if you chose the easy route of locking into their software, you have done exactly that, locked yourself in unless you save your files on your computer or external storage.

Most us these storage sites or printing houses store your files for free, but then only let you access the images in a much smaller format UNLESS you are buying from them.  We run into this issue constantly when we are printing Holiday Cards, Giclee Prints or even simple digital prints or enlargements.  I am not saying to avoid these services, but make certain you back up your files so that you have a copy of them at their original files size, and not the 900k file that they are quick to share.

  • Whenever I am clearing my card I simply transfer my files to a new folder on my desktop, a folder that I either tittle by the event that I just took or by the date of the transfer.  Storing files by date can really help find an image down the road when you need it.  Folders that contain your files at their original resolution as jpegs or tiff files can easily be uploaded to our ROES Software.  Then when your files are transfered to us through the ROES software, we will receive them at the digital print size requested @ 300dpi.  Use the ROES software to order Giclee Prints (Gallery Wrapped or flat art work), folded note cards, or any size digital photograph ranging from 30"x40" down to simple wallets.
  • Once you have your files on your desk top in your new folder, save them to your Hard Drive in a Master Folder, and the master folder can be divided into sub folders named by the month they were created.  Once the year ends, put all these files in a Yearly folder.  I know this sounds simple, but one of the most frequently asked questions we receive at Mastercolor is what is the best way to store my files?
  • Always back-up your files, either to to CD or DVD, and also to an external hard drive.  Can you tell I am paranoid about losing my files?  You would be amazed by the number of customers Mastercolor has had that come in ready to build a photo album of all their children's memories, or order a portrait, but only have the 900k files they downloaded from their free hosting site or they have lost them due to a "dead computer", or that they just do not know where their files are saved.  They ask how we can help, and the only thing we can offer is our sympathy.

Please back-up your files.

C.Wright

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What to look for in the perfect Holiday Picture?

At Mastercolor Labs we see thousands of different Christmas Cards each year, and every year we are asked "which picture should I use for my card."  My answer is always, use the photos that show what your family is like in their every day life.  Sure everyone wants to look like a Norman Rockwell Painting, but the cards I remember the most are the funny cards with kids laughing, dogs facing the other way, babies crying, and parents looking frustrated.  Remember you are sending these to friends, and they already know AND like you (hopefully), so be yourself. Put you favorite files on your desktop in a folder and download our ROES Software, and start preparing your own greeting card.  Our ROES software allows you to order straight 4x6 or 4x5 prints, slimline cards (4x6 with a 2" Greeting on the end), 5x8 deluxe custom cards or 5x7 folded cards.  The ROES software is easy to use, but feel free to call us for step by step instructions.  While you are on the ROES program, why not order a couple Giclee Gallery Wrapped prints?  The perfect photographic gift for the loved ones in your life.

 

Happy Holidays from everyone at Mastercolor Labs!

C.Wright

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