Do you use Costco for Lab Services?

[ModernPics]

Here is a question for you all...

How many here use Costco for there basic lab work.

Not High-End stuff - I use MPix for that.

But I am in a debate with my self about Costco

They are .17 cents for 4x5 and 1.50 for 8x10

I like the fact that have custom borders, I tend to like black

I like the fact they have back printing (studio name etc)

Nice to be able to pick-up , save on mailing and is a quick 24hr turn around.

But is this a wise choice or do you pro's use Costco?

Thanks all !

Dave :lol:

[momentsphoto]

I tend to use Walmart and Sams Club for all my proofing. I figure that proofing is just for pose selection anyway so quality issues are not that important. I have used the same labs for quick turnaround on packages also and I have not had any complaints yet. The problem with these labs is that you loose finishing services ie sprays and mounting and color balance is sometimes questionable. I think that it is a personal choice if your clients expect a "perfect" product than costco is not your best choice. If you have "flexable" clients than go for it and increase your profit margin. I tend to deal mostly with High School Seniors and the client is more flexible so using the quickie labs is usually ok.

[mbellot]

I'm no pro, but one of the things I like about CostCo is the fact that you can get custom printer profiles for the specific machine at your local CostCo.

[chtgrubbs]

There is absolutely no reason not to use Costco. They use Fuji CrystalArchive paper which is as good as it gets. As long as you have the postprocessing skills to get the image you want from them then there is no reason to pay big bucks to a custom lab.

[xandria]

There is absolutely no reason not to use Costco. They use Fuji CrystalArchive paper which is as good as it gets. As long as you have the postprocessing skills to get the image you want from them then there is no reason to pay big bucks to a custom lab.
Exactly. They use very good paper and they are quick. I use them almost exclusively for all my prints up to 8x10. Everything else goes to a pro lab. You do have to make sure to check the images really well before leaving, I have had to have a couple of mine re-printed.

[WhatEyeSee]

I currently use Costco, and am pleased w/ the results - did do a compairson w/ adorama which uses the Kodak professional paper. I had a friend look at the pictures and asked which one was more pleasing. She only saw a slight difference and looking at them individually, really couldn't tell them apart. She did like the finish better on the Costco (Fuji) then the Kodak.

I have not looked for a prolab yet in my area, but would like to try one out. I do like the fact I can upload at 2am in the morning and p/u the next day.

I do not however let my clients know that I use Costco, becaue then people tend to think they should get even a bigger break on their portraits. If someone should mention it I would remind them they are paying for my services, not the paper.

I love the fact that my business name and phone number perferctly fits on the back. :) so every print has my name and number.

I have tried the costco mailing services and do not like them. They fail to place a "do not bend - photos enclosed" sticker on the outside of the envelope and I had one that a postman BENT to fit in my mail box..then when it wouldn't fit proceded to hand deliver it to me. I was mad - since it wasn't insured the postal would not reimburse me for my print. So that is why I always do the local.

What ever you do, do not allow them to "auto correct" your photos. When this is allowed the technicians do not do it, but the actual machine. I have had a couple of times where I have forgotten to select the "do not auto correct" and the pictures came out horrible.

[xandria]

What ever you do, do not allow them to "auto correct" your photos. When this is allowed the technicians do not do it, but the actual machine. I have had a couple of times where I have forgotten to select the "do not auto correct" and the pictures came out horrible.

ALWAYS turn it off. I accidently forgot to on 200 4x6 prints....ugh!

[fortinaa]

There is absolutely no reason not to use Costco. They use Fuji CrystalArchive paper which is as good as it gets. As long as you have the postprocessing skills to get the image you want from them then there is no reason to pay big bucks to a custom lab.


I don't have a Costco membership, but I've had proofs printed at Walmart before. They also use Crystal Archive paper, but I've never really been impressed with it. I've done side by side comparisons with the Kodak Endura paper, and the Kodak gets chosen every time. On the other hand, it comes to a toss up with Kodak Royal (which is what Adorama uses on "standard" prints).

[SuzyView]

Worth the $35 membership because they will keep printing until you are happy or you get your money back. Can't say you get that at most places. A friend of mine went on line to have Costco print 5x7 from 4x6's and heads were cut off, etc. She didn't like anything they did to her pictures and got her money back. It's a great place.

Edit: I tried to explain to her that 4x6 are not the same proportion, but I think it went over her head this time.

[xandria]

Worth the $35 membership because they will keep printing until you are happy or you get your money back. Can't say you get that at most places. A friend of mine went on line to have Costco print 5x7 from 4x6's and heads were cut off, etc. She didn't like anything they did to her pictures and got her money back. It's a great place.

Edit: I tried to explain to her that 4x6 are not the same proportion, but I think it went over her head this time.

Tell your friend there is a little "preview" link at the bottom of the image in the "shopping cart". She can see what it will look like before she orders and she can make sure the crop is where she wants it to be.... of course, she may not "get that" either. lol

[SuzyView]

No, didn't get it. Couldn't explain it. I told her I'd scan it onto my PSE, and reprint it at home, but she said it wasn't worth it. Sometimes this is why I don't zoom in tighter on portraits just in case the client wants it a certain print size. I know I could always make mats that fit, but it's a real pain.

[WhatEyeSee]

About cropping - I had to learn the hard way, but what I have found to get the exact crop i want, (it is a liettle extra work,) I alwas pre crop my 5x7 & 8x10's or larger in my photoshop and upload the files that I want prints on. That has really cut down on costco's computer cutting things off or cropping slightly different. So far it is working well that way.

Also I have found that if you only have one pose uploaded and you want a 4x6, & 5x7 or other sizes that same pose in the same order, Snap fish will to order the image once and only allows you to crop the image once and then automacally adjust for the other sizes in your order...UGH yukky prints (did i make any sense just now?) So that is when multiple files of diff sizes really benifit me to have it all in one order. It also ensures me that I have ordered all of the correct prints.

[WhatEyeSee]

Costco cards - Have you tried Costcos cards?? I LOVE THEM!! They are under products, then "cards & stationery" "folded 5x7 w/ envelopes" The cards are $1.50 each.

It allows you text on the outside of the card (I choose to use my photoshop since it is not limited) and it allows for 3 different text box on the inside of the card. Really cool, colors and font are limited, but the quality is excellent.

You can have it print the on the envelope the TO address and the RETURN address, you can also choose for them to place a stamp on the envelope as well. 1-3 cards shipping is $1.49...So it is still less and more personaly then store bought cards.

There is not a minimum amount you can order, and you can up load as many different photos for your cards as much as you want. My husband draws and I plan to scan some of his drawings and make them into nice high gloss printed cards.

The company Costco uses gives Costco a big discount, I went to their site, and found buying directly from them to be way too expensive.

[ModernPics]

Wow!

To be honest I am surprised by all the kudo's for Costco. I guess I have had such bad results from those Drug Store 1 hour processing when I used to get the family snap shots processed.

Great feed-back !!

Thank you so much to all of you for your feedback.

I shall use Costco for the general stuff and continue to seek and use my favorite Pro Labs for the more detailed work as I have been.

Happy Shooting!

Dave

[ChromeLibrarian]

I use Costco exclusively for my 35mm stuff. Never had any complaints about them.

[dodorouthier]

Yes costso, no complaints

[JX]

I use Costco. I have had some major orders botched. But the prices are great so I put up with them

[csondagar]

The first time I used Costco for 4 different photos, 2 came out with strange colors. The technician said that they can reprint the photos over and over again until I am satisfied; and if I am not then they would refund me. The reprints were correct the second time.

I am very impressed by their service, printing and material quality, and the cost.

Though I am not a pro, I do think that Costco is an excellent place to print photos.

[funnypicmaker]

The location may also make a huge difference. I'm making a sweeping generalization here, but thinking in terms of probabilities of failure/success, there is some truth to stereotypes. I've had bad experiences with both Rite Aid and Walgreen's photo labs, but they are located in Desert Hot Springs (aka "meth capitol of the world") and it seems that everything is wrong with this town. Even the Chevron is the worst gas station I've ever been to, but it says nothing about Chevron as a company.

[Skrim17]

For me Costco is one of the few places that offers a matte finish which I generally prefer, we don't have a wal-mart close by so my only other resources are CVS and walgreens and neiother of them offer it. We do have a kinko's nearby but they are expensive.

[floydianslip6]

I've never used Costco or similar so its really hard to say, but I'm suprised at all the people who do and seem to love it. I would have guessed the opposite.

Since I work digitally i tend to do all my own printing, and when I do film there is a darkroom that I have access to, so I prefer to do the stuf myself. The only thing I really go to a lab for is large format printing and I'm not sure if I'd trust that to anything besides a prolab.

[ErikAnderson]

I find that Costco is a great asset. Becoming friendly with the tech so that they recognize my name gets the orders done with a bit more speed and care when I need it. Being able to do 11x14s inside of an hour is great in pinch and much cheaper than offer the i9900! :)

[Amorous]

Another vote for Costco. I've been using it exclusively since film days. Even with digital, I've printed 16" x 20" and 20" x 30", and got great results. Just make sure that your monitor is calibrated, do you own PP and turn off "auto correct", and you're all set.

[Hersh]

Before I moved to digital, I took my film to be processed at Costco and had no problems - at one store. I had some film processed at a Costco close to my job twice and got the negs scratched both times...so I went back to the original place and everything was fine again. :)

I was on friendly terms with the staff there since they saw me so much, which helped when I needed to get an order pushed through.