Wedding Product Offerings...

[entrefoto]

I am looking for new products and new labs to use for 2009. Anybody have some suggestions on services with a lot of product offerings? Thanks!

[joshbehan]

Millers is really good

[entrefoto]

Millers looks great! Good find!

[g-money]

Who are using now and why do want to switch? I currently use WHCC and have been very pleased. Have been considering trying Millers as well. I wish I knew the difference between Millers and Mpix if there is a difference in prints?

Greg

[entrefoto]

I use a local lab right now for my prints, they do a great job, not quite as inexpensive as some online places. For albums I use a variety of vendors. I use showit web for slideshows. I am always looking for new things and products to offer. I am looking for unique wedding ideas besides just prints and albums. Some of the ideas I am looking for are like calendars, laser etched crystal items, and those prints with the large matting that people can sign as guestbooks. I am looking for those types of items and good vendors who provide them.

[SamClarkPhotography]

mpix.com

[collierportraits]

Another vote for Miller's. They are probably one of the best companies I have ever worked with in my entire life. And that's no joke. They're just on top of their game and I've been using them since 1992. Back then, there was a wait list to get in and I think their quality was better then, but it's still amazingly good and they offer ALL kinds of products.

Josh, you enjoying that 16-35 Mk II??

[amccomis]

Who are using now and why do want to switch? I currently use WHCC and have been very pleased. Have been considering trying Millers as well. I wish I knew the difference between Millers and Mpix if there is a difference in prints?

Greg

Both are great. Unless I'm in a total pinch and have to use someone local for same-day service, I use Millers/MPIX exclusively, yet MPIX-or-Millers for different reasons (price, usually).

Millers = Pro Lab, Pro Lab Service.
MPIX = Pro Lab, Prosumer Service.

Millers = Pricing include shipping charges (next day), with a $10 order minimum.
MPIX = $4.95 flat rate shipping, Camera Store prints pricing
(Once you're a Millers customer, you can get their price list, load it into Excel, do the same with the MPIX pricing, and figure this out on a per-order basis.)

Millers = Nearly a dozen ways to order prints (LabPrints, ROES, Online Cart, Remote Studio, and on and on...)
MPIX = 2 ways to order prints (ROES and Online Cart)

Millers = slightly extended product selection from MPIX, although they recently re-released MPIX with a new catalog that includes some new things.

Millers = Your studio name inkjetted (e.g. ©YourPhotoCo) on the back of prints, and ability to do the logo foil stamping in the corner, etc.
MPIX = You get the filename inkjetted. No other studio type service here.

Millers = You can call their customer service. Or email them.
MPIX = You can email them. (Although their response time is very good)

Millers = If you upload something that doesn't look right, they'll call you before printing it.
MPIX = If you upload something that doesn't look right, you'll see how it turned out when it arrives in the mail.

Like I said above, the product offering is probably 80% overlap. There are some minor differences in print sizes offered (MPIX largest photo print is 24x36, yet Millers can do 30x40)...

[SamClarkPhotography]

Wow, I'm going to switch to Millers now! Thanks

[cchooks]

Who are using now and why do want to switch? I currently use WHCC and have been very pleased. Have been considering trying Millers as well. I wish I knew the difference between Millers and Mpix if there is a difference in prints?

Greg

The difference is that at Miller's I order Monday morning and usually by Tuesday at the latest Wednesday I have the images, book Album (anything), same at Mpix, but to get them that fast, I pay 10.00 extra for shipping, and that is about the only difference. I have not had to call customer service with mpix, but at Miller's, expert help is just and 800 number call away.

[cchooks]

Wow, I'm going to switch to Millers now! Thanks

Sam,
About 10 years ago, I was just days from getting out of the business because I as sick of the quality I was getting locally..... traveling back and forth, redo's were out the roof. I burned many bridges arguing with lab techs about images.

By accident, while on a trip to San Antonio I decided to look for a lab to possibly mail film, negs to... the tech there said they could do the work I need, but he sent his own personal images to Miller's. At that time, they only accepted new customers in December and January, which was okay cuz it was December. I gave them a call, filled out some forms, and they saved my business life. I have strayed a few times looking for better, but I always come back. I love them, they are like me, never settling, always working to improve and offer better. I have grown with them so give them a try.

Now they have Mpix and I have cut my cost further.

[g-money]

Both are great. Unless I'm in a total pinch and have to use someone local for same-day service, I use Millers/MPIX exclusively, yet MPIX-or-Millers for different reasons (price, usually).

Millers = Pro Lab, Pro Lab Service.
MPIX = Pro Lab, Prosumer Service.

Millers = Pricing include shipping charges (next day), with a $10 order minimum.
MPIX = $4.95 flat rate shipping, Camera Store prints pricing
(Once you're a Millers customer, you can get their price list, load it into Excel, do the same with the MPIX pricing, and figure this out on a per-order basis.)

Millers = Nearly a dozen ways to order prints (LabPrints, ROES, Online Cart, Remote Studio, and on and on...)
MPIX = 2 ways to order prints (ROES and Online Cart)

Millers = slightly extended product selection from MPIX, although they recently re-released MPIX with a new catalog that includes some new things.

Millers = Your studio name inkjetted (e.g. ©YourPhotoCo) on the back of prints, and ability to do the logo foil stamping in the corner, etc.
MPIX = You get the filename inkjetted. No other studio type service here.

Millers = You can call their customer service. Or email them.
MPIX = You can email them. (Although their response time is very good)

Millers = If you upload something that doesn't look right, they'll call you before printing it.
MPIX = If you upload something that doesn't look right, you'll see how it turned out when it arrives in the mail.

Like I said above, the product offering is probably 80% overlap. There are some minor differences in print sizes offered (MPIX largest photo print is 24x36, yet Millers can do 30x40)...

The difference is that at Miller's I order Monday morning and usually by Tuesday at the latest Wednesday I have the images, book Album (anything), same at Mpix, but to get them that fast, I pay 10.00 extra for shipping, and that is about the only difference. I have not had to call customer service with mpix, but at Miller's, expert help is just and 800 number call away.

Thanks amccomis & cchooks for the explanation. That helps clear that up. I may have to give Millers a shot and compare the same order to WHCC to see the results.

@entrefoto, I am sure Miller's is great I would also go ahead and open a WHCC account as well, it's free and you get 3 or 4 free 8x10's out of it to compare or hang on your wall. See which one looks best to you. No I don't work for WHCC LOL just been real satisifed for a couple years now. They also offer lots of products, albums, cards etc.

Greg

[SamClarkPhotography]

Signed up for Millers today! Can't wait to use them and see their products! I also received an e-mail for free prints (4 8x10s) showing how their color correction looks. That's awesome!

[DustinA.]

Ok, I have a question about online print labs. I have been using MPIX as my print lab as of late.
One thing I haven't figured out, is my photos look REALLY flat and dull, and tend to lose contrast and color when I upload my pictures to their site. Is this normal? How does everyone else go about this?
I even try adding more contrast and color to the picture before uploading to compensate, but then it's not the picture I really liked and perfected, and it becomes a guessing game on what it will look like once uploaded to MPIX.
Anyone else experience this?

-Dustin

[sapearl]

Hi Dustin - are you doing color correction, or are they doing it? Also, are you uploading sRGB files or aRGB? Also, you may want to check Rene's fine write-up on related topics and color management:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=296149

[DustinA.]

Hi Dustin - are you doing color correction, or are they doing it? Also, are you uploading sRGB files or aRGB? Also, you may want to check Rene's fine write-up on related topics and color management:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=296149

Im not doing color correction, but I do try to add contrast using curves in PS3. And I am uploading sRGB files.

[sapearl]

Hmmm.... sounds like you're on the right track, and they're doing the color correction. Has your monitor been calibrated/adjusted?

I'm just thinking out loud here, but if your monitor has the brightness and contrast cranked way up, things will look really super at home. But this won't be the case with your lab's monitors. They will be adjusting things according to calibrated gear. The short answer is I really don't know, but just tossing some ideas around.

Im not doing color correction, but I do try to add contrast using curves in PS3. And I am uploading sRGB files.

[DustinA.]

Hmmm.... sounds like you're on the right track, and they're doing the color correction. Has your monitor been calibrated/adjusted?

I'm just thinking out loud here, but if your monitor has the brightness and contrast cranked way up, things will look really super at home. But this won't be the case with your lab's monitors. They will be adjusting things according to calibrated gear. The short answer is I really don't know, but just tossing some ideas around.

I'm not sure on the calibration. I am editing on my Apple powerbook pro, that is about 8 months old.

[sapearl]

That's nice gear and relatively new, but if the lab does not see the same contrast/brightness/shadow characteristics you do when you are making your adjustments, then things will always be off. See where I'm going with this?

You don't have to be perfectly in synch with them - I know I'm not with my monitor - but you have to be reasonably close so that the ajustments you make will be accurately interpreted and printed at the lab.

I'm not sure on the calibration. I am editing on my Apple powerbook pro, that is about 8 months old.

[DustinA.]

That's nice gear and relatively new, but if the lab does not see the same contrast/brightness/shadow characteristics you do when you are making your adjustments, then things will always be off. See where I'm going with this?

You don't have to be perfectly in synch with them - I know I'm not with my monitor - but you have to be reasonably close so that the ajustments you make will be accurately interpreted and printed at the lab.

Yes, I read up on mpix's site, and they said to use sRGB. Well, I have been using RGB in CS3. So maybe thats the difference. I'll just wait and see how these pictures come back to me, and compare them to my edits, to be able to really tell. Thanks for the help "sapearl". :)

-Dustin

[SamClarkPhotography]

Here's some info for those who don't know (as I didn't, before)...

Miller's is a lot more expensive than Mpix. Now before you all say it, yes, you do get what you pay for, but I thought it would be an important point to bring up.

Millers may be better, but they're more expensive than Mpix.

FYI

[DustinA.]

The pictures turned out great. I guess I can trust my edits more than the uploaded picture view on MPIX's site. Thanks for the help again.

-Dustin

[amccomis]

Here's some info for those who don't know (as I didn't, before)...

Miller's is a lot more expensive than Mpix. Now before you all say it, yes, you do get what you pay for, but I thought it would be an important point to bring up.

Millers may be better, but they're more expensive than Mpix.

FYI

Remember, it's not always about price.

Millers pricing appears higher because it:
-INCLUDES 1-day shipping
-INCLUDES pro-level support (e.g. you can pick up a phone and call someone)

The MPIX flat-rate pricing is for standard USPS mail... Also, there are some product differences between MPIX and Millers.

I did a calendar on Millers and it was $20. I did one on MPIX and it was $20. The MPIX one was more expensive because that price did not include shipping.

I agree, at first glance, the price is more expensive, but you have to consider what's behind those numbers.