any recommendations on a custom calendar company?

I didn't think I'd be doing any calendars this year, but I've gotten requests for a few, so I'm going to have a few made for special customers.

I always used Photo Works for wall calendars. Their "Parquet" design was classy, and the overall quality was supreme. Unfortunately, Photo Works was absorbed by Shutterfly. I looked at the Shutterfly options, and frankly, none of them look like they come close to the superior quality I enjoyed from Photo Works.

So, I'm asking if anyone here has gotten excellent quality, custom individualized wall calendars printed from an online service.

I'm only doing a few, by request, and I want the best available. I'm not concerned about price - the Photo Works calendars I had gotten in the past were upwards of $30 each, and I would gladly pay that if I could get the same quality. Of all the services I've seen online, many are much less expensive, but none of them appear to have the excellent quality and classy design of what I am used to.

Any recommendations?

Where to print photographic calendars?

Since you used a descriptive title, the forum has done a mini-search for you. Look at the links at the very bottom left hand corner of this page.

If it's any help, Tom, stay far away from Costco, Office Depot, or Staples or others like them.

For two years I did calendars with MPIX. I have not for the last two years, so do not know if they have changed. However, the quality was supurb. Heavy stock. People told me that they like the calendars so much, after they expired they cut out and saved the images. That's a testimony to good printing quality. Reasonably priced at about $20. (I did the spiral bound "flip" type.)

Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I've looked at the info here, as well as on the other POTN threads about this topic.

So far, I'm leaning towards MPIX. I do think their paper stock and printing quality would be excellent. However, they don't offer a big 15" by 26" calendar like Photo Works offered. The largest MPIX seems to offer in a monthly design is 12 by 18. And the design choices aren't very conducive to what I want to do. Darn, I wish Photo Works was still around!!!

Any further suggestions are still very welcome.

Tom Reichner wrote in post #13625681
Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I've looked at the info here, as well as on the other POTN threads about this topic.

So far, I'm leaning towards MPIX. I do think their paper stock and printing quality would be excellent. However, they don't offer a big 15" by 26" calendar like Photo Works offered. The largest MPIX seems to offer in a monthly design is 12 by 18. And the design choices aren't very conducive to what I want to do. Darn, I wish Photo Works was still around!!!

Any further suggestions are still very welcome.

I could be very wrong here, BUT I do believe (I remember seeing) that if you don't like MPIX's templates, you can root around their site and get mechanical specs on designing and submitting your own concept from a blank canvas.

Picture North Carolina wrote in post #13624662
If it's any help, Tom, stay far away from Costco, Office Depot, or Staples or others like them.

FWIW, my local Costco is excellent! What you really should stay away from is "AutoCorrect ON".

PhotosGuy wrote in post #13629288
FWIW, my local Costco is excellent! What you really should stay away from is "AutoCorrect ON".

I have never ordered online from any lab without first verifying they will allow AutoCorrect to be turned off, then making sure it was.

FWIW, the subject of the post was calendars, so that is what was referenced in my post. Visit the local Costco and take a look at the calendar samples. They are horrible! The paper is pathetic - thinner than some magazines. The image quality is flat. Not to mention the fact that you must use one of their preset templates, can't do bleeds, and on, and on.

As to prints - if that's what you are referring to - yes, I agree. Decent quality for the price. AFAIK they still use DryCreek profiles and if you know what you are doing in PS, also softproof, you can get some good prints from them.

I've ordered calendars from mpix the last few years. I'm happy with the quality.