Lab Printing

I've been using WHCC for my prints. Lately their prints are coming back with a yellow-green undertone. I cannot calibrate to match and am wondering what other pro labs people are using. I don't want to use CostCo or Sam's Club.
Thanks!

I actually get decent results from Costco. I have a calibrated and profiled monitor (with the Colorvision Spyder2) and I use the ICC profiles (from Drycreek Photo) for my local Costco Noritsu printer. I can't say the colors are dead perfect, but they're pretty close. I print mainly 4x6's and 5x7's.

Yes, I know... costco does a decent job of printing, but I want to use a pro lab that offers other services other than just plain prints. Also, the photo staff at my costco is very rude and I hate going there.

If you're getting back prints like that from WHCC I'd have to venture a guess that it's your fault, not their's. Is your system calibrated? Do you include ICC profile in the files? Are you sending them "pre-flighted" files or are you paying them to do some processing?

Beyond that, if you like WHCC you'll probably like West Coast Imaging.

Thanks Scottes. I am calibrated, and using their profiles for soft proofing. I've worked with Monaco and WHCC and Monaco says it WHCC's profile that looks warm, WHCC says to call Monaco... I'm frustrated and have been holding 2 customer orders while waiting for test prints. Test prints keep coming back warm and I've reduced my monitor to a 53K color temp which is close, but looks warm. WHCC wants me to reduce yellow from each print I send... not a realistic option... If you have any suggestions I would be happy to learn.

OK, you're doing the right thing. About the only other option I know about would be to get someone like Dry Creek Photo to build you a custom color profile for their printer, but that seems like the wrong way to correct their problem.

Because of time constraints, I'd look for a local "pro" or "semi-pro" lab near you. Or even a local non-chain photo store. Give them one of your pics set to sRGB and specify "no color corrections" and see what they produce for a print. Though you won't have their printer profile the colors should still be close enough. If their print looks off then it's your system, if the print looks OK then I'd ditch WHCC. Printing at West Coast will mean 10-14 days before you get your prints, so this is a fast, cheap way to do a simple check.

If the local place's print looks off then I'd delete all your saved settings - calibration, profiles, soft-proofs, everything - and start over. Double-check each step to make sure you're doing it correctly, just to be sure. And then go local again, and see what happens.

Something's definitely off in this process - your calibrated system should not be producing off-color prints at a place like WHCC. Now the trick is to find the exact problem...

I use WHCC for my work and have not had this problem so far. When I signed up at WHCC they asked for several sample images that I sent and they printed and returned to me to make sure that I would be satisfied with their work. I still have these files -- if you did the same, and still have the original images you might resubmit these and ask for prints (I suspect they would be more than willing do do this at no charge to you) so you can compare what you got originally and get currently. It would be a good way to make a controlled comparison between their (and your) orginal work and diagnose where the problem is originating.

Good luck,

Dennis

Thanks Dennis... that is exactly what I did. I got a print order that came in much warmer than my screen. So I re-sent my original test images and the second prints came back much warmer and more saturated than the first prints. I am at a loss because I have done everything I know to do.... calibrated using Monaco, downloaded their ICC profiles for soft proofing, changed color temperatures, had test prints, and re-test prints done, and still not getting a great match. Maybe my expectations are not realistic... I just hate to see those yellow undertones in the skin tones...

If you sent in the original test files - untouched, not re-processed - then the resulting prints should be identical (to the naked eye) to the original test prints you got. If not, they're doing something wrong.

Key here is that you sent the original test file which is **identical** to the first time you sent it.

Yes, that's exactly what I did. I had the original test file in my WHCC folder so when I noticed the problem I resent 2 of my original test files and a couple new files. I feel so lost. They are being very helpful, and have spent time on the phone working with me but so far the person I am working with seems to have over-stepped her knowledge base. I'm waiting for a call from the next person who can try to help resolve this.

To me it seems pretty definitive if the two versions of the test print look different.

Now it is possible that they've gone through some changes - different batch of inks or papers can produce different colors, but usually not so much that the naked eye can easily tell the difference. Even if the prints came from two different printers they should be close enough to the naked eye since all of their printers theoretically should be calibrated to produce the same colors. Again, to the naked eye.

Given the differences between the two versions of the test prints - and that's the only thing I'd need for an argument - I'd be all over them to fix the issue. These test prints cover them, but they also cover you at times like this.

Given the prices they charge (which are more than many of us want to pay but more or less standard for this quality) and the fact that they make you print 5 test images, well, I'd be quite upset at this point. At them.

Yes, I agree... I'm trying to be patient, but this is going on 3 1/2 weeks and I really need to get this print job ordered. Darn it.,. I'm giving them a little slack because when I did my original test prints, I was calibrated with Adobe Gamma, and since I have calibrated with the Monaco... but I didn't change my files, so I would understand a difference on the appearance of my monitor, but think the prints should remain unchanged.... Am I right in thinking this? Anyway, I did a run of the same test prints with another company yesterday so we will see what they look like. I really like WHCC and the products they offer, and their levels of customer service are always very nice. I am hoping to resolve this so I can continue using them.

Absolutely you are correct. If the files were unchanged the prints should be unchanged.

3-1/2 weeks??
I'd be livid, absolutely livid.

Well the 3 1/2 weeks is how much time I have spent trying to get my monitor to look like their prints, ordering re-test prints, talking to tech support at Monaco, etc... I don't want to give WHCC a bad name because I think they do an awesome job. For some reason I am just having a problem with this yellow tone in my prints... they don't know why... It will be interesting to see how prints come back from another place. That may answer my quest.