Mpix vs. MpixPro vs. Millers

I understand that each of these labs is under the Miller's umbrella, but I've been curious to ask a question of those who have an account with MpixPro and/or Millers...

I have been ordering prints from Mpix for a few years now; I've sold some of the work as well. The terms for Mpix Pro and/or Millers are such that you have to generate some income from photography. That said, I really wanted to find out if there are any pricing differences, or if the difference is just in product offerings (different products) and customer service? Personally, I don't do a LOT of print sales, so I'm just trying to see if there would be any benefit for me to go through the application process for MpixPro or Millers vs. just continuing to use the standard Mpix site.

I mainly use Millers although I have used the others a couple of times. The main advantage with Millers is service and free shipping (minimum order charge applies). Their prices run higher than MPIX except for a couple of sizes that run pretty close. There are some product offering differences as well. I did have a rep tell me that all three use the same paper and printers.

Hmm. It sounds like to me that Miller's may just inflate their print pricing to over the cost of shipping and then providing it as "free".

I guess I could have been a little more specific though, the main thing I was looking for in terms or pricing were the things like canvas gallery wraps or the standouts. I'm assuming that the same is true here though.

Thanks for the response.

Millers has (at least at the time) different products available then the other two.

I have ordered from all three of mpix's companies and have not found a difference in their product expect price. I personally use Mpix and Prodpi. Haven't ordered a canvas from them though. Artsy Couture gets my business there.

Yeah, you pay a little more for service. Millers packages a little better IMO. I can call Millers and talk to someone, not sure you can with the other two.

I will say that Millers has higher customer service plus more products. For instance, if your print is off they will email you. I ordered some senior cards and mistakenly left a white border due to a cropping issue on my part. They emailed and said I would not like the product if they went and printed it. Very kind of them to allow me to correct it.

I've done similar things with Mpix, and they just print it anyways. I get it and have to reorder.

Mpix quality vs Millers quality is the same though. Personally, I generally use Mpix. While free overnight shipping is nice, I usually don't need it that fast.

Mpixpro doesn't offer color correction either.

cory1848 wrote in post #16200945
Mpixpro doesn't offer color correction either.

Certainly. I saw that on their site a while back, but I think it goes without saying that most professional photographers work (or should work) with calibrated monitors and are doing corrections in post themselves. Thus, understandably why Mpixpro wouldn't be doing standard corrections.

That said, they do offer retouching services: http://www.mpixpro.com​/Retouching.aspx

drvnbysound wrote in post #16201118
Certainly. I saw that on their site a while back, but I think it goes without saying that most professional photographers work (or should work) with calibrated monitors and are doing corrections in post themselves. Thus, understandably why Mpixpro wouldn't be doing standard corrections.

That said, they do offer retouching services: http://www.mpixpro.com​/Retouching.aspx

Of course you should use a calibrated monitor, however, color correction at home and calibrated monitors don't guarantee perfect results from a printer that gang prints photos. Millers offers color correction and guarantees it. If my print comes back with color shifts from Mpix or Millers and I had color correction checked, I get a new print. MpixPro you are SOL. It also means a real live person is actually looking at your file catching any issues and saving time. I have had three albums reprinted by Millers because of color shifts that were Millers mistakes. I wouldn't want to eat that cost via Mpix pro.

Retouching isnt color correction. Two separate services.

Thanks for the clarification regarding Mpixpro correction - or rather lack of.

I've been using Mpix since ~2010 and haven't had any issues. My main concern/question was with regard to pricing.

I started with Mpix and now use Mpix Pro. Prints are slightly less expensive with Mpix Pro but not by much. For example an 8x10 is ten cents less. The gallery wraps and standouts are priced the same. The main differences are more products offered, ROES is used to order, and inexpensive shipping with a minimum order requirement.

drvnbysound wrote in post #16204180
Thanks for the clarification regarding Mpixpro correction - or rather lack of.

I've been using Mpix since ~2010 and haven't had any issues. My main concern/question was with regard to pricing.

If you want absolute clarity, sign up for all three and compare product and price lists. You will find your answers there.

Yeah, I certainly wasn't expecting any of the smaller print sizes (e.g. 8x10s) to be any cheaper - it's hard to cut much off of ~$2. My main concern was more along the lines of the gallery wraps and standouts... which has been confirmed that the pricing is the same, or slightly higher.

That being the case, I'll be staying with Mpix for now, until I need to offer/order something that they don't have.