Printing Lab Format

So when you goes send / take your digitals to be printed by a lab, which format do you use ... TIFF JPG EPS, etc.

TIFF if I can.

tiff, unless it's an emergency, and I need prints, NOW! Then I take jpegs down to grocery store.

Always full size TIFF

N

Depends on the lab. Winkflash will even take TIFF16.

Level 10 jpg from final TIFF's.

Why level 10, and not 12?

Beacause WHCC said so.

http://whcc.com/faqs.h​tml#10


Why a level 10 JPEG, don’t you lose quality in the large prints?

JPEG compression is a very efficient, lossy image compression algorithm designed specifically for saving photographic images. It takes advantage of how humans see color versus brightness to only save information needed to reproduce the image for people to view. Image data is lost during compression, but at high levels of quality you will not see a difference between a Level 10 JPEG and a TIFF printed to photographic paper. JPEG compression is perfect for transient files for sending to the lab for printing, but avoid using the compression as a working file type. Also avoid opening a JPEG, making changes, and resaving it again as a JPEG repeatedly. If your workflow calls for this to happen, save your files as TIFF or PSD files until they are complete and ready for output, at which time you should save them as a level 10 JPEG. Any JPEG artifacts you see in your prints come from the JPEG file coming out of your camera, not from saving them as a level 10 for output purposes.

Thanks for your input. I'm getting reading to print the shots I took from the wedding over the weekend. I guess I should burn to a CD and send out to be printed. My dialup won't handle that many tiff files (maybe 75).

I print @ winkflash and always TIFF

BrandonSi wrote:
Beacause WHCC said so.

http://whcc.com/faqs.h​tml#10


Why a level 10 JPEG, don’t you lose quality in the large prints?

JPEG compression is a very efficient, lossy image compression algorithm designed specifically for saving photographic images. It takes advantage of how humans see color versus brightness to only save information needed to reproduce the image for people to view. Image data is lost during compression, but at high levels of quality you will not see a difference between a Level 10 JPEG and a TIFF printed to photographic paper. JPEG compression is perfect for transient files for sending to the lab for printing, but avoid using the compression as a working file type. Also avoid opening a JPEG, making changes, and resaving it again as a JPEG repeatedly. If your workflow calls for this to happen, save your files as TIFF or PSD files until they are complete and ready for output, at which time you should save them as a level 10 JPEG. Any JPEG artifacts you see in your prints come from the JPEG file coming out of your camera, not from saving them as a level 10 for output purposes.

I understand jpeg compression and that while I may not see a difference, the data suggests there is. I am usually getting larger prints, at least 8x12". Also, how can I take advantage of 12 bit color, if I convert my raw files to jpeg? Am I diluded in thinking that the lab cannot print those colors? Are they converting them to 8 bit? I'm not trying to sound fecetious here, just questioning the logic of a workflow centered around providing the best quality end product. I have no doubt that high quality jpegs can produce great prints, I have thousands from my s500 and pre-optimized workflow with the slr (300d).

Read the FAQ at this site.

I think the best advice is to follow the lab's advice. mpix.com takes tiffs and recommends sRGB color space. shutterfly takes jpegs in sRGB, same for EZPrint (smugmug) and my local grocery store.

tim, the place you linked looks interesting and appealing. They seem to have a no bull policy that agrees with me. Have you used them?

That http://www.elcocolor.c​om/ looks interesting. Ever use them?