Sign of the Times... "Dry" Print Process Mini Labs

Working for mini labs and custom print labs during my college years, I developed a real love for the process of making pictures. I've seen a lot of advancements in printing over the years and amazed at how the field of photography and printing has changed. Everyone seems to have a photo quality ink jet printer at home and a person has been able to get one hour prints from their local Walmart and drug stores for years now. I have seen many of the custom photo labs close up shop, unable to compete with the cheaper print prices that large volume chains are offering. I remember a print costing 35-45 cent a print.. and now, these prints are 25-15 cent a print.

Now.. I was shocked to find that the traditional mini lab is being abandoned for cheaper dry printing processes.. that mimic the ink jet printer that are in homes. I was unaware until I went to my local Walmart and saw that the larger "wet" process machines had been changed to a "dry" printer the size of a small color copier that you would see at Kinko's. So.. I did some research.

http://www.elementsvillage.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43833

From the above blog link, my fears were confirmed and I suspect that this will be the norm of photographic printing in the future. I was curious to see what the quality was, and after getting prints made, I was not happy with the look or feel of the paper or my image on that paper. I can visibly see the ink dots used in making the prints and there is a weird ink jet feel and smell to the prints. I hear that the prints have an archival quality of up to 90 years, but do I want to see sub-par prints for even a year after they are taken?

What is a person to do? For one, you can complain to the local printers that you aren't going to be force-fed their cheap prints of your cherished family photos. Another thing to do is take your business to other places that offer real photo printing. You can also use online printing companies that will still print real photos and mail them to you within 2-3 days.

As a professional photographer, I will continue to use a professional photo lab that prints my images on real photo paper. Even with the extra expense, I feel I'm obligated to deliver the best quality images that I can. I recommend to do the same with your own personal photos.

~Patrick