hello all, just have a question about getting digital photos printed. probably should be in the printing forum but as it deals with digital photos i figured there'd be more first hand experience here on this one. i've been using shutterfly.com to get prints done but they crop the photos in a bad way or put a white border around it if the no cropping option is selected. does anyone know of any services online or chain store that will do digital prints without cropping for a true 8x10. the reason shutterfly gives for the cropping has something to do with the aspect ratio difference between digital and film photos. any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! thank you in advance for your time!! eb

Attached Link: http://www.adoramapix.com/

Most places I know print in "standard" sizes such as 3x5, 4x6, 5x7, 8x10. Adorama who I use prints in several "off" sizes. Not matter who you use, the photo will have to be cropped to fit their sizes. I would be interested to know if anybody prints at submitted sizes.

Attached Link: http://www.ldphotostation.com/index.html?=1&uA=Mozilla/4.0%20%28compatible%3B%20MSIE%206.0%3B%20Win

One place I use gives perfect prints with no borders if you choose. But am not sure if anyone would be happy at the price.It is more than the others,but worth it to me. They have the best equipment and inks.

there is a place that will do custom printing, any size you want but lost the link. pretty cool also as you can send them the huge .psd files. if i find it i'll post the link here. thanks for the reply randy!!!

thanks db, i'm definitet going to check that out. do they crop it?

to me, 8x10 is an off size. Since it has a ratio of 4:5 while a standard negative has a ratio of 2:3. So something is lost somewhere. To make it more complicated compact digitals usually shoot in 4:3.

Yeah, whoever came up with these crazy formats anyway. I hate having to get a print to fit an 8x10 frame. Grrrrrrrr!

Indeed. Over here it's 20x30cm which does comply to the 2:3 standard.

Attached Link: http://www.clarioncreative.com/

i found a place that will do the printing i need and they specialize in fine art printing. they informed me due to the resolution of the files i sent, 3008x2000 that i would need an 8x12 print. they say that size will fit my image perfectly without cropping and withtout the white border. they're almost 3x as much as i was paying for prints but then the place i was using was more for having snapshots printed out. if the quality is good and my photo is unaltered then i'll gladly pay the price. they're fast too, i placed the order late yesterday afternoon and today i got a shipping notification and tracking number, they would have had it out sooner but had to ask me a few things before they got started. great customer service!!!

here's the link if anyone wishes to check them out. i'll post again as to the quality when i receive the prints! thank you all for the replys and info, i appreciate it!

EB ps. they also offer a wide assortment of papers to choose from which i thought was pretty cool!

Message edited on: 05/02/2005 17:01

Attached Link: R1800

Look forward to hear more EB. What I decided to do was buy and Epson R1800. It is an investment, but I hope it pays for itself in the long run. I like the fexibility of having it at home and on demand. My wife had and old Epson Stylus 3000. The quality was great but it is past it's prime. When the R1800 arrives I'll give you guys an update about it.

that's a great idea, invest a little..er...more like a lot now and reap the rewards later!!! definitely give us a review wehn you get it and had a chance to play around with it, i'd love to hear how it works and it's quality!! good luck with it!!! EB

Attached Link: R1800 review

Thanks, will do EB. The link has the review that clinched it for me. For a synopsis, skip to the last page.

I was considering an Canon i9900. The similar quality and lesser price had me very interested. I know Epsons can be finicky (personal experience) so was shopping around. I decided against the i9900 when I read from owners that say it works great for a while, but then quality issues arrise that Canon won't address. And it is very limited in the paper it accepts.

So the Epson R1800 it is! Wish me luck. =] (On a side note, yes, the Epson R1800 at just over $500 is expensive, but many times cheaper than the Stylus 3000 we bought years ago. I believe it was around $1,500.)

Message edited on: 05/03/2005 13:08

We have an Epson Stylus 1290 and I must say that the quality of the prints is god damn good!! And we can print in any size we want, and that's bliss!!