Attached Link: http://posters.sircooper.com/

I'm more interested in responses for resources actually used than in searches for low prices. With printing services, knowing the quality of the work done is better than just knowing the price.

To be honest, I've gotten MUCH better prints, service, and pricing by printing local.  I use the local Meijer (it's like a superstore deal) in Livonia, and use their HP service.  The staff is surprisingly knowledgeable about their work, and the prints are outstanding.  I just can't print nudes there, so I go to a local printer who does for those...which is more expensive.  I don't know where you are located, so I can't point you to places, but I would recommend seeking out local printshops :)  You might be pleasantly surprised with what you get, as opposed to an online service (where you also have to pay for shipping)  Plus...you get th bonus of not having to pay for it if you don't like the quality of the print.

Also - little tidbit...the reason for the drastic price increase in the 24x36....

11x17 prints can be created on a flat printer.  Anything larger needs what's called a "Plotter", or poster printer.  It's a much thicker paper, different ink, and costs more to run the machine.  FYI ;)

At 36c for a 11x17 I think SirCooper are losing money - it must be a 'loss leader'.

Find yourself a good, local giclee printer. They'll be used to dealing with artists and photographers (who can be very demanding) and offer reasonable prices; just don't take that 36c deal as any kind of yardstick, and be prepared to pay a little over the odds for much better quality.

Also, unless you have a properly calibrated monitor and some idea of how to prepare images in a color-managed workflow, don't expect the printed results to be an exact match for what you saw on screen, or what came out of your crappy desktop printer.

I hadn't considered looking into local printers. I mostly thought that they'd mostly want large quantities of prints to make it worth their while. Of course, that's thinking back a few decades ago when printing was done off of plates and it was the cost of plates that resulted in high pricing. Printing is another area where technology has allowed greater flexibillity.

One big advantage in using local printers is that there would not be a shipping charge. The minimum shipping rate for SirCooper is $6, so that would cut into savings very quickly for small print runs.

At least I know that CYMK is the color space needed for printing.

  :)  Plus, for those looking to "Go Green", using local reduces your "footprint"...or so I hear :P

Actually, it has a lot of other benefits.  1. some galleries get their promo work done at local print shops, and you can network there.  2. If your work is good, the printers may ask if they can promote your work (they do around here!), and 3. getting to know your printer can help you create better printworthy art.  They know tips and tricks, and what to do with lighting to get things to look as good in print as they do on your screen :)

Quote - At least I know that CYMK is the color space needed for printing.

It is if you're having prints made on a four-color system such as offset litho or a similar digital print system, e.g. color laser, Indigo etc. BUT if you're having inkjet prints made, read on:

Most inkjet based systems have anything up to 12 inks, and CMYK is the least preferable for these. Sure you can throw CMYK images at them, but the printer software will convert them to RGB or LAB on-the-fly and then map these colors into their own multicolor space.

People may tell you otherwise. They're wrong. Trust me, it's my job to know about these things. Any talk to the effect that 'our RIP only accepts CMYK files' is bullsh*t. The exception to this is if they use an Iris printer (which only has CMYK inks).

A digital photo printer (which uses red, green and blue lasers to expose photographic material) will probably insist on RGB, for obvious reasons. Ask them which RGB color space you should use - if they don't know, make sure your images are in sRGB, as that is the default for most such systems. I've seen horrible prints produced from files in AdobeRGB, and the simple fix was always to convert them to sRGB.

Always confer with your print service provider to find out the how you should provide image files.