Printing Tips

Choosing the best photograph printing solution seems complicated, but it’s easy today. Since lengthy instructions aren’t practical, I’ll offer you some simple advice.

If you don’t have time to read this entire article, Mpix is a good online lab and ASAP Pro Imaging is the best local lab.

When printing, I recommend a luster finish over a glossy finish. And larger printed photos look better than smaller printed photos.

Photo Lab Selection

If you’re printing your photos, you must choose a photo lab. Labs develop and process photographs. Since all photo labs aren’t equal and print quality can vary, lab selection is important.

Personally, I use labs that only service professional photographers. That means my prints are a bit better than most labs mentioned here. Unsurprisingly, they’re also more expensive.

Local Labs

For a local Houston photo lab, choose from these options. The best lab on this list is ASAP Pro Imaging. They’re highly recommended.

Online

Online photo labs are convenient. Amazon Prints and Mpix are great choices. You can upload your files and then receive print delivery in just a few days.

Small Chains

When you need photographs very quickly and quality isn’t your main concern, small chains might be an appropriate choice. They are great for unimportant prints like passport photos, but don’t print your heirlooms here.

Photo Finishes

When ordering prints, you’ll be asked to select a photo finish. The three most common finishes are matte, glossy, and luster (sometimes called pearl). Glossy is typically the finishing method for most public labs.

Glossy photos are shiny and typically make the color and contrast “pop” in an image. On a glossy print, imperfections like fingerprints are highly noticeable, and glare can be an issue under many light sources.

Matte is a dull-looking finish often used for fine art prints. In most cases, matte prints are best viewed under special bright lighting. The greatest advantage to matte prints is that light doesn’t typically reflect off them, and thus, you won’t see much, if any, glare on the photos.

The third common choice is luster. Luster is my personal favorite. It’s not as shiny as glossy, but it’s not as dull as matte. Luster looks great under most light sources and doesn’t easily show fingerprints.