Toronto Photography Meetup Group

I am about to move into a new place that has decent corridor in it, so I'd like to use the wall space to display a line of 4-5 of my photos.

While i've printed some stuff at costco over the years, i've never done it with any kind of purpose towards framing or longevity, so i have no idea what i'm doing.

I see there are lots of threads on potential places to print, so I'm pretty sure i can figure that part out.

What i'd like to get some advice one is what i need to look for in the print and the frame. I'm not looking to sell or archive for centuries, but I'd like the finished photo+frame quality to be decent enough to display for a couple of years without withering or deteriorating. All without breaking the bank either.

Also, i would appreciate some advice on what size photos to make. I realize that this is a personal preference, but many of you seem quite experienced with printing and display so i would very much value your opinion on the matter. Most of the photos i would print are landscapes (example: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7030/6817557177_616ba92f13_b.jpg )

Finally, if your experience would allow you to give me a rough ballpark figure on what i should expect to spend on 5 prints+frames when following your advice, it would also be of great help.

Thanks.

If Gerrardo doesn't reply, I suggest you send him a PM for advice. He runs a local printing / framing shop called lepix. Had some work done there before and their service is great and they are very knowledgeable.

Printing and framing can get confusing as there are so many options out there.
you seem to have figured out what your needs are, now is a matter of budget and style.

Printing:
Printing has lots of variables, determining the best output can be done by answering these questions:
- who is it for?
- where is it going to be placed?
- is it going to be mounted, stretched or framed?
- is it part of a picture collage or it is a single print?
- Is the image resolution optimal/enough for the size?
- Have I decided on the type of media I want to? (not every picture has to be printed in the same media, nor framed the same)

C printing (aka chromira), lightjet, inkjet (aka giclee) and some other printing methods have become increasingly affordable lately. The main differences are ink permanence, choices of printing media and pricing. While most printing techniques aim to resemble the traditional photography media achieved in the darkroom; some other (i.e inkjet) will go beyond and will offer to you the possibility to also print on a wide array of substrates such as canvas, fiber based paper, textiles, metal, wood, clear film, etc.
Shop around, printing ateliers may have different price ranges for the same product or finish.

Framing:
People has the misconception regarding custom framing, it actually can be cheaper than expected. As printing, pricing can vary greatly regarding the quality of materials involved and the place you take your work to be framed as many framers will actually outsource their framing elsewhere. It is important to ask about turnaround times and quality of materials, if in doubt ask for framing samples and your framer work samples.

good luck in your search, there are several places that you can have your work printed and framed. If you would like me to provide additional information feel free to PM me.


cheers

Consider Pikto as well. http://www.pikto.com/cad/prints-overview

Good luck.

I've had fantastic service from 44 Wide. Gerardo has provided some great context and suggestions to follow as well.

Colourgenics http://www.colourgenics.com/ and Elevator http://www.elevatordigital.ca/ have top notch service and quality.
I haven't used Image Works http://www.torontoimageworks.com/ for digital printing but they do all my film and I've never left unhappy.

Are you guys/gals reading his question?

Yup they asked "what i need to look for in the print and the frame" and there are so many variables it best to speak with people that do the work. The three places I listed do, they even have gallery space in which they hang the printed, framed images put together. All three places deal in archival quality printing and framing so they would be the experts to ask.

EDITED
I feel I should specify other than having some of my work done at these places I am not affiliated with them in any way and this is not a direct endorsement of their products or services other than to say they are have WAY more knowledge than I ever will as to what is needed for each application. Be it gallery presentation or hanging in the living room.

Based on my recollection of a speaker at the Beach Photo Club - Museum Glass = expensive. For your purposes, avoid.

I haven't done much framing, but have had success with Incurable Collector in the beach, albeit for a fairly rudimentary black frame with a matte.

Size of print depends on viewing distance.

Landscape Print Size - the bigger the better!

Watch the video to answer your questions on size and costs - the vendors he mentions are all US based.
http://fstoppers.com/shoot-print-and-fr ... n-a-budget

This is interesting considering that



So i have a quite tight corridor, which will make viewing distance minimal (therefore print smaller!), but the pics are landscape (therefore print bigger!).

I think i'll go visit a few places with hanged prints to see the size i'd like. Still not really sure if it's worth paying $40-50 per print (without frame) given that i personally probably wouldn't be able to tell the different between that and an $15 print...


Thanks all for your responses.

If you want to be unconventional and not use a frame using metal murals could really make a decorating statement and look better then a frame or a wrap.

http://www.metalmural.com/

So, I'm just being an @$$ but: pictures are hung, only men are "hanged"

Also, I don't think anyone has complimented you, but the link you posted was a beautiful shot.

good luck with the framing!

Good point are all your photos of a similar theme and tone range as your example? If they are then the type of paper/printer is going to make a huge difference. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say Fujicolor Crystal Archive Pearl Paper sometimes will look spectacular sometimes called Fuji metallic paper (not to be confused with Kodak metallic which may look a bit to shiny/metallic for this type of landscape) . Of course the desired aesthetics of the print are completely personal.

don't forget to brighten up your image a bit before printing. Printing process usually makes images darker than they appear on screen

First process your images until you're satisfied on how they should look -- digital printing. Once you're fully satisfied with a final look, take it to one of these printing places and they will take it from there.

btw, that's a great shot.

believe it or not, i'm a person that actually appreciates the correction.

other points -

about brightening - will do.

metal mural - Metrix, have you actually had this done?

Yes.

If you have a printer at home and photoshop you can do it yourself, even a Lexmark will do depending on the size you are after. You just need to calibrate your printer first.
I can guide you through the process and send you a step wedge for that.

Sweet, this thread's very handy when it comes for printing

Ryan, can you share an image or two of what you've done with this and maybe share a comment or two of your experience with it? I've been intrigued with metal prints for bathroom applications where moisture tends to rule out more traditional printing methods.

Even a primer on how to enter a custom printing/framing shop without being a complete noob would be worthwhile.

... not to anyone in particular, but whomever feels up to it.

I have done a panel of 9 each a 12x12" shot as they include a hanging system so you don't have to wall mount them and you could hang them in free space. Really happy with the results but be aware that the resolution is lower then normal printing so if it's better to go large then to go small.

If you want a lot of fine detail then this type of metal might be better then the link I posted above http://www.imagewizards.net/ although I find the metal mural a lot more interesting plus the hanging method makes it decorator friendly.

Thanks a bunch, Ryan. This definitely gives me something to go on. The options look very promising.

Thank you all for our advice!

So far i've figured out that...

1. I should print my photos at least 20x30 (maybe 24x36) to get the effect i want on the walls i have.
2. The largest actually affordable size to print is 12x18 (under $10 at numerous places).. after that it goes up to like $70-150 per print.
3. Most of these labs have something called "roll" or "bulk" printing: http://www.colourgenics.com/onsale.html#RP This seems to be setup to yield high quality at a reasonable price (will likely work out to something like $25 per print for the sizes i want).

Do you any of you have experience with roll printing?
Do you know if labs generally provide a place to cut the photos after or would i have to figure out how to cut them elsewhere?
How hard do you think it would be for a newbie (i.e. me) to set up 5-6 large photos in photoshop for this kind of printing job? I have no idea whatsoever about "colour space" settings or anything related.

This method sounds extremely appealing considering the price difference, as i can theoretically completely screw up this print job 6 times before it costs me more than getting 6 separate prints - not that i'm aiming to do that!

Thoughts?

I've done a lot of roll printing in the past. Toronto Image Works, where I did all mine, cuts if you request that with your order; I paid IIRC a dollar a cut about four years ago. That was worth it: I'd have paid more than that in stress levels doing it myself.

My experience was that the labs providing this service also provide careful instruction. TIW instructed on the print dimensions to create in Photoshop and on colour space. There are a lot of good step-by-step instructions on the Web for both - which was good, because at the time I needed them!

My process:

Printing - Pikto, or for larger works - Tricera

Framing - Incurrable Collector in the Beach area.

My process:

Prints: Elevator Digital - Press & Go - Lambda printer, FujiFlex paper
http://www.elevatordigital.ca/pressngo.html

Frames: Above Ground Art Supplies - Black Textured
https://www.abovegroundartsupplies.com/sagro/storefront/store.php?mode=browsecategory&category=1953

Mat: Deserres
http://www.deserres.ca/en-CA/

I have also used Elevator Digital to mat my photos. A good store to browse through to become familiar with mats is http://www.matshop.ca/

Michael's Arts & Crafts often has big sales on frames:
http://www.michaels.com/

You can start off with Ikea frames & mattes, they are supposed to be acid-free but they are in weird sizes though:
http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/categories/series/16456/

I like selecting my own frames and mats as opposed to just handing it off for someone to choose. At some mat shops, they'll cut the mat with a little extra width on the bottom which is 'gallery' style. You just have to look for acid free mattes for the front, and acid free foam core for the back. You can pay $$ for anti-reflective glass, but that might be overkill. Elevator Digital's lambda printer prints at 400dpi, but you can pretty much get away with 200dpi. with my 24mp body, with scaling that's 10x15" @ 400dpi. If you do get frames and custom mattes separately, its best to have them install it in the frame it's not always exactly the described dimensions. And I found identical matte widths for all sides (left/right/top/bottom) looks best to me.

one thing i find looks nice is sets of 3 matching square photos & frames, hung side by side or above each other. Your amount of wall space will dictate the size you want to print at. Another thing I found surprising is the cost of the actual print is virtually nothing compared to the cost of the frame & mat.

Thanks, this is some good advice also. I've decided to take my chances and try the roll printing. Haven't figured out which of the recommended shops to use as a couple of them offer different paper and have different printers.

For frames, given that i can't afford 5 proper frames at the moment, i've decided to try the Ikea ones. I had expected them to be rather terrible, but when i went to look last week, there was one frame type that actually looked quite good, so I'll be trying it out for my first print and see if it works out. If not, I'll start thinking about custom built frames @ 3-4 times the price. The biggest problem with ikea frames is that they're plastic and not glass at the front, but again... budget constraints.

Now to find some online tutorials for setting this up in PS!