Printing Photos at Home or at the Lab? Which One’s the Better Option?

Printing Photographs at Home

 

So, you would like to start out printing your photos. There are many reasons why you ought to make out, so I totally support you! But now there’s a dilemma: must you invest money in a printer or send your photos to a lab? During this video from Adorama, photographer David Bergman will facilitate your make this decision and discuss the benefits of both.

So, why do you have to be printing your photos? The explanations are many and that they are also different for pros and hobbyists. Those that want to sell prints and people who want to preserve memories can also have different reasons to create prints. But one thing in common for all us photographers is that we should always print our work. Having a tangible print in your hands makes for a very different experience than simply gazing at it on your computer or phone screen. Having it framed on the wall creates a special feeling, too. And just in case you wish to get some revenue from photography, selling prints is simply one of the ways to try to do it.

Now that we all know why to print our work, the subsequent question is: where? You’ll send them to a knowledgeable lab or buy a printer and bonk yourself, and here are David’s reasons for doing one or the opposite.

PRINTING AT A LAB

The main reason to print your photos in an exceeding lab is convenience. The lab employees will facilitate you with the entire process: selecting the paper and therefore the format to prepare your photo for printing. Also, you’ll have the prints delivered to your door, which are a few things most labs offer nowadays. There’s no equipment for you to take care of, and you won’t have a printer seizing space in your home or studio, as photo printers are often quite big. Another perk is that you simply can print individual images on different papers without having to shop for a batch of every sort of paper. Additionally, the lab will print your work on metal, canvas, acrylics… Even T-shirts and mugs, if you’re into that.

 

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PRINTING AT HOME

One of the most perks of printing at home is speed. You don’t wait for the print to be done and shipped to you, you’ll have it off all after you want and have the print in your hands rapidly. Of course, you need to get a printer set up (printers like Canons are easy to set up.  After that, you would like to arrange the print first, and you’ll experiment with different looks if you prefer. When printing at home, you’ll be able to make as many test prints as you wish without having to travel back and forth with the lab. David also points out that the price of printing at home is smaller. Of course, it depends on lots of various factors, but generally the more prints you create at home the cheaper it’s gonna be. Finally, printing at home gives you control over the whole process. If you prefer having this type of control, then getting a printer is certainly something to contemplate.

THE VERDICT

Of course, there are pros and cons of every approach, and it all depends on your needs. As an example, as I don’t print the photos that usually, just take them to a lab. Also, I usually make small prints only to preserve memories, so I don’t need super-fancy art paper nor large formats. On the opposite hand, if I were to begin selling prints, I believe I’d prefer having a printer and doing it on my very own mainly due to David’s last point: control. But on the opposite hand, if I find a lab that I trust enough, then I’d gladly give them the control over printing my work.