Recommend me a printing company.....but not Peak

[dave_whatever]

Hello all

I could use some recommendations of printing firms to use for photographic prints from digital files. Bit of background if you'll indulge me:

I've used Peak Imaging for a few years now and always got results I was fairly happy with so I stuck with them (plus they're a local firm). I'm never one to sit there nitpicking how closely the print colour matches to my monitor, I know you can only get so close realistically and if it looks OK then that's good enough for me.

But recently I had a reasonably big (16x12") print done which straight out of the box just looked way too magenta. Even my wife commented on it - the shot had a very strong post-sunset blue shade to it which obviously shows any magenta cast in printing up pretty strongly. So I went back and made sure my monitor was calibrated properly again, which is was, made sure I was sending the file to them in sRGB, which I was etc etc, double checked with the wife incase my eyes are going west etc etc. Still no joy, everything looked right to me.

So next I send off for their calibration print and download their calibration file. Print arrives in the post - viewing it under a daylight source its a remarkably close match to what I see on screen - great, but it doesn't explain why the big print is way out. I phoned them up a couple of times to discuss this and check they're not "optimising" the image on the sly or anything like that. They suggest the exact shade I'm printing might be one that just out of the paper's gamut and so send my an icc profile specifically for their gloss paper and I use this to soft-proof the image in photoshop and get a test print done - its still nowhere near. I don't even think its specific to the shade of blues in the image as other prints I had done at the same time all show a slight magenta cast although its not as objectionable in the other images.

Now all this is academic really since I don't want this to get into a discussion of the subtleties of colour magagement, but the long and short of it is I'm losing the will to live here since I can't get any kind of consistency out of them. Anecdotally I've got friends who's also had similar issues with them over the last couple of years - the theory being it started to go downhill when they ditched the Fuji printer and did everything on the durst. I can't fault their service or willingness to help but I'm now at the stage where I'm going to have to move on to another printers as I'm at a dead end. Hence this thread.

So other options I know of are metro, bdp and photobox. I've used metro before for E6 processing but ditched them after they mess up a couple of rolls. Used photobox for calendars and snapshot/family type prints and been OK although they don't print bigger than 15x10". Never used BDP but I know cornish etc use them for cibachrome. Any more suggestions? Anyone else had similar issues with Peak printing or is it just me and my aquaintances? All i want is a decent consistent output at a reasonable cost, and preferably someone who'll furnish you with a profile to soft proof or at least a calibration print to get you into the same ballpark.

(I have considered just sending the slide to BDP for a cibachrome print, but I have heard their output can be inconsistent too - hence why Cornish gets all his prints done in limited batches - anyone used them?)

Thanks in advance!

[Dave Tolcher]

I use Spectrum in Hove. Just had some metallic prints made which I think are a cut above enything else I have had done. Colour is usually pretty good but my own experience would suggest that the colours in that piccie are very hard to get right. Spectrum are at:

http://www.spectrumphoto.co.uk/

You can have a test print done at 30% off I believe but may need to call the desk to do so.

[Charles Twist]

Hello Dave,
Two printers to whom I send my transparencies:
(i) I use BPD a lot for the shots which matter - most of my latest exhibition was done there. They are going to hate me for this but my experience is that they have two modes: knock-it-out and perfection. They can be a bit slap-dash every now and again, ignoring instructions, printing at an angle, etc. But if you point it out, they will correct it gratis. Their customer service is excellent. I believe they know me as a pain in the butt (I doubt they're alone...), but they take more care now and I ask for digital proofs to be emailed to me, just to check. That have latched onto my style and that is the one great advantage which comes with one guy printing my stuff for several years. So overall, I recommend them: top quality when they want to.
(ii) I also use Digitalab up in Newcastle. They're very good, a bit more pricey than BPD and able to print to bigger sizes. The latest batch of 40" by 50" prints are very impressive. Again very easy to work with because I am dealing with the same person each time. Again it is essential they email proofs to me, simply because they can't read my mind.
For my every day prints (smaller than A3), I send files to RGB in Middlesbrough. They are doing a far better job than I credited them with initially. I have no reason to send them my transparencies because of the two printers I am used to dealing with. So far, I have been extremely pleased with their service. I have some pretty strong colours in my work and I am quite choosey, but so far, touch wood, they are doing just fine.
I hope that helps.
Best regards,
Charles

[dave_whatever]

Thanks for the recommendations so far, I'll certainly be looking into all of these possibilties.

Charles, are you scanning yourself then sending them the file and transparency too just as a safeguard or something like that? Or are you just sending the transparency and letting them scan/print from it themselves - kinda sounds like thats the case if you're talking about "digital proofs". Cheers.

[dennis]

Dave,
I have heard good reports on printing from South West Colour Labs - 01803 666 640. I have used them for years for E6 processing & thus FAR OK. May be worth giving them a ring. Dennis.

[hmvmanuk]

Dave,
I've been told by people who are very particular about their pictures that CC Imaging in Leeds are good. http://www.ccimaging.co.uk/
I have no direct experience of them myself, though.

Good luck,

Gavin

[Charles Twist]

Hello Dave,
I send BPD and Digitalab the transparency for them to scan and print. I often have a scanned copy at home though which I email to them for a guide. I have never gotten them to print from my file (unlike RGB and that works fine).
Best regards,
Charles

[rhodej00]

I use BPD Photech in Warrington also.
Never had a problem.
I send then 5 x 4 colour negs. for development and printing. They now scan negs. and print from those files. Also send a CD with scanned files on.
I understand that both Joe Cornish and Charlie Waite use them.
John