I’m surprised by the number of people I meet who love to shoot but hate to process. For me, seeing what I captured and what kind of art I can make of the image is half the fun! Printing, of course, is part of that equation. Before I discuss printing photos with a photo lab versus buying a photo printer, I’ll disclose my personal choice: I own a Canon large format imagePROGRAF PRO-2000 printer. 24”, 11-color inkjet printer. And you can have it back when you can pry it from my cold, dead fingers. There’s just nothing like picking up a fresh-out-of-the-printer print and putting it up for inspection under a carefully positioned light. Immediate gratification.

I use MOAB Slickrock Metallic Pearl paper almost exclusively to print both portraits and landscape images.

But I’ve also used Bay Photo, Whitewall, WHCC, Digital Silver Imaging, HiddenLight, Bumblejax, and other local, low-volume custom labs.

The only way to know which paradigm is right for you is to answer these questions:

1. How much printing am I going to do? If 4 or 5 large prints a month – lease a large-format printer. It’s surprisingly affordable and the deal includes consumables. (more on this later). If you do less volume than this, I’d say use a lab.

2. Do I mind waiting to see the results? Or, in other words, how much trial-and-error will I have to suffer getting the lab to return WYSIWYG prints on a regular basis? This question dovetails onto the next…

3. Have I, or will I very soon, calibrate my monitor? Failure to calibrate and learn about ICC profiles and the color spaces will guarantee you will not be happy with the results regardless of which lab you choose. Properly calibrate your monitor or just don’t waste your time and money; your prints will never look right.

The only way to evaluate cost is on the basis of per square inch.

Here’s the Canon chart that gives you the square-inch cost of generating a print from their printers:

Caveat: These figures are for consumables only and do not factor in the cost of the printer. Obviously, the more you print, the lower the printer acquisition cost figures into the equation.

Of course, it’s a very straightforward process to figure the p/sq inch cost on a lab print. Cost of the print divided by square inch size (figured as height times width).

I’m primarily a landscape photographer so when I print for clients, I want complete control for the highest quality. But sometimes clients want a print larger than 24”, or a canvas wrap, or an acrylic print, etc. that I cannot generate. So, obviously, a lab will have to be used. And this is where you cannot do too much research.

One of the best ways to assess the quality and reliability is to find out how long the lab has been in business. People don’t use a lab that gets it wrong. So, the longer the time in business, the better. Bay Photo, WhiteWall, White House, Mpix, Millers, and Adorama (now Printique) are all labs that have been around forever and can be relied upon to get it right, assuming your monitor is calibrated. These labs also offer a mind-numbing array of products, papers, and display options.

Then, there are the “boutique” labs that specialize in basically one thing.

Read also: The Best Online Photo Printing Services

You made the decision to get your own printer, but now… which one?

Again, you can go large-format with the $3,000 Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2100, 24”, 11-colors, stable archiving offering a 300 year color guarantee. It’s a bit pricey to buy outright, and the ink sets are about $1,200 (160 ml). The best option may be to lease. Lease deals were so good I could not afford to pass them up.

I personally used the Austin, Texas-based Professional Plotter Technology, which is the second largest printer reseller in the US. These folks are the best and they can deliver nationwide.

My deal for the 2000 model was for 3 years at $45 a month with a buyout or turn it in. You can upgrade or downgrade to a different model, either 44-inch or 60-inch at any time during your lease term. Consumables were paid for as you go.

The square-inch usage was figured based on the number and size of the prints (There’s a usage display on the printer) and a charge for ink was added to the invoice. So, if I didn’t print anything that month, my bill was only $45. I averaged around 3 or 4 a month and my consumables cost was around $25 to $35. If I ever needed an ink cartridge, they just sent it to me with no additional charge. They can also supply paper, but I always bought my own from MOAB, which they didn’t carry.

This deal was available for any printer they represent, which includes Epson, HP, etc.

Canon and Epson have other models for smaller print sizes, around 17” and are considerably less expensive but offer the same 11-color, archival quality inks.

Basically, decide what your needs and budget are and go from there.

I’ve used all these labs and had a great experience.

These are general mass-market print labs that have been around for a long time and do an excellent job. Their selling point is how much product they can offer; your print can appear on just about any surface you can imagine. They offer high-quality prints and “value” prints that are great, but if you did not prepare the images properly the results will show it; they do no touchup or color balancing on “value” prints.

You may know of a great camera shop not listed here that may do good work. Go in, have the conversation and you’ll be able to discern for yourself what they can do.

As for framing and mounting, I have to offer kudos to Hobby Lobby. I’ve used three different stores and in every instance I’ve had great service and superb quality.

Good luck! Print and frame one of your favorite images and you’ll be hooked.

About the author: Phil Hawkins is a fine art landscape photographer who has been shooting professionally since 2004. He has been shooting in Yosemite National Park for around four decades. You can find more of his work on his website.

Image credits: Photos from 123RF