Photo printing?

[Sad, little man]

Now that I'm looking to move over to actually printing my photos, I'm finding that I'm woefully uneducated in this area.

So what is the current hot-ticket as far as printing technologies go? I think to start I am going to use a printing service before I drop a bunch of cash on a printer of my own.

Looking around the internet, the consensus seems to be that a good inkjet printer tends to give the best results. I just got a photo printed off at 12x18" at the local photo place, and frankly I'm just not happy with the results. The colors are a little washed out, the blacks just aren't black enough... Bleh. It's not doing the photos justice. Is it just this photo lab, or are chemical printing processes generally sub-par compared with inkjets?

[FaultyMario]

Make sure to check the shop's subtrate catalog. Paper makes a big difference on contrast and while there are generalities it really depends on the process and printers used. You do want to know how a certain finish and weight looks from your local printer service.

[Cam]

I suggest you use an online service. Good cost to quality ratio. However, I have never used one. We have a colour laser that is good enough for home use. If I wanted to print my photos to be put in a gallery, I would certainly go with an online service. Make sure you check reviews and get a good one.

[Sad, little man]

Can they ship directly to people other than me? My concern would be the length of time it would take them to send a print to me, and then for me to re-ship that to someone else.

[Sad, little man]

Whoops, I guess I should clarify, most of this printing will be done for the purpose of sales to other people.

[Rare White Ape]

I happen to work for an electronics/furniture retailer who has photo printing available. All of the prints I do there come out just fine, maybe with even deeper blacks and brighter colours than what I was expecting based on what I see on my computer.

They use a bloody big machine that you would never see in anyone's home office. Like proper professional printing setup with high quality gloss or matte paper. It's definitely very very superior to a home photo printer that you can pick up for a few hundred bucks.

I'm guessing either the place you went to hasn't got it set up properly, or your photos aren't adjusted properly.

Gimme a sec, when I get home I'll take a few shots of both types of photos that I happen to have available so that you can see what I mean.