So, I have a photo I took of a friend of mine and her fiance (well, now her husband, but her fiance in the picture), and I decided that, as a wedding gift, I should print a copy and then mount and frame it (since I just recently learned how to do this).
Now, my choices are:
[ol]
[li]Print it at home[/li][li]Print it from a photo kiosk at Wal Mart or CVS[/li][li]Hi Opal![/li][/ol]
Or, as a possible fourth option, I could send the digital picture out to get printed at a pro lab, but I don’t feel like waiting on the turnaround for this if one of the previous options is viable.
Now, the printer I’m using at home is a Lexmark X3350, one of those combo deals with both a scanner and printer. I’ve printed photos with it before, and it does pretty good work, but I’m not sure if the ink for it is archival or not, especially since Lexmark also offers an ink cartridge specifically for printing photos that they claim IS archival. I’ve got some Kodak paper that says it’s supposed to last 100+ years (I’m not sure how they test that, but OK). If I need to buy the photo cartridge, it’ll cost about $25 or $30 in town.
Also in doubt is whether or not the prints from one of those print-while-you-wait photo kiosks at Wal Mart or the drug store are archival quality either. I’d rather not go through the trouble of putting all this together for them if the picture is just going to fall apart in a few years.
So, the question is, does anybody know if the photo kiosks use archival quality ink and paper? Does the ink that a Lexmark X3350 Inkjet pritner use tend to be archival in nature, and is the photo cartridge worth the extra money?
You’ll do better at a photo kiosk, assuming they maintain the machine properly. I’ll do much better then the printer you have at home. You can go to a photo shop with a kiosk, they’ll probably take better care of their machine.
Your best bet is to go to an actual photo/camera shop that prints on photographic paper using optical projection and chemical development (silver halide systems). These types of prints will last as long as any “standard” print from film, because they are “standard” prints. The photo shop also gives the advantage of more knowledgeable staff and better quality control. Often, the minilab at the drugstore is improperly maintained. Good results require daily monitoring of chemical concentrations and printer characteristics.
Kiosks with built-in printers use dye sublimation technology which, while offering superior quality and longevity to inkjet prints, are not as good as silver halide prints.
Using your inkjet is the least likely to give good results and is probably the most expensive option. The inks are deposited on the surface of the paper, where they are more prone to wear and degradation. Dye sublimation dyes penetrate into the paper, and, in a silver halide print, the image is in the paper rather than on the surface.
I second this idea. Since this is a gift, you should have the pro guys do it. The pictures do look brighter and sharper, especially on larger prints. The labs around here can usually do them within an hour, or even shorter if you ask them “please” and if you only have one print.
Raguleader, are you a member of Costco and is there one near by? I am their hugest fan for photos. You can upload your digital photos there and then go and pick them up, usually less than 24 hours. 8x10 photos are $1.50 using real photographic reproduction and seem to be excellent to my untrained eye. Smaller photos are also the cheapest I’ve seen anywhere.
Nah, not a member of Costco, and the nearest pro lab is in Tucson, about 90 minutes drive away from where I live. I’ll probably find a lab that I can send out to have the photo printed at.