Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

FM Forum Rules
Wedding Resource List
  

FM Forums | Wedding Photographer | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       3       end
  

Archive 2006 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??

  
 
Jorge68
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


I've been using costco as my lab to print my small prints (11x14 and under) and have a pro lab print my 16x20 and up. I was wondering if anyone else used costco as well? The reason I use them is because mainly price..and the fact that it's very close to my house and takes only an hour to be done. Sometimes I feel "not professional" making my prints there but in the end, i'm making more money.

I'm afraid that one of my clients will see me there one day and be like, ha..so you charged me $4.00 for a 4x6 that costs you $0.17 to make! lol



Nov 04, 2006 at 01:00 AM
deebo7
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


I did costco for a little bit but recently switched over to Mpix. To me the quality is visible and i am always a fan on anything done online. I just make sure to ship it to my house first so they dont get the box that says Mpix on it


Nov 04, 2006 at 01:06 AM
alkorn
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


I'm not judging here anybody, but personally I feel that true professional photographer has no moral or legal rights to print his clients pictures at Costco.



Nov 04, 2006 at 01:18 AM
agosling
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


There is no way I would use anything but a true pro lab, supermarket outlets don't even come close to the quality I demand.


Nov 04, 2006 at 03:43 AM
WestFalcon
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


My lab prints absolutely blow away Walgreen prints. Walgreens uses Fuji Frontier processors. They have poor tonal ranges....side by side, my lab prints blow them away


Nov 04, 2006 at 07:24 AM
unblinkable
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


It's .29 for a 4x6 at Mpix. WELL worth the benifit of using a lab that will give you better and more consistant results, yet still be a little less than Miller's or one of the other higher-end labs.


Nov 04, 2006 at 07:25 AM
Aberdeen Photo
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


No,

I use a local ATL lab that prints all size prints from the same machine. Tough to get a color match with dif labs, esp if dif papers. Also, most all of my prints that I sell are sprayed. It is more, but really pro looking.

That is your final product, needs to be as pleasing as possible. Costco is fine for a few personal candids, but not for the finished product. Just what I believe,

Tom



Nov 04, 2006 at 07:45 AM
prof_fate
Offline
• • • • •
[X]
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


For 4x6 wedding proofs i use winkflash.com (12c a print)
For everything else I use a pro lab. 8x10s are a $1. So the price issue is not much of an issue, especially if you value your time - i can upload and UPS delivers it - takes essentially no time. To drive to Costco, wait in line, hope I'm not seen (usually I want to be seen!) and drive back costs me gas and my time, which I don't have enough of.

And what they said - a pro lab will beat the quality, consistency and they support our industry and profession, often give you samples or studio samples at a discount, offer training, etc. My lab offers all day classes every 3 months on basic PS (great for my new hires), Lumapix Fotofusion and their own ROES software.

I;ll be using a second lab in the spring when I start shooting kids in sports leagues - they will supply the full color order form customized to my prices and biz, and supply me with sample products to show the parents. Costco won't do that, now will they?



Nov 04, 2006 at 08:27 AM
NinaS
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


our local costco has the same machines as our pro photo lab
I have printed up to 16x20 at both for comparison, and except for the price, can't tell the difference, as long as I calibrate the picture to their printers, if I don't & I trust the lab to do color correction, then yes, the pro lab is superior, because they care about quality

Have printed hundreds of senior portrait packages this year at Costco, and not a single complaint from me or my clients. Takes longer to get into the parking lot & park, than to pick up my prints, as we can pay at the photo counter which avoids those famous Costco lines

first wedding next week, so my views may change ... we will see



Nov 04, 2006 at 09:41 AM
snegron
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


Why not just print the 4x6's on your printer? It is probably a more consistant way of getting good prints instead of depending on a lab technician. Price-wise it may be cheaper to go through Costco, but even if a 4x6 print made on your own printer costs you $1.00 to make, you still have a proffit markup at $5.00 and the quality is controlled by you. I would rather show my clients great prints made by me even if it means making only $4.00 instead of $4.70.


Nov 04, 2006 at 10:42 AM
Jorge68
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


NinaS wrote:
our local costco has the same machines as our pro photo lab
I have printed up to 16x20 at both for comparison, and except for the price, can't tell the difference, as long as I calibrate the picture to their printers, if I don't & I trust the lab to do color correction, then yes, the pro lab is superior, because they care about quality

Have printed hundreds of senior portrait packages this year at Costco, and not a single complaint from me or my clients. Takes longer to get into the parking lot & park, than to pick up my prints,
...Show more


That's exactly what happends with me..my pro lab uses the same exact printer. Why would I pay more for the same thing? Now, for anything about 16x20 I do it with the pro place because they mount the prints for me.



Nov 04, 2006 at 12:04 PM
alkorn
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


Jorge68 wrote:
Why would I pay more for the same thing?


Ok, here is the legal reason.
Quote from Costco's Photo Center's Terms and Conditions:
"IV. No Resale of Service. You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any part of the Service, use of the Service, or access to the Service for any commercial purposes."
http://www.costcophotocenter.com/termsAndConditions/t_=49534660

So, my question for "Yay! Costco" posters here: what kind of professionals are you, ignoring (or even not bothering to read) this legal document? Or is it one of those: it's OK to cheat, as long as you do not get caught? Honestly?



Nov 04, 2006 at 12:45 PM
noah2950
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


I believe that the legal bit was for online photo hosting/printing, essentially through Snapfish. If you are a professional using Snapfish for order fulfillment then I think there is more than just the legal aspect to worry about. Frankly, in the scope of overall business costs 10 cents difference a print doesn't matter much to me if there is a large difference in quality. For my pro lab I get 4x6 prints color corrected by a technician, printed very well, then double checked as they come out of a machine before being sprayed and hand packed. They are then drop shipped directly to the client via 2 day UPS for under $5.00 and I don't have to bother with quality control checks on my end after the printing. I think it all works out well. Also, all my prints get stamped on the back with a copyright notice, my name, image number. There are many different business models, but I feel that offering only the best possibly products to the clients (and then charging them for it) makes me look better as a professional, makes them happy with excellent pictures, and also selects for a certain client base who I find much more enjoyable to work with.


Nov 04, 2006 at 01:05 PM
Jorge68
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


alkorn wrote:
Ok, here is the legal reason.
Quote from Costco's Photo Center's Terms and Conditions:
"IV. No Resale of Service. You agree not to reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell or exploit any part of the Service, use of the Service, or access to the Service for any commercial purposes."
http://www.costcophotocenter.com/termsAndConditions/t_=49534660

So, my question for "Yay! Costco" posters here: what kind of professionals are you, ignoring (or even not bothering to read) this legal document? Or is it one of those: it's OK to cheat, as long as you do not get caught? Honestly?


You see..I was not aware of that. Thanks for pointing that out.



Nov 04, 2006 at 01:06 PM
MikeDitz
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


I guess it is because you are a 'member' (unlike Walmart where anybody can and does go there) but I wonder if the 'do not resell' claim from Costcos T&C would hold up in court. I have never heard of any lab claiming such control of the images that their machine produces...sort of like Ford telling me that I can't use my Crown Victoria for a taxi cab.
It seems odd that they also offer credit card processing obviously for businesses..
I wonder if a contractor is not allowed to buy 20 gallons of paint to paint a house, or those people I see with half of a grocery store in ther shopping carts are not allowed to use it in their restaurant.




Nov 04, 2006 at 01:15 PM
Jorge68
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


MikeDitz wrote:
I guess it is because you are a 'member' (unlike Walmart where anybody can and does go there) but I wonder if the 'do not resell' claim from Costcos T&C would hold up in court. I have never heard of any lab claiming such control of the images that their machine produces...sort of like Ford telling me that I can't use my Crown Victoria for a taxi cab.
It seems odd that they also offer credit card processing obviously for businesses..
I wonder if a contractor is not allowed to buy 20 gallons of paint to paint a house, or those people
...Show more

The lab techs at my Costco know me by name, and know that i'm a pro photographer, and they have never told me anything about it.

I'm sorry to say, but you can't tell any difference between my costco prints and my pro lab prints.



Nov 04, 2006 at 01:49 PM
montauk170
Offline

Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


noah2950,

What pro lab do you use in the Bay Area?
Thanks!



Nov 04, 2006 at 02:17 PM
flickfish
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


I have used costco in the past because being in Maui I have pretty limited resources. I was not happy with the results. Started using mpix and love the results. I may pay a little more for shipping but its worth it..their quality blows away our costco! Aloha, Kim A.


Nov 04, 2006 at 03:16 PM
carisak727
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??


This may come off harsh...but as soon as I started taking money for my prints I found a pro lab to make them. Part of me would feel bad charging people extra for something they can get themselves. I feel like if I can say my prints are made at a professional lab that is value added to my products. I guess it just depends on what market you are after, and how you feel about it. Personally, I would not want to be worried everytime I went to get prints about who I might run into. And eventually, word will get around about where you are doing your prints...(at least it would here, I am in a pretty small town area).

To me the bottom line is....

If you are embarassed to be seen picking up your orders from Costco, it is time to change.



Nov 04, 2006 at 05:48 PM
Kiron Kid
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Does anyone use Costco as their lab??



I use my pro lab, and nobody else.

Kiron Kid



Nov 04, 2006 at 06:10 PM
1
       2       3       end




FM Forums | Wedding Photographer | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       3       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.