Hey everyone, I hope its ok to post my feedback here about Mpix. I shoot mostly all black and white work so I felt you all may want to know this. I have been wanting to get some work printed with Mpix and finally sent in three prints of mine to them. I sent them on Tuesday and recieved them today (Friday) via usps. I ordered two prints on the Kodak E surface paper and 1 print on their true black and white paper. Wanted to compare the difference in paper.
I submitted the prints as black and white prints (no sepia or other toning). When I opened the packace today I just sat there and stared at the prints and said WOW!!! I am glad I tried them. The prints look beautiful. I am really undecided which paper type I like better. I think I am leaning toward their black and white paper more but want to get some more info from them about longevity. The e surface paper I believe is rated at 100 years +. The prints came back looking pretty much exactly the way I saw them on my screen. They are nice and sharp (I sharpened them before uploading). I allowed them to color correct if needed. The blacks are nice and rich, the whites are bright and all tones in between are just really nice.
I used to print my own work on papers such as epson radiant white watercolor paper, epson heavyweight matter paper and some other good papers. I am very picky when it comes to printing my work. Maybe too picky at times. I used to use carbon inks from inksupply.com. I can truly say that Mpix met my expectations and beyond. I am extrememly satisfied with how the prints turned out and will be placing more orders soon so I can start selling my work again.
If you are looking for a good place to get your black and white work done give Mpix a try. The prices seem pretty good to me and they are fast. Try a print or two and compare for yourself.
Hope this helps anybody that is looking for a good photo lab. Let me know if you all have any questions.
I'm glad you posted this. I used Mpix last month for some B&W prints that went on display, using their true B&W paper. I really liked the results but it's nice to see that others share my opinion.
I've use them exclusively for my color prints for a few years now but that was my first at using them for B&W.
No problem. I just really wanted all of you that appreciate black and white as much as I do to know that Mpix is really great for black and white work but you have to see it to believe it.
Helpful info, but I'm still working on mastering BW printing and paper choice on my Epson. Both the Harman Gloss FAb (I think I have that right, the baryta paper) and the Ilford Galerie Gold Silk look great for BW. Gold Silk is a bit warmer, creamier and a ton cheaper.
It is a very good idea to learn how to print your own first. Once you learn how to print good in black an white, then you will have something to compare other outside work to. I learned in the traditional darkroom so I have a good idea of what I expect from digital output. Mpix just makes it easier for me not to have to mess with inks and printers. I do plan on getting another printer later so I can print on cotton rag papers again. There is a big difference between someone knowing how to print a fine black and white print and someone that doesn't and Mpix does a great job for me.
I have been using Costco because it is convenient. I have been for the most part satisfied with the color prints especially since I updated my monitor which has helped immensely. However, no matter what I did for my high contrast black and white images, they were always muted and lacked the range. I tried everything. I changed the tint to black and white before printing. I even used photoshop to convert them to grayscale prior to uploading. No matter what I did, always a similar result. In addition, they always possessed a cast of green or magenta. I believe this is due to the use of color paper.
So I decided to try MPIX. I printed a color print on metal. It was beautiful! I also printed a high contrast black and white on Ilford black and white paper. I was disappointed. Again, the darks were muted and the image did not hold the range.
With that said, a friend and I recently printed some of his photographs at Costco. He had one black and white but it was NOT a high contrast image. All the images came out nice.
I am not sure where to go from here with my high contrast shots.
