Don’t print at the big chains.

So you hired a professional photographer because you wanted professional photos. The reason you hired a professional is that over many years they have developed and refined their skills in every facet of creating a beautiful image for you. The location, lighting, equipment, posing, helping to choose the right clothing and that unique style that’s drawn you in from the get-go. But not only that, they’ve mastered the art of editing your photos just right with the utmost attention to smooth skin tones, colour and every other little detail.

Why are digital images the most expensive option? You’re not just buying one printed copy of a photo, but limitless opportunities to print and share that photo however you see fit (which means absolutely nothing if they just sit on a USB in the bottom of your draw – read more about why you should print your photos).

Why shouldn’t you print through the big chains?

It’s been made so easy for you to duck down to Officeworks or Harvey Norman to get a few quick prints to hang or frame or gift. But why shouldn’t you take the route most commonly walked? (And now you know there is an easier option)

Chain companies often use cheap materials and printing processes that result in, you guessed it! Lower-quality prints. This is where all your photographer’s hard work gets butchered after the fact. All the hours and effort that’s gone into those beautiful colours and smooth skin tones get chewed up and spat out by auto-corrections, over-saturation (sometimes under saturation – dull colours) and often over-contrasted prints that are designed to make your phone pictures and poorly lit digital camera photos look better. But with professional photos – it goes the other way. Too red skin tones that end up often looking blotchy and colours that just don’t look quite right. In a simple print, part of the professional side of your photos is swept away and it would make your photographer pretty sad to see that this is the result you end up looking at for years and years. It’s most often the case why photographers choose not to sell digital images in the first place.

Photographers develop a good relationship with their print lab. They monitor the colours they are seeing on their screen closely to match the output of the printer. In return, the professional printer monitors each machine daily to ensure accurate and consistent results. That’s why your photographer has a unique account number for you to use MyProPhoto. Because they’ve tried and tested our output and know what they see is what you’ll get. Plus the benefit of professional quality products – Yay! Your photographer knows that our prints that will last for generations without fading. That we make wall art that’s not going to fall apart. Every material we use is the bees’ knees of printing. Not only that, but a professional printer adds a level of quality control that is non-existent at chain printers. If we spot something off, we’ll let you know before we send your prints. Plus you get that one-on-one support that’s often needed if you’re working on something you are unsure of.

But aren’t professional printers more expensive?

Hmm. Maybe a little bit sometimes. And really, it’s quite marginal considering the difference in quality. An 8×12 inch print at Kmart is $4 and an 8×12 inch from MyProPhoto is $5.10. Not much in it is there? Not for getting a professional product compared to a mass-produced chain print that might fade in the next few years. Let’s compare a canvas print: A 20×30 inch black float framed canvas print from Snap Fish costs $244.95. From MyProPhoto a 20×30 inch black float framed canvas with UV protective coating costs $295.50.

So you’ve gotten onto something when you found us because since all the mini-labs died out after the birth of the digital camera, we’ve all had limited choices on where to print. MyProPhoto is here to give you the option to choose quality in a world where it’s hard to find. If you haven’t already, try us out. Do some comparison prints of your own. I’m confident we’ll end up being your forever lab. Oh, and if you love what we do, share the love! Pass that account number on to your friends and they can print with us too.