Professional printing lab or big box store for your professional photography?

If clients don't want me to assist with ordering their prints, I recommend they use a professional print lab. I specifically recommend MPIX when printing images for their home. I get asked a lot if it really matters if they use a professional printer or if it's okay to use a big box store.

Professional photography printing makes a big difference in the quality of your photograph.

To test this out I had one of my favorite photos printed on a 30"x40" canvas at two different printing companies. One printed at the big box store that we all know and love (or hate), good ol' Walmart.

The other I had printed at MPIX, the public side to my favorite professional printing company, Miller's Professional Imaging. Here's how it went.

I use a Spyder Calibrator to ensure my monitor is as true to color as possible. If you are a photographer I highly recommend you calibrate your editing monitor once a month.

The original photo. 

Here's the canvas I received from Walmart:

The biggest issue here is his little boots were cut off at the bottom of the Walmart canvas. The online Walmart photo website gave me a layout showing me that there would be 2 inches on all sides of my photo that would not be visible. I thought I had lined it up properly to account for that cut off but obviously I didn't. Totally my fault but a very easy mistake to make.

The other issue is the vibrancy of color. This is a large canvas print. The Walmart print appears hazy like the colors are a little less saturated. It's also a little more magenta/warm than my original as well.

This Walmart canvas only cost $99 plus tax and shipping was free. Not only was it free, but it was unbelievably fast. I had my canvas in just two days.

Here's the canvas I received from Mpix:

The colors are spot on my original photo. Vibrant and saturated. The tones match exactly and the layout is exact as well. I edited this in a painterly style and this canvas is textured a little more than the Walmart canvas making it appear higher quality. I've ordered professional prints from the Mpix parent company Miller's Professional Imaging for several years now and I knew they would not disappoint.

The Mpix canvas came with a bigger price tag at $249, and also included free shipping. Shipping took 6 business days after I placed my order.

So, if you're looking to print that gorgeous photo I highly recommend using a Professional printer. Sure, there's a little extra investment but the difference in quality is certainly worth it.