Articles from Parent Magazine
by Matthew Panzarino
Lab vs. Home
As a digital camera owner, I’m sure some of you out there are still very much into the Do-It-Yourself digital printing. Admittedly, home printing can be fun, especially with a small, easy to use printer that lets you pop out quick pics to hand out at parties or shots of the kids to pop on the fridge.
But this year photographers, professional and casual, will take far more digital images to photofinishers than they print themselves. Why so? Well, one reason can be that a photofinisher can actually be cheaper than printing at home, after costs of inks and papers are added up, the average cost of a home print in a standard size comes to nearly .70 cents! Compared to the .39 cents in a pro lab, where you get expert corrections and adjustments for free! And it spares you paper jams, quickly drained ink cartridges and other things that raise the blood pressure to dangerous levels.
With in-store processing, like that at our shop, you use a terminal or kiosk to order (and even edit) prints stored on a memory card or CD. You can also fix imperfections such as red-eye in the online ordering software or at the terminals as you place your order. If the terminals intimidate you, you can always ask for help (or a cup of coffee) from one of our staff, or, if you’re in a hurry, you can just order up one of each, just as you do with rolls of film. Your prints can usually be done anywhere between 30 minutes to a few hours depending on the quantity ordered! Photofinishers can also be a major time-saver for large photo batches.
We can also print on items that would be challenging on a home printer (calendars, t-shirts) or downright impossible (puzzles, mugs, coasters). More consistent, better pictures await just a mouse click or short drive away! Remember, you can also find our online photo ordering software for easy, at home service at www.hornphoto.com. Hope to see you soon!
