Yesterday morning in the business section of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune there was an article announcing the closing of 19 out of 24 Ritz Camera and Proex (owned by Ritz) in the Twin City area. That is too bad since Ritz was one of the online/retail photo printers we recommended on the CorrectPhoto Website.  I like to fix my photos and then upload them to either Ritz or Wal-Mart Sam’s Club  and pick them up. Recently, I have been using Sam’s club more frequently because of the cost and Sam’s Club was a bit more convenient.  Maybe that is why Ritz is closing stores. So, I guess I will continue to use Sam’s Club when I want prints in a few hours or a day or so.

Don’t Wait in Line at Sam’s Photo Kiosks (or any other for that matter).
Another observation of mine that was reinforced as my wife and I entered Sam’s Club yesterday is that one should never waste time using or waiting for a Photo Kiosk to order prints. There must have been a half dozen people waiting “patiently” while the people at the kiosks selected, tried to edit, and order prints. If you have ever used one you will know what I mean so I won’t get into the details.  My suggestion is that you edit your photos on your own computer and then upload them to your favorite photo service and either have them mailed to you or pick them up.  You can find a number of posts in this blog on editing your photos so I won’t get into the editing options. Suffice it to say that you will save a lot of time and end up with better prints if you follow this advice.

Which Online Photo Service Should You Use?
There are, of course, many to choose from. If you want to pick up your prints in a couple of hours or the next day then I would suggest Sam’s Club or Wal-Mart because they are generally conveniently located in both large and small communities and they certainly aren’t going to go out of business. And, more importantly, the quality of the prints made with the Fuji printers is very good. Better yet, you can’t beat the price. But, remember that it will cost more if you want your prints in an hour or two.

Now, if you can be a little patient and wait for the mail you can use Shutterfly or one of my favorite labs located in Appleton, Wisconsin, Phopar.  Phopar is owned and operated by Ozzie Rapp, a friend of ours for many years. While you might pay a little more it is worth it for the extra care and attention Ozzie and his staff will give you. And, besides that Ozzie is a really nice guy with a bunch of grandchildren that adore him.

After reading the Ritz announcement and visiting Sam’s Club I just had to share my opinion on photo kiosks. Obviously, not everyone will agree with my opinion, particularly the stores that provide them and the manufacturers that produce them. So, try both approaches to ordering prints and make up your own mind.

Wayne     http://www.correctphoto.com

Christmas Photo-Edited with CorrectPhoto

So, did you take a few photos over the holidays? I really didn’t take too many although I took a few on Christmas Eve of the family (particulary the grandchildren) and a few snow scenes.  What are you going to do with the photos you took? Many of you will want some prints, most likely 4×6.  We talked about printing photos on your desktop printer in a previous post but, as you know, I suggest you only do that when you need a print in a hurry.

Don’t Wait In Line at a Photo Kiosk!
The other day I stopped by Sam’s Club and was amazed to see all of the people waiting in line at the Fuji Photo Kiosks to order (and edit) prints and thought, “Why?”.  I watched a few of the people as they selected photos and tried to edit them while the people behind them got increasingly more impatient. Why spend all of your valuable time at the kiosk and then return to pick up your photos and then be disappointed at the quality of the photo?

Order Your Prints Online
My suggestion is to first edit the photos (www.correctphoto.com) and then upload them to an online print service (http://www.correctphoto.com/online_print_services.htm) and either have them mailed to you or pick them up at your local store. There are many online photo services and you can find links to a few of them at www.correctphoto.com.

Phopar Photo Service
One of our favorite privately owned online print sevices is Phopar (http://www.phopar.com), owned by Ozzie Rapp.  Ozzie has been in the photo industry for more years than he will admit to and I have known him for many years. He really does a good job and cares about his customers and quality of the prints and other services he provides. Even though he is located in Wisconsin (that’s next to Minnesota) you upload your photos, order prints and he will send them to you.

Phopar Online Print Services

 Phopars Helpful Hints-How to Take Better Photos
When you go to Phopars website (www.phopar.com) click on the Photo Education Link (http://www.phopar.com/photo_tips.htm) and you will find some great tips on taking better photos. If you have questions regarding your camera or what resolution is required for a good print go to http://www.phopar.com/dig_tips.htm. And, if you are confused about all the “digital imaging lingo” you might find Ozzie’s Glossary of Digital Photo Terms helpful, http://www.phopar.com/glossary1.htm.

Well, that’s enough for New Years Day.  Have a great year. And, don’t stand in line at a photo kiosk to order you prints.

Wayne  http://www.correctphoto.com

Microsoft Windows XP and Vista Print Wizard
Most people don’t realize that Windows XP and Vista operating systems have an easy to use print function for photo printing.  You really don’t need anything but your computer, printer and glossy photo paper (I recommend Premium paper from the printer manufacturer) to print photos. Here is a step by step procedure.

1. Select the photos you want to print from the My Pictures or Pictures folder and Right Click (Vista) on the photo file. (If you want to print multiple pictures hold down the Ctrl key and click on the photos you want to print and then Right Click.)  Select Print from the new window that popped up when you Right Clicked. To activate the Windows XP Print Wizard after you select the photo go to Picture Tasks on the left menu and select Print This Picture.

Select Print Wizard-Right Click/Print

2. Select Print Size, Quantity, Printer Preferences
In Vista the following window will appear where you select the Print Size, Print Format, the quantity of each to be printed and the type of paper.  However, before you hit the Print button click on Options and then Printer Properties. In Windows XP select Printer Preferences  in the Printing Options Window.  After setting the Printer Properties you will select the print format in the Layout Selection window.

Select Photo Size, # of prints, Options-Printer Properties (Vista)

3. Set Printer Properties
In both Vista and Win XP the Printer Properties window is where you can select the quality of the photo, type of paper, and other parameters. 

Printer Properties Selection Window

Select the type of paper, preferably Premium Glossy Paper, you are using and Best Photo for high quality prints. If you have color corrected the photo in a photo editing program, like CorrectPhoto (www.correctphoto.com), I would recommend unchecking the Photo Enhance print option because you don’t want the printer software to mess with your corrections. When you have made your selections click OK and return to the print window and click on the Print button and the printing will begin.

See, that was easy. Now for a word of caution. Printing on a desktop printer is not cheap. The paper is relatively expensive and you can quickly go through a lot of ink and you know how much that costs.  Printer manufacturers won’t like this advice since they make more money selling  ink than selling printers.  I would suggest you use your desktop printer for the occasional print you need in a hurry and use a photo lab or online photo service for the bulk of your photo printing. Yesterday, I printed several 8×10 prints for a friend and was amazed at how much ink was used in the process.

I hope this summary of photo printing with Windows was informative and helpful.  Here is a link for more information on printing photos on Microsoft’s web site.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/digitalphotography/learnmore/waystoprint.mspx

Wayne   http://www.correctphoto.com