A few years ago I was on the panel of judges for local photography competition. The competition accepted both digital files and printed photo submissions. Of all the submitted photos not a single printed photograph even placed in the competition.
It wasn’t that we felt all the printed photographs were bad work. The problem was that almost all of the prints had noticeable problems with them. Many looked like they had been printed on home printers, most of them having noticeable lines from printhead issues, sharpness problems, terrible color, or other printing related shortcomings. Others had clearly been printed on the cheapest possible paper, not having much difference from standard printer paper.
All of the judges agreed that many of the printed submissions looked like they had potential but it was very hard to tell due to the poor print quality; the prints completely interfered with the work itself. Had high-quality prints been submitted a number of the printed photos could have placed, and possibly even won, over the digital submissions. The poor quality print submissions also lead us to believe that many of the photographers were not concerned with how they presented themselves or their work.
Getting quality prints made will avoid all of these problems. It will make sure that you get good results that show your images at their best and will also show that you take yourself and your work seriously. Even if you don’t choose Imaging Arts to make your prints, you can still always benefit from seeking high quality prints.
When it comes to printing there are always questions. How will my print look? How long will it last? If I get another print a week from now will it look the same as the one I get this week? We will always adjust your images individually to make sure they look their best. Also, our equipment and color management is consistently maintained so you don’t have to worry about inconsistent prints. Where archival prints are a concern we can advise you as to what papers to use and even how to best display them to increase their longevity.
Next time you are considering submitting your work to a competition or making prints for sale or display consider the difference that quality will make for you now and in the future, and think about how you would like your work to be seen.
If you have any questions regarding printing your images we are always here to help!