Fine art digital photo printing in the SF Bay Area?

May 8, 2006 3:25 AM

Fine art digital photo printing in the SF Bay Area?

I've just been contacted by someone looking to purchase a fine art print from one of my photos. Previously I'd made prints for clients myself using an Epson 2200 on either matte or rag paper, but I no longer have a printer in-house and I'm not sure where to find a printhouse nearby for something a bit nicer than a standard Fuji@Costco print.

The catch? Well, it's not the size -- I'm looking at a fairly modest 11x14 or 13x19 -- it's that I'm looking for: a) somewhere accessible by public transit, i.e. BART/MUNI/etc (I'd be starting from Berkeley); and b) very fast turnaround, within a day or two at most. Price is not really an issue since I'd simply pass the cost on to my client.

Are there any Bay Area photographers out there with recommendations? FWIW, the photo in question is in black and white, and while I've done some printing myself with the Epson 2200, I still don't have a whole lot of experience with digital printing. (It's a craft in its own right, IMO.) Therefore, a place that can give me some suggestions on profiles, toning, etc would be very helpful too.

Alternately, it's possible for me to upload/email a TIFF/PSD file to pretty much anywhere and have them ship directly to my client, but the problem I have with this would be turnaround time -- and the nagging feeling that I should be inspecting the print myself before mailing it out. Would this be a viable alternative to getting it done locally?

posted by DaShiv to media & arts (4 answers total)

Photoworks @ Church & Market does great work, and they're right at the Church St MUNI stop.
posted by judith at 6:39 AM on May 8, 2006

I was about to recommend Photoworks as well, though not based on personal experience. I've just had a lot of friends recommend it. (It's easily walkable from the 16th St/Mission BART stations.)
posted by occhiblu at 8:40 AM on May 8, 2006

Thirding Photoworks - and I believe you can upload your digital files. The big sign in their window right now heralds there prowess with digital black and white prints (actually printed on B&W Ilford paper). I've used them mostly for film - but everything I've gotten back from contact sheets to 11x14s has been good. You'll have to call about timing - i'm sure they could do a rush - but I don't see anything about it on their site.
posted by Wolfie at 9:28 AM on May 8, 2006

My former employer Pictopia fits the bill. They're in Emeryville, a free shuttle ride from MacArthur BART. (I have no financial interest, and am not even in touch with anyone from there -- I'm just giving an answer I know.)
posted by Zed_Lopez at 12:10 PM on May 8, 2006