What should you ask before you order prints?
- What file do you want: color profile, resolution, file type and size?
- Can I see a proof or a test strip before the full run?
- What papers, canvas, metal or acrylic do you offer?
- Do you mount, laminate or frame in-house?
- How long does it take, and can I pick up or do you ship?
- Do I need an appointment?
- Can you install it on the wall?
- If the color’s off, what happens?
Print labs and framers around DC
These labs and framers are listed with what they say about themselves on their own sites. I haven’t seen a public rating on any of their own pages, so none are shown.
Old Town Editions
What they do: Fine art printmaking studio making archival pigment (giclee) prints, art reproductions and canvas stretching in-house.
Best for: Gallery and exhibition prints
Where: Old Town Alexandria, VA, by appointment
Dodge-Chrome
What they do: Prints and installs large-format graphics, including wall coverings, acrylic facemounts and canvas wraps, with scanning and custom framing.
Best for: Acrylic facemounts and big installed pieces
Where: Silver Spring, MD
U-Photo
What they do: Photo printing and finishing for photographers, artists and businesses, including scans, pro prints and exhibition framing.
Best for: Exhibition prints with framing
Where: Beltsville, MD, by appointment
Glen Echo Photoworks
What they do: Nonprofit darkroom and digital lab where you print your own work, up to 44 inches wide, with classes.
Best for: Printing your own work
Where: Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD
George Mason University SoA Print Shop
What they do: University fine art print studio making archival photo prints and scans, open to the greater DC area.
Best for: Archival prints in Fairfax
Where: Fairfax, VA
Nations Photo Lab
What they do: Online pro photo lab for prints, albums and wall art on canvas, metal, acrylic and fine art paper.
Best for: Prints and wall art ordered online and shipped
Where: Hunt Valley, MD, mail order
National Photo
What they do: Pro photo prints, film processing, scanning and archiving.
Best for: Film processing and prints near Baltimore
Where: Pikesville, MD
SpeedPro Silver Spring
What they do: Large-format printing studio making fine art prints from photographs, plus murals, window graphics and trade show graphics.
Best for: Oversize prints and murals
Where: Silver Spring, MD
ABC Imaging
What they do: Poster printing on photo paper, board mounting, lamination and grand format printing.
Best for: Mounted posters and event signage
Where: Arlington, VA
Georgetown Frame Shoppe
What they do: Custom framing with archival materials, dry mounting, box mounting and shadowboxes, plus art installation.
Best for: Framing and mounting finished prints
Where: Georgetown, Washington, DC
The Frame Room
What they do: Custom framing and printing ordered online, on photo paper or canvas, plus mail-in framing.
Best for: Framed prints ordered online
Where: Fells Point, Baltimore, MD
Where does retouching fit?
Most retouching happens before a file ever gets to a lab, and it’s usually part of the photographer’s edit. Ask your photographer what’s included: color, exposure and cropping on every frame, or skin, cleanup and compositing on the selects. I didn’t find a DC retouching studio for hire with its own site I could check, so none are listed here. For what retouching covers, see what retouching means.
What file should you send a print lab?
Ask the lab, because each one has its own rules. Nations Photo Lab, for one, asks for sRGB, RGB mode and 8-bit JPG, PNG or flattened TIFF files between 125 and 300 DPI at print size.
How big can you print a photo?
Divide the pixel width by the DPI. SpeedPro Silver Spring says to aim for 300 DPI on large fine art prints, 150 DPI for close viewing and 100 DPI for prints seen from more than 10 feet away.
What’s a giclee print?
It’s an archival pigment print from an inkjet printer made for fine art. Old Town Editions describes its work that way.
Double-check before you order
Services, hours and file rules change. Look at each lab’s own page, and confirm the details with the lab before you order.
Briefing a photographer
To write up a shoot, see the photo shoot brief builder. For agency teams, see the Agencies page. For the rest of the day, see the production day checklist.
