Has anyone done business with West Coast Imaging?

[ZoneIII]

I am having a lab print a large order for color prints that I have recently received. The sale of prints is something I generally haven't been too involved in in the past except for single prints to collectors. I generally only marketed for publication up until now. I ran across West Coast Imaging by an internet search and their staff seems very good and they respond to my enquiries very quickly. But before I place an order with them, I just thought it would be a good idea to see if anyone here has worked with them before I place my print orders. I want to get this right because it may lead to a very big contract with my customer. I have rarely needed color prints in the past so I really have very little basis for comparison. (I always print my own b&w which I do sell.) I have had Gamma in Chicago make color prints that people ordered from me after seeing one of my photographs in a magazine and they were O.K. but I can't say I was delighted with them.

Anyway, if anyone that is reading this has done business with West Coast Imaging how satisfied were you with their work? I would appreciate any comments about them you may have.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's a first-class operation. No complaints at all.

 

[roteague]

I use them almost exclusively. Their work is excellent, turn around is fast, and their packing is excellent as well. There are also a number of big names in the business that use them - like Jack Dykinga.

The way I work with them is to order an exhibition print first. I have them do an drum scan. They then prepare the scan for printing, and send you a test print for approval (extra cost) In addition, they keep the scan at their location. So ordering reprints is as simple as calling them on the phone.

 

[Sirius Glass]

Check out http://www.goldencolor.com/

I have used them to optically enlarging 35mm film to 24" X 36".

<<Soapbox Mode: ON>>​

They specialize in complete optical work. Check them out. I am happy with their work and their prices are competitive. Since they still do optical work I give them all my custom business.

Do not knuckle under to the d____l hoards. Keep optics and chemistry alive. APUGGER unite!​

<<Soapbox Mode: OFF>>​

Steve

 

[darinwc]

I've only worked with them on smaller stuff. However I had the chance to meet some of them at one of the Large Format conferences. They are courteous, helpful, and they know there stuff. Allway a pleasure doing business with them.

 

[David Henderson]

Over the last five years I've had several hundred colour prints from WCI in sizes 16" sq and up, and from 200+ originals. I've used them to drum scan and create the file so far, checking their interpretations via proofs, but I'm now changing to make the scans/files myself. They have a good range of papers/processes available though for me the straightforward Crystal Archive gloss/Chromira or LightJet approach wins out.

I think their work and service are excellent and whilst I did initially think twice before having my prints made 6000 miles from home I've never had cause to regret that decision.

The only thing I'd say is that I'm not aware of them offering optically enlarged prints. They always work from a scan afaik.

 

[Vaughn]

First class operation.

Vaughn

 

[Shawn Dougherty]

I don't use them for any personal work but deal with them on a daily basis for my job. They are first class all the way. I highly recommend them. Best. Shawn

 

[kswatapug]

They are exactly as they appear to be. Top notch. Real people.

 

[bill schwab]

One more to say they are top-shelf.

Bill

 

[ZoneIII]

Thanks folks. It's great to hear of your positive experiences with them and thos responses are consistent with the gut feeling I have just from communicating with WCI. Now I will place my orders with confidence. I really appreciate all the responses here. It's also good that they get some good comments about them here that hopefully others will see.

I would like to respond to one comment here. WCI doesn't just do optical prints. They also do prints on Epson 9800 printers. Also, the Chomira prints are done with LEDs. In other words, even though the papers are traditional darkroom papers, they are not printed optically... well, at least not through a lens.

A question: WCI recommends their Chromira prints on Fuji Crystal Archive papers or Fuji Super Gloss. They say that most of their customers choose that option. I have not kept up with digital printing but I do know that Epson prints can now last far longer than even prints made on traditional Crystal Archive paper. For my usage, that's not a factor. The 60 year life expectancy of the Fuji papers is fine. But I am wondering if there is some other advantage to printing on Fuji papers rather than digital prints made with the Epson 9800 printer. WCI says that the digital prints are slightly sharper. The price is the same and, again, they last longer. That all makes me wonder what the disadvantage is to the digital prints that make most people choose the traditional papers. Can someone explain this to me because I have to make that choice now?

Again, I really appreciate your responses. They are very helpful.

 

[roteague]

I don't see longevity as the issue, although there is a long history concerning the longevity of Type R prints, and very little for ink jet. I've printed on both their Epson and Chromira, and find the Chromira prints to be sharper (as they indicate) and have more vibrant colors. Keep in mind, these are just my subjective opinions of the two. You may feel differently once you see them. As an aside, one other reason I don't use ink jet is that in the mind of the average consumer, there is very little difference between the Epson 9800 and a cheap ink jet from CompUSA.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

They're all digital--digital C-prints or inkjet. They don't do optical prints.

Even if the inks in pigment inkjet prints are theoretically less likely to fade over time than Crystal Archive, inkjet prints seem more prone to surface damage from shipping or handling.

 

[roteague]

Just got this in today from West Coast Imaging:

"This month we're focusing our sale on Fuji Crystal Archive Papers, offering 20% off all Print Lab Prints and Exhibition Reprints using this superb material.

Fuji Crystal Archive papers are a stunning option for printing color landscape and nature photographs. They continue to be a very popular choice amongst experienced professional and amateur photographers because of their unique qualities. Often referred to as chromogenic prints, or Type C prints, they are displayed in galleries and museums around the world.

Available in Matte, Gloss, and Supergloss, the surface characteristics of Fuji Crystal Archive Papers are one of their biggest strengths. While there are some inkjet papers that are comparable to Fuji Matte, we have yet to see anything that compares in quality to Fuji Gloss--let alone Supergloss, which offers the glossiest surface available, and gives the same look-and-feel of classic Ilfochrome prints.

Whether you use Fuji Crystal Archive all of the time, or if you want to give it a try, act now - our 20% off sale ends June 22, 2007. Get complete details on our website."

 

[ZoneIII]

David... you brought up the important issue for me. That is, how prone the surface of the Epson prints are to damage. As other's have pointed out and as I think I mentioned in an earlier post, I am not concerned about the reportedly longer life of the Epson prints but I am concerned about how robust the surface of the prints are. I plan to drymount these prints. (I am fully aware of the arguments against drymounting so I don't want to start a debate about that. I simply prefer the look of drymounted prints and how they look is a more important factor for this project than whether or not they will last for hundreds of years or whether the mounting can be reversed. These are not for a museum or a collector.) I know that Crystal Archive papers can be drymounted but I am not confident that Epson prints can be as well. Also if I was to choose the SuperGloss Fuji prints (which I probably won't do), I'm not sure if that material can be drymounted. Maybe someone here has answers to those questions. In any case, I'm calling WCI today and I will discuss these things with them.

I was amazed when, shortly after I started this thread, the president of WCI sent me an email saying he had read this thread and that he was pleased with the responses posted here. He personally welcomed me as a new customer. WCI really is a class-act outfit and I'm glad that I posed my original question here because I will now be sending my work to a lab with complete confidence in their work. Also, with the fine reputation that WCI clearly has, it's good to see them get credit in a public forum like this.

 

[Lopaka]

If the SuperGloss they are referring to is the product also known as Fujiflex, it is on a substrate similar to Ilfochrome and would need to be cold mounted.

Bob

 

[ZoneIII]

Thanks. That's what I figured would probably be the case. I always cold-mounted my Cibacrhomes when they were on the plastic substrate and it sounds like the SuperFlex is a similar material. I will be talking to WCI in a minute and when I find out for sure, I will post it here for future reference.

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

About the inkjet surface issue. WCI will pack the prints adequately to protect them, but the problem arises when someone else has to ship or handle them in the future. They really need to be treated like pastels, in my opinion, but most people are going to treat them like photographs and risk surface damage.

 

[ZoneIII]

David... My concern is not so much about the surface being damaged during shipment. I am concerned about the acceptable ways to mount it. I prefer drymounting but in the past when I made Cibachromes, I never even considered drymounting the premium glossy Cibachromes on the polyester base.

I just had a nice talk with Terrance at WCI. He advised me that if I should go with the Super-Glossy, or any of their glossy prints for that matter, drymounting is probably not advisable. The Super-Gloss print is very much like a glossy Ciba in that way.

But I forgot to ask him something and maybe I can get some feedback here. Again, I have rarely had a need for color display prints in the past. I know that most fine-art photographers (David Muench, et al) prefer Epson prints. However, WCI recommends their Fuji papers and they say that most of their customers ask for them. I forgot to ask Terrance why that might be. The Epson prints last longer and they are reportedly sharper. That makes me wonder what the advantage to the Fuji papers are. Maybe the surface is delicate but most top fine-art color photographers I know now print on Epson printers. Possibly they don't make Fuji papers in gloss. (That shows you how much I have kept up on color printing!)

Any comments would be appreciated.

 

[roteague]

I just had a nice talk with Terrance at WCI. He advised me that if I should go with the Super-Glossy, or any of their glossy prints for that matter, drymounting is probably not advisable. The Super-Gloss print is very much like a glossy Ciba in that way.

Terrance is good, I would trust his judgement. I've worked with him on a couple of prints.

 

[roteague]

I would dispute that the Epson lasts longer or is sharper. I think the jury is still out on its longevity.

From a personal view, I had a print done on both the Chromira and the Epson 9800, and found the Chromira with Fuji Crystal Archive to be superior in both color and sharpness.

Why not do both? Just order a Exhibition print, and a reprint (on different printers). The cost difference is pretty small, and you can pick the one you like.

 

[donbga]

David... you brought up the important issue for me. That is, how prone the surface of the Epson prints are to damage. As other's have pointed out and as I think I mentioned in an earlier post, I am not concerned about the reportedly longer life of the Epson prints but I am concerned about how robust the surface of the prints are. I plan to drymount these prints. (I am fully aware of the arguments against drymounting so I don't want to start a debate about that. I simply prefer the look of drymounted prints and how they look is a more important factor for this project than whether or not they will last for hundreds of years or whether the mounting can be reversed. These are not for a museum or a collector.) I know that Crystal Archive papers can be drymounted but I am not confident that Epson prints can be as well. Also if I was to choose the SuperGloss Fuji prints (which I probably won't do), I'm not sure if that material can be drymounted. Maybe someone here has answers to those questions. In any case, I'm calling WCI today and I will discuss these things with them.

I was amazed when, shortly after I started this thread, the president of WCI sent me an email saying he had read this thread and that he was pleased with the responses posted here. He personally welcomed me as a new customer. WCI really is a class-act outfit and I'm glad that I posed my original question here because I will now be sending my work to a lab with complete confidence in their work. Also, with the fine reputation that WCI clearly has, it's good to see them get credit in a public forum like this.

Inkjet prints should be sprayed to protect the surface. LaCaux for matt finish and Premeir Art Shield for non-matt finishes. Neither will change the appearance of the finish but will give reasonable protection from normal handling.

 

[ZoneIII]

Since I asked the original question, I want to tell anyone reading this about my experience with WCI. Simply put, I could not be happier! Every step of the way they have been totally focused on my satisfaction. I am working with Terrance and he has been outstanding. I received my proofs yesterday and they were absolutely beautiful. I couldn't be happier if I printed them myself. West Coast Imaging is truly a class-act outfit. I appreciate the feedback I received here because it helped hook me up with WCI.

 

[roteague]

Since I asked the original question, I want to tell anyone reading this about my experience with WCI. Simply put, I could not be happier! Every step of the way they have been totally focused on my satisfaction. I am working with Terrance and he has been outstanding. I received my proofs yesterday and they were absolutely beautiful. I couldn't be happier if I printed them myself. West Coast Imaging is truly a class-act outfit. I appreciate the feedback I received here because it helped hook me up with WCI.

I'm glad it worked out for you. They are great, and Terrance is one of the best. He has done some images for me.