“What’s business like for photofinishers today?”
Photofinishers today, more than ever, have to keep up with the changing technology and latest software in order for business to continue, let alone progress.
A business that began with darkrooms and film processors has now expanded into a myriad of printing options from film to digital to photo restoration using Photoshop to large format printing and more.
With the introduction of digital photography, photofinishers feared the worst: customers would no longer require photo labs for printing; inkjet home printers would be the convenient choice, or worse, people would merely store images on a computer with no intention of ever printing. But, quickly, this fear proved unwarranted as customers kept coming back for more. Much the same way as the print industry has shown that people still enjoy traditional books, the perseverance of the photo industry has shown that there is no replacement for the tangibility of a photograph.
Have you ever been to a Second Cup and heard someone ordering a drink that seems tailored to just one person in the world, them? A green tea latte, half-sweet with low-fat, lactose-free milk (this isn’t my obsessive-compulsive order, I promise) is quite the customized order.
The photo industry is seeing much the same sort of custom ordering. Customers are amazed to discover a wealth of possibilities in personalizing their photo memories.
As a manager of an independent photo lab in Toronto (Photo 1-2-3), I’ve seen a variety of special orders – anything from splicing people from two different photographs together to giving someone a photo make-over (ie: remove wrinkles, whiten teeth, add a shot of collagen to lips, etc). We now have the capabilities to be doctors and miracle workers in the photo industry.
For those who don’t require costly specialized work, the majority of photo labs are equipped with self-serve digital terminals where customers upload photos from their digital media and have an opportunity to crop pictures, add text, remove red eye and more. This allows customers to be in the driver’s seat and tailor their photos to get exactly what they want.
Some photo labs even have options to make photo mugs, calendars, posters and the latest trend right now, photobooks. While print shops have typically done these kinds of work, many customers are learning that their local photo labs are just as capable, though sometimes more costly.
As our world is getting bigger with the expanse in technology, so is the photo printing business. Many photo labs have online ordering systems through their company website where customers can send in their print orders online for delivery or pick up – a way that’s even more convenient than printing from home, less expensive and better quality!
A learning curve
Let’s face it though, while digital has loads of options, the average customer is frustrated with the specialized aspects of digital photo printing. From image resolution to uploading pictures to a computer to the difference between 35mm and digital full frame images, customers not only need to learn the digital language, they need to be able to apply their knowledge, which can be quite time consuming for them. There’s more prep work involved on the customer’s end, which sometimes provides a challenge for photo finishers when a customer’s files are causing a poor print quality. For instance, some people tend to overcorrect their work (too much contrast, etc.) and once printed, aren’t happy with the final product. What they don’t know is that what they see on screen doesn’t translate exactly in a print. The average person wouldn’t be expected to know this, which is why there’s a learning curve for novice digital customers. Usually though, customers don’t need to worry about corrections as most photo labs have colour technicians who will do any necessary corrections during the printing process in order to ensure the highest print quality.
A big challenge in the industry is that the older generations haven’t quite caught up with the current technology, and who can blame them when it’s changing all the time? What seems simple to those who grew up in the computer age seems like a foreign language to those generations that grew up without colour television. Typically, a 30-year old can comprehend step-by-step instructions on uploading images from a media card to a photo terminal; your 70-year-old grandfather probably has a harder time. But, you bet he’s made the switch from film to digital already and desperately wants to learn how to do it himself. In my experience, what often happens is the elderly client (and this is a sweeping generalization, I know) becomes frustrated and discouraged and doesn’t understand the digital talk. It’s up to the photo lab staff to step in and help him along the way.
Because of all this, support is a huge component in the photo printing industry. Customers rely on staff to guide them through until they become more comfortable and better equipped. There’s a huge learning curve in the industry and both employee and customer produce the final job. Gone are the days when customers were only responsible for the picture-snapping.
Speciality photo labs vs. the superstore
The one-stop shop has become a big part of our consumer culture and speciality stores are suffering as a result. Why go to a specialty photo lab when you can pick up your groceries and print your photos in one place? No one can argue that the superstore is the convenient choice.
But, many people can argue that the quality does vary. From the grade of paper to the colour technician, there is a major difference between specialty labs and superstores.
Print quality is no doubt important for both, but the superstore has less to lose if one aspect of the business fails, whereas photo labs make a huge chunk of their profit through printing alone. Hence, the importance of quality! Many of the photo labs in Toronto that have been around for years, have experienced colour technicians who correct each photo individually, which contributes to quality control.
Of course, the low prices of these superstores are attractive and no speciality photo lab can compete. Especially during the current financial climate, customers are more likely to opt for the more economical choice. With that said, while smaller photofinishers may have had lower revenues as a result of superstores and the much-talked about recession, it’s obvious there is still a great deal of support for them as customers continue to have their photos printed at specialty photo labs without objections to cost.
Colour technicians are only as good as their printers
Every good colour technician needs a good machine to work with. There’s an array of digital printers on the market now from entry-level to high-performance models. Entry-level printers roughly produce 700 – 1000 prints per hour, depending on the model; medium-performance models produce 1100 – 1500 prints per hour; high-performance models produce up to 2000 prints per hour.
Speed is not the only factor obviously; print quality is equally important. Generally, entry-level processors produce images at 300×300dpi, while medium and high-performance models generate prints at 300×600 dpi for extremely vivid colours.
The digital conversion
It’s becoming apparent that film is slowly falling behind the scenes of a very digital world; however, there are still many customers who swear by film and prefer the outcome of 35mm and 120. It seems there’s a silent war between the users of the two technologies, though there’s no hard proof as to which produces better results. Besides, there are many other variables that affect the final print (ie: lighting, camera lenses, etc.). And, those who love the good old-fashioned film process can easily have their films scanned to CDs to take advantage of digital options.
Whether or not film or digital produces better pictures, one thing is for sure, digital photography has converted many film users into satisfied, digital-savvy customers and isn’t showing any signs of falling to the wayside anytime soon.