Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A review of labs part 1: White House Custom Color

This will be a multi-part review of different professional labs in the US. Every review will use my own personal experience with the lab; every lab is a lab I have used professionally. I will also be signing up for a few new labs for my professional usage to help provide better coverage for my product line, and my findings for these labs will also be posted.

The first lab reviewed will be White House Custom Color (WHCC). http://www.whcc.com

Pros:

  • The customer service provided is top-notch. I have had them call me to check up on how a print was supposed to look like and verify that what they printed would work. (It was a "my bad" situation.)
  • "Free" two-day shipping with a minimum order of $12.
  • Discounted "proof" rates if an entire order is of one proof size (4x6, 5x5, 5x7). I use this a lot as a majority of my prints are 5x7. This alone saves me considerable money.
  • Standard "ROES" web-interface that remembers prior orders (for a few weeks).
  • Prints are shipped sorted by order (they will combine several orders in one shipping if they are shipped the same day) shrink-wrapped with a foam pad and thick oversized cardboard stiffner. The boxes (white with a big blue WHCC on the side) are fairly sturdy. I have never received a damaged print.

Cons:

  • Their price lists are visible by anyone, regardless if they are a professional photographer or not. This, to me, is their biggest issue.
  • There is a $5 shipping charge for "Print Fulfillment" direct to customer (up to 11x14), or $7.50 shipping charge for other orders.
  • Color correction is non-standard and an additional charge.

Comments:

WHCC is a top-notch lab that will continue to get my service especially due to the special proofing prices. While I'm not happy that their price list is easily available by my customers and that color correction is non-standard, they're still my first go-to lab. If you haven't used WHCC, I advise signing up and seeing what they can do to help you.