the printing
That’s because recent developments in the
way photos are processed have cast a dif-
ferent light on the service. In addition to fast
turnaround and low prices, pro photographers
are discovering that very high quality is an What color do you speak?
important benefit in making digital processing Costco subscribes to a service that helps
at Costco 1-Hour Photo such a great value. pros as well as many serious hobbyists get
It’s all a byproduct of the digital-camera a small business, often a one-man shop,” he exacting results from digital-print orders
revolution. Among amateur photographers, points out. “We expect they’ll still use other through the use of printer profiles.
digital cameras have outsold film cameras for labs for specialty products, but for their core “A printer profile is an exact ‘fingerprint’
the last two years, and that trend is escalating. product they can count on us and create a of how a particular printer lays down color,”
But the majority of professional photogra- substantial savings for their business.” says Ethan Hansen, founder of Dry Creek
phers made the switch to the more convenient Photo in Hillsboro, Oregon, a leading sup-
digital technology years earlier. The ability to Different strokes plier of color-management resources for digi-
instantly review results and to have more con- When amateur photographers submit tal photographers. “The profile enables the
trol over the end product are the major attrac- digital photos to 1-Hour Photo for printing, computer to translate the colors in a given pic-
tions of digital cameras. their photos are processed by a digital printer ture to how the printer wants it to print it out.”
that has the ability to “auto-correct” a gen- Dry Creek Photo updates printer profiles
Word of mouth eral range of exposure or color problems in for each 1-Hour Photo lab twice a year, and
The 1-Hour Photo labs first installed dig- the photo. This correction feature is set to makes those profiles available as downloads
ital printers from Fuji and Noritsu in 2001. work with photos taken by the majority of from its Web site (
www.drycreekphoto.com) at
Before long, online-photography discussion consumer-level digital cameras. no charge to Costco members.
groups were deep in chatter about which But a professional photographer starts When placing a print order, the pro knows
Costco locations had the new digital printing with a digital camera that has maximum res- to request that the auto-correct function of the
capability. Why? olution and performance specifications, and a printer be turned off so that only the photogra-
Pro photographers
BY DAVID WIGHT
The next time you visit a
Costco 1-Hour Photo lab in
your local warehouse, don’t
be surprised if the member
next to you at the counter is a
professional photographer.
d
DRY CREEK PHO TO
Getting a digital photo to print
exactly as it looked on a computer
screen is tricky. Starting with a
monitor that is color calibrated, the
use of a printer profile accurately
translates specific color details from
the computer to the designated
printer. In this comparison, look for
the differences in skin tone, and the
color vibrancy in both the palette
and clothing pattern.
Non-profile
“Digital quality is much easier to control price tag to match. After downloading the pher’s adjustments to the prints are made.
than film quality, which has a lot more vari- photos to a computer, the photographer mas- Regardless of your status as a photogra-ables,” says Glen Hutchinson, Costco’s oper- sages and corrects each image file, skillfully pher, Costco’s 1-Hour Photo provides a
ations manager for all of the U.S. 1-Hour using an advanced image-editing software value-loaded service with a fast turnaround
Photo labs. “Professional photographers program such as Adobe PhotoShop, and then time and prices that are hard to beat. C
recognized that printing on the new breed of burning copies of the images to a CD-R for
printers used by Costco provided the same processing at 1-Hour Photo.
quality output as many pro labs for a much Reproducing the exact resolution and all
lower price.” the color subtleties that were seen in the image
Photo factoi
For Glen and the other 1-Hour Photo on the computer screen is essential. Two impor-managers, this was a new opportunity to tant steps are necessary to reach that goal: The
offer a value-added service to Costco’s computer monitor is calibrated for color accu-small-business base. “A pro photographer is racy, and a printer profile is used.
More than 47,000 Costco members
work as professional photographers.
