What (if Any ) Color Space Do I Use To Print At Costco?

sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB sRGB

Are you certain?? LOL

Adobe RGB.

sRGB is for computer screens.

OK.... so now we have two replies, and of course they are different ;O)

Just to be clear this is to get something printed at Costco... with their auto correct set to OFF.

Bob

It depends on the printing process being used. I assume that they'll be digital C prints in which case use srgb unless your costco can provide a custom profile for you to convert to.

The only printers that can handle Adobe rgb are wide gamut inkjet or pigment printers.

Thank you everyone.. I will give Costco a call tomorrow.

Bob I would call the costco store that will be doing the printing for the profile. Glossy and matte papers will have different profiles on the same printer.

Yes R.P. as of now that is my plan for tomorrow.. thank you for taking the time to reply

I see now you are asking about color space not profiles...sorry. What ever color space I edit in is what I would send to the printer. For me thats sRGB.

These are just old snapshots and such... not fine art photography images. I guess if I just tell them to turn off the auto correct I should be fine... but I will call. I am sure they have had these questions asked before, but I did no see a FAQ on their site about printing.

When I did my Cosco printing, it was RGB. The company that prints in LA may be different than yours, however.

Bob,

Just RGB is fine. What is MORE important, is to remember to turn off any "auto-enhance" function. I think they have Epson printers and use Fuji software which automatically "enhances" the files. If color is important, just get a 4x6 printed of one of your shots, that has a neutral Gray or a clean white and see how it comes out.

Rich

thanks Rich.. the turn off auto enhance seems to be the more important one.
Chuck... I would imagine they would all be the same, but as Felix Unger said.... never Assume ;O)

As long you have to ask about color spaces and profiles, use the default settings of your editing software. If you don´t really understand what and why you want to change something, you WILL make mistakes!

To avoid confusing sciolism about this topic, read this, and don´t change anything before you understand, what you are doing: http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/color-management-printing.htm

Colin Utz
http://colinutzphotography.com

Whatever you try, for $5.99, test one. BTW, I would go with sRGB.

I've used sRGB there and the color was fine. I turned off the auto enhance also.

Bob,

For printing purposes, really doesn't make much of a difference, especially when using Sam's or Costco's lab for your prints. The difference will be subtle, if seen at all.

"Printers, have began adapting the AdobeRGB color space. This allows for more vibrant colors in your prints, with better color consistency that your own monitor cannot even replicate. But do you want your prints to look differently than they do on your monitor? I say yes, as it provides richer colors that bring out details that would otherwise go unseen.

When shooting in AdobeRGB, you're able to convert it to sRGB at any time, without any loss of color in your images. However, this is a one way street, as sRGB is unable to accurately convert back to AdobeRGB.

If you’re not printing your work often, sRGB is the choice of color space for you. It’ll be the surefire way to guarantee that your photos look great on the web, and still look accurate in print. However, if you’re often printing your work, and looking for vibrant colors, AdobeRGB may be the choice for you, it just adds a few steps to your workflow process, as you'll need to save them as sRGB to correctly display them on the web."

https://fstoppers.com/pictures/adobergb-vs-srgb-3167

If you go to Sam's or Costco, the larger prints are made on an Epson Printer and they, Epson suggests Adobe RGB. The smaller prints are sometimes done on a Fuji printer, up to about 8x12".

SO, if color is extremely important, make a test print on the Fuji printer, 8x10, $.99 and then a larger 11x14 on the Epson and see if there is a difference. Probably not.

sRGB is great for monitors, but if you don't have a very high end monitor, then you won't see the difference anyway.

JUst for chuckles, order a 5x7 print, 1 each, with the "auto-enhance" on and off, $.19 each! Ideally, use an image that has a nice neutral gray in it, so it will be easier to see, then a shot of a flower or sunset,

Rich

Thanks again everyone... I am off to Costco....

I am taking Rich's advise and just setting it to adobeRGB.... when I will be printing some of my art stuff I will get more involved if necessary..

I will leave this open because I think others may be interested on others experience with Costco ;O)

Oh.. what about DPI? is left it at 300dpi.... ;O)

You need to get the profile for the costco you use - you can get these from http://www.drycreekphoto.com/icc/. Then you need to remember to turn auto correction off - at the store it is the last screen you get to (if i remember correctly). I have at times forgotten to turn it off and they have reprinted it with the auto correction off. I have had canvasses printed by costco as well - they use YPOC - quality is ok - of course it could be better, color is very good.

I guess I worked for 60 Minutes too long, but I investigate everything if making an important decision.

I found out from Costco who did their printing, then contacted the company and talked to them.

I was having canvas gallery wraps printed, so I also contacted the canvas manufacturer. Both were local.

While I could get a professional discount from the printer by going direct, I could actually save a couple of dollars by going through Costco.

Also, I could pick up at Costco and save on shipping, and if I did not like the work, Cosco, as always, would refund my money.

There. That is the end of my Costco story. After that, I found a private one-man print shop who now does my work and matches Costco prices.

PS: The printer wanted RGB. And don't worry about the 300dpi, they drop them down anyway.

Is there a person behind the counter at Costco. I would hope so. Talk to that person with all the input you received here and make the print. If it turns out unacceptable, get your $$ back.

Thanks Robert... but I think I respect the opinions of FAA members here more than someone behind the Costco counter... but that's just me ;O)

But I have in the past while at Costco asked the person behind the counter and generally get something like ' just put it on a stick... no problem' LOL

Chuck

"RGB" isn't a specified color space. It just says that the image is composed of red green and blue channels as opposed to CMYK ( cyan, yellow, magenta, black ).

sRGB was created by HP and MIcrosoft in the mid 90's based on the range of colors that the average HP monitor of the time could display. It morphed into a default working space because it was could still contain more colors than most printers of the time. Adobe discovered that many CMYK devices could print certain colors that were outside the boundaries of the sRGB space so they created a larger space, Adobe 1998, to include them, and a lot more.

Fuji Crystal Archive and Kodak Endura and dye sub papers, which are what most minilabs print on, have smaller spaces than sRGB, so a larger space has no advantage and can actually be detrimental if the labs software isn't set to automatically convert the embedded profile in the image to the printer output profile.

David, I was just being lazy and not typing Adobe RGB (1998) color space.

Chuck,

YOU SLACKER!

Ric

Well, I ain't as yung as i used ta be, and all those dang numbers & leters confuse me, so sumetimes i take the e z way out.