Time to Print

The opening of my exhibit at the Heritage Gallery in Mt. Vernon, WA

Hi Everyone.

I have recently signed up with Smugmug to handle all of my printing needs.  Since I still can't afford my own high quality printer, I have to outsource my printing.  I've tried various print labs over the past few years, from local to online, and in my opinion, Smugmug gives you the best bang for your buck.  And here's why:


Quality- Smugmug's labs offer some of the best print quality I've seen, on numerous different, high quality materials, from lustre, to matte, to metal, to canvas.  And, you can even order a proof of your print, just to make sure the quality is what you want.  Not to badmouth anyone, but I tried printing with Mpix for one of my art shows, and 4 of 5 batches of cards were misprinted with a terrible blue cast, and lots of cards had a little white dot or two in random places.  After a series of e-mails with their customer service department, they were unwilling to make any corrections or recompense.  By this time, I had already had the show, and missed out on a huge opportunity to make some profit.  With Smugmug, quality is guaranteed!

Ease- I am not a computer guy... sure I use all sorts of programs on a regular basis, but my internet savvy and HTML skills are slightly better than novice at best.  I don't want to spend all sorts of time trying to figure out how to create my website in dreamweaver and set it up to where I can profit from my work (believe me, I have).  Smugmug has the easiest interface out of any photo-website I've used, allowing me to make my galleries look professional and unique without spending a bunch of time setting them up.

Products- Smugmug offers a large variety of print products for my customers, saving me on overhead, and letting my customers decide how they want my art printed for their viewing pleasure.  Sure, lot's of companies offer products, but usually there are a few decent products, and a bunch of really lame ones... well, ok, that's my opinion, but it's also my opinion that Smugmug has very intelligently selected their product line.

Profit- This is the big one!  I have work in galleries throughout the united states.  If someone sees one of my pieces hanging on a wall, then comes home and looks me up online, I want to make as much profit as I would have if that person purchased my work off of the wall.  Well, Smugmug allows me to standardize my prices, making purchasing fun and fair for everyone involved.

So, take the time to check out my Print Shop at  nvaphoto.smugmug.com.

Thanks for reading!
Be well!