Recommend a print service for large (70cm x 50cm) prints

[velonoir]

Hi all, I searched and found an old thread on exactly the same topic but unfortunately both of the print companies recommended in that thread have disappeared. I've ended up with a large frame which has a 49 x 69 cutout in it so thought I'd get one of my photos blown up and printed to make use of it. I've done the best I can in terms of processing and upscaling to the correct size for 300dpi but wasn't sure which print service to use. I looked at white wall and a few others. Can anyone make a recommendation? Looking for somewhere which will produce something good quality on decent paper but not tremendously expensive.

Also, which file type and colour space should I be exporting? I was going to go with TIFF and adobe prophotoRGB, would that raise any issues with a print service? I don't get stuff printed big very often so I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Thanks in advance.

 

[droj]

Look at labs such as Peak in Sheffield, consider what paper(s) they offer and compare their pricing. Check (usu on their websites) what file formats and colour spaces they accept in the print-size you're thinking of (for that size they could well use a different machine than for smaller prints) . That's better than trying to generalise. Neither is 300ppi necessarily correct.

You could go photo paper or inkjet - for the last look at Printspace or Point101 ...

 

[retrosi]

I work for a large format printer and we use TIFF aRGB 300dpi, remember dpi is not the same as ppi though. (If anyone disagrees please say so and I will happily explain the difference).
We use many other file types, pdf's are used but can introduce issues with rip software think there are fonts in an image when there are not! Very odd indeed.
We also use Illustrator eps files, even jpegs have been used to print larger photos than you're wanting, albeit some jpegs can reach a large file size anyway so usually isn't a problem.
Your print size is not a problem for most printers as generally 42" wide by 50 metres long are often the smallest rolls used.
Any print service worth their salt can accept nigh on any file type and 'up-size' as required.
Just discuss your requirement, sometimes we get an A4 (ish size) proof with indicators (arrows) showing where the crop is wanted and the exact finish size.
If like most of us you have a 3:2 ratio sensor then up-sizing to 49" x 69" assuming you wish to keep the aspect ratio as well will give 49" x 73.5" and so a crop will be needed.
Ergo you might want to make the image even larger & make a different crop altogether to keep something in that would leave say a lot of space otherwise next to it.

 

[velonoir]

Thanks retrosi, I didn't see your post until now. I ended up going with foto.com as I wasn't sure whether the prints would look very good after upscaling and didn't want to spend a lot on them. Can't recommend them highly enough. Each 50x75 print on Fuji crystal archive photo paper was £9.99 but I found a voucher online that knocked £1 off each print. The surprising thing was that although they are printed and distributed from Belgium they had the order for two prints I placed on Monday morning with me by this afternoon via ups for £4.10 carriage. I didn't even pay for an expedited service. They were well packed and the quality looks spot on.
Given that the UK based printers I looked at online were all after about £15 a print plus about £8 postage I think I'll use then again.
P.S. I sent a high quality 300dpi jpeg srgb it came out well.