Walgreen, Walmart, and other big-box photo services provide a decent product for the price, but output is regulated by an algorithm designed to produce average results over a wide range of anticipated exposure values. It's a one-size-fits-all...
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If you can afford it, get an Epson or Canon that prints tabloid size. It's nice being able to experiment with different papers, and have the ability to print tests without waiting.
For outsourcing prints, I'd look at at these guys...
A friend owns a 44-inch Canon printer. It costs him about $1300 to replace ink cartridges, which he can justify only because he's a graphic artist/photographer with decades of experience and a big client list. Intermittent users of relatively...
Lot of good online printers as mentioned.I'm on Nations' email list and they often have sales.Their metal prints are very good.If you're not satisfied with a print,they will redo or refund.