[interested_observer]

In the past, I have always used Costco for the initial printing at 20" x 30" ($9.99) and they have turned out great. A few times, I have reprinted with online printers on metallic pearl paper and it has turned out even better - VERY impressed.

I now have a lady that wants to buy a large print - at 40" on the long side. It is a stitched pano (12K x 5K pixels cropped to about 10K x ~4K), but is on a limited budget. This is pretty much the first time for selling my work - and the Costco prints (mounted on foam) would essentially be perfect. The problem was size - Costco had a size limitation with 20" x 30" being the cap. So, I have been hunting around for other alternatives. Also, the lady emails - gets going on this - and then travels on business, and then picks up a couple of weeks later - so time has not been of the essence.

Anyway, the other week I was sitting here thinking if only Costco printed a bit larger, things would be pretty perfect (cost, color and quality). I had picked up a new Costco print price sheet several weeks ago, and I just happened to look down and - there it was, Costco now prints luster posters at 20" x 60" for $18 full color.

Perhaps I am the last to know, but just in case...

[leekil]

The online photo products don't seem to have that size, or maybe I am looking in the wrong place? Can you find it on here?

Photo Gifts, Personalized Photo Gifts | Costco Photo Center

[interested_observer]

The online photo products don't seem to have that size, or maybe I am looking in the wrong place? Can you find it on here?

Photo Gifts, Personalized Photo Gifts | Costco Photo Center

You are right, it's not reflected on their online price sheets -

• Help, Customer Support | Costco Photo Center

That is where I usually check, but I happened to pick up one of their 3" x 5" price cards - and found it there. Actually, I made an error - it's $18.99 and not just $18. Perhaps, it's based on new equipment and it may not be available at all locations. Just a guess - I don't know, but I'll ask next time I am over there.

[RAART]

at Costco Canada the largest I can get online was 24x36 for 17.99$...

Regular Print Prices on lustre paper:

4"x6" Prints 11¢
5"x5" Prints 39¢
5"x7" Prints 39¢
8"x8" Prints 89¢
8"x10" Prints 89¢
8"x12" Prints 89¢
11"x14" Prints $4.89
12"x12" Prints $5.89
12"x18" Prints $5.89
16"x20" Prints $8.49
24"x36" Prints $17.99

funny that metal print prices vary slightly (due to exchange rate):
here are Canada's metal print prices at Costco

Metal Print Prices
11"x14" $32.99
12"x12" $32.99
16"x20" $69.99
20"x20" $89.99
20"x30" $119.99
24"x36" $159.99

and finally the canvas (for comparison sake); Second price is for framed.

Canvas Print Prices
Unframed Price Framed Price
8''x10'' $29.99 $59.99
11''x14'' $39.99 $69.99
12''x18'' $49.99 $79.99
16''x20'' $57.99 $89.99
16"x48" $99.99 $159.99
24''x36'' $89.99 $149.99
30''x40'' $149.99 $199.99
40''x60'' $299.99 $399.99

2 Panel Split 40''x30''
Two 20''x30''
$229.99 $279.99

3 Panel Split 48''x30''
Three 16''x30''
$279.99 $399.99

Cluster Canvas 24"x16"
Six 8"x8"
$119.99 N/A

---

Last edited by RAART; 05-18-2017 at 10:04 PM.

[smf]

I wonder how the longterm quality of Costco prints compares with other vendors' quality for prints displayed on walls that do not get full sunlight.
I am not being critical of Costco -- merely wondering.

[shardulm]

I wonder how the longterm quality of Costco prints compares with other vendors' quality for prints displayed on walls that do not get full sunlight.
I am not being critical of Costco -- merely wondering.

It largely depends on the env than the quality of the paper.. even excellent quality paper won't last in a bad env. Having said that .. there are things you can do to prevent prints from deteriorating.

1. Avoid direct sunlight If you cant don't expect the prints to hold for longer than a year. Find a spot in the dark and use LED lights to show off the prints.
2. Humidity: Can be controlled by sealing the frames and using desiccants in the edge pockets.
3. Heat: Mostly a non issue unless it is close to a stove or a large cooking area or on a wall that gets hot in the afternoon.
4. Dust: Sealed frames usually take care of this.
5. Paper Acidity and wood frame: The material can very slowly contribute to the deterioration as well. Costco or others the paper acidity can be a factor driving the cost up or down. If using a wood frame using good quality hard wood that is dried and varnish free with no wetness is a must.

Controlling these 5 things will give you a stable and usable life of about 5-7 years. After 5 years people tend to get so used to it that they look for a change. That does not mean you should trash the print.. store it in a place where it won't deteriorate (again mostly humidity and dust free). After 10 years or so it is just material deterioration that you have no control over (the paper acidity/quality comes into play at this age and you can see it then and you can tell if a 10 year old Costco or any other print was quality or not).
I don't want to talk about the age related color bleeding that happens with (they call it poor) prints.

There are newer more durable mediums in the market besides paper. So there are options as of now. 5 years from now there will be OLED based frames that will let you display your digital prints as they were on day 1 each time every time with all the dynamic range that you expected (like perfect black levels). If the OLED display deteriorates.. you change the display and your art is as a good as day 1. And then there will be another medium that I could not think of.

[leekil]

If they use standard good-quality printers, the prints should be pretty stable. I got some large prints at Walgreens a while back, and I believe they used Epson large-format printers, which use very stable, high-longevity inks.

[smf]

Thanks very much for the replies to my post.
Best wishes,
Stu

[MSL]

at Costco Canada

I'm also looking at the Ontario prices and for me many of the prices are higher:
4"x6" Prints 11¢
5"x5" Prints 39¢
5"x7" Prints 39¢
8"x8" Prints $1.39
8"x10" Prints $1.39
8"x12" Prints $1.39
11"x14" Prints $3.89
12"x12" Prints $4.89
12"x18" Prints $4.89
16"x20" Prints $8.49
24"x36" Prints $17.99

[dstar]

Look if need super high quality print
Company name white wall

[interested_observer]

Look if need super high quality print
Company name white wall

Not disputing that WhiteWall produces a spectacular superior product and results. The point of the post is that there are times where that high quality and/or high price is not necessary and not needed. I have a customer who desired both size and price. With Costco now doing 60" x 20" for essentially $20 dollars, this made it very possible. In a few years, if the lady likes the results and wants a better quality print - WhiteWall at 60 x 20 for $478 is certainly the place to go. But there is a $450 difference, with not a lot of choices in between - especially at the lower end.

• Formats & prices | WhiteWall

I don't know in terms of image printing quality and longevity, if the Costco Fuji printing and Fuji luster paper is a 50%, 70% or 80% solution (it will vary certainly depending on the actual image printed). However, right now for her, it met the need. To me, the image I shot was just a nice practice image that turned out well - and was never intended to be printed, especially the way I shot and cropped it - which resulted in a very non standard sized format. Now, with the $20 Costco solution at say a 70% solution, it works extremely well.

I shot an image back in Boston, that turned out waaaay beyond my expectations. Printed it at Costco for $10 at 20" x 30" - the first print I really did digitally. It was the right image, printed at the right size, and it was absolutely stunning - excellent. It knocked my socks off. After a year, I decided to print it again, and went to a better printer. Yes, the result was an impressively better image that I was even more happier with - but at a cost. Then the problem was one of what to do with the Costco print. I didn't have the heart to toss it away, so I took it to work. It's now hanging in a friend's office. I get calls about where it was printed - it looks so nice. Folks pulled out their magnifying glasses to find problems - a bunch of engineers, and found none ("you can even see the sun glistening off of each of the individual cobble stones"). The moral of the story is, if it were to cost $480, it would not have happened the first time. However, at $10, it easily happened and created the opportunity to print the more expensive higher image quality result. Essentially a high quality 80% solution for a rock bottom bare bones price - $10 bucks.