More Labs You Love: WHCC Joins the SmugMug Family
We know that photo pros build strong relationships with their print labs, and we kept hearing that White House Custom Colour has been a popular choice for wedding and portrait photographers.
It’s true: they’ve been dedicated to the success of professional photographers since 1977, and have quite a reputation.
Today we get to announce that they’ve joined our family, giving Pros who already know and love WHCC another way to turn gorgeous photos into gorgeous prints.
Why the addition?
We know that busy pros are hard-pressed to switch away from the labs they’ve used for years, and WHCC has been one of them. You don’t have to switch away from EZ Prints or Bay Photo, but if you’ve been waiting to fulfill your SmugMug orders through WHCC, now you can.
It’s our mission to offer you a huge selection of fabulous, perfect print options. And have it seamlessly integrated with your site and shopping cart so you’re not a slave to your clients.
How do I order from WHCC?
Fire up your Pricelists manager and make a new Pricelist. You’ll see the three labs’ logos on the popup box. Click your choice, add in products, apply your Pricelist to galleries and you’re ready to go.
Do I have to use Pricelists?
Yes. We’re doing everything we can to make SmugMug everything that photographers have ever dreamed of… and more. We know it’s tough to change your routine, but we hope that the benefit of great features like additional print labs is worth the fear of leaving your comfort zone.
Try it. We’re sure you’ll love it!
Can I offer both WHCC and Bay Photo Products on my site?
Absolutely. We love them both and bet you will, too.
You can set different galleries to print through different labs. Just create a Pricelist for each. If you want to offer Bay Photo products for just a few specific photos, make a Pricelist for Bay Photo and apply it to only the images you want.
Remember: You can always price and sell merchandise (fulfilled through EZ Prints) and downloads (fulfilled by SmugMug) no matter what lab you use.
Can I see prints in-person?
Our bulletproof guarantee ensures that you can buy some prints and see their gorgeousness up close. And if you don’t adore them, tell us why and we’ll fix it or replace it right away.
Check out the shiny new WHCC tab in our updated catalog. A special thanks to Monica Toohey-Krause for the stunning sample images!
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Last time I used WHCC I think they preferred photos uploaded with a different color space than SmugMug. Will they take the sRGB color space photos or do we have to upload a different set for WHCC?
No worries, Geoff, sRGB is fine.
Out of curiosity why would you use sRGB?
Will Smug finally be offering a better line-up of panoramic print sizes?
IS anybody listening/reading?
Of course we’re aways listening! Panos are a tricky size to support because every pano is different and there’s as many possible shapes as there are photographers who shoot them. We try to offer the most popular ones, but it sounds like you have certain sizes already in mind. Let us know, as we’re always open to hearing what you want.
For panaramas I have been printing 1′x4′, 1′x5′, 1′x6′ and 1′x8′. So the longest is 1 foot by 8 feet. But not though Smugmug.
I could see going up to 2 feet (24″) tall by 8 feet.
Currently all printed on glossy, but I would love to do panaromas on “metallic”
The most common aspect ratios for images from panoramic film cameras (some of use have libraries scanned from film days) are 2:1 and 3:1. This covers cameras like XPan, Noblex and the various 617 cameras. Ask Bay Photo to give us more print sizes in these aspect ratios … especially metal!
Thanks Smug for being awesome. What location does WHCC ship from and how does their shipping cost compare. I know Bay Photo is slightly higher in shipping cost than EZPrints. Thank you!
Hi! WHCC ships from their location in Eagan, MN and the costs should be comparable since it’s calculated based on what you’re buying and where it’s going. As always you can add a few things to your shopping cart and enter your shipping address to see your options and get a quote.
Thank you so much – great to see a midwest location!
To follow up on what Schmoo said… WHCC will soon (within a few weeks we believe) be shipping SmugMug orders from all three of their labs in Eagan, MN; Dallas, Tx and Fresno, CA. It will just depend on what is orders and where it is going to.
I have been using WHCC for a few items already and don’t pay any shipping charges. Will I have to now if I go through smugmug?
I just got my answer… more of the same… even worse…
6×18′s would be nice 6×24′s too… at minimum these 2 sizes…
of course 8×24′s & 8×32′s would be awesome too…
The panoramic sizes currently offered through Bay are many & would accommodate most of any photographers needs…
yet Smug doesn’t/ won’t offer them…
3:1 & 4:1 ratios … but Smug offers a lot of 2:1 or 2.5:1…
Sure, we can order 12×36′s… that’s great… but let’s try for half of that…
Thanks for the suggestions!
Put me down as a +1 for this. I would love to print panoramas but no useful sizes are being offered via SmugMug’s interface.
I too would appreciate these options!
I’ll chime in for the extra pano sizes: more choice in 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1 ratios would be a great idea. Not everyone wants to go huge just because it’s a pano.
And I almost forgot to say – great news and thanks for adding WHCC!
I’ve had to use ProDPI, who used to be local, but based in Colorado now, to do my Panoramics, they
will do any size you want. I used them to have 20
panoramics for a local Grocery store, who were willing
to have them custom framed. Seems SmugMug should
consider it. Have many i would like to do, I enjoy making panoramics, but don’t put them on my site as you can’t/wont print them. I have backed off using this
company since they moved out of town. Might want to see if they are interested in being a 4th option. http://www.prodpi.com
This is great, Giving all of us more options, But,
I am a SmugMug user from Canada and a lot of my customers
would like to get there prints done in Canada,
I also have US customers so it would be great if our customers would have a choice,
SmugMug has a lot of Clients in Canada that would also like this option,
Will this be a option in the future?
Allen, WHCC ships amazingly fast to Canada and your prices can be shown in Canadian dollars – give it a try
Can’t say if / when we’ll add a physical lab in Canada… right now, we want to see how you and others love this new option!
Shipping time is definitely important and being able to selling Canadian funds is a big step forward but its the customs and tax charges that make the US printer a no go. I sold a $10 photo to a customer who paid $10 for shipping and then was charged some sort of duty fee that too the $10.00 photo to almost $30.00 – They were very unhappy – and I can’t sell from US printers – I need Canadian or if a Canadian printer isn’t possible then how about Self-Fulfillment?
Well said! This is exact reason we need a Canadian lab – customs duties and taxes! Hoping you get a Canadian lab soon.
Hey Allen, I live in Alberta and having been using WHCC for a little while and they have good shipping fees and are very fast with great quality.
Can you offer multiple print labs for the same album or photo? I’d like to give my customers choices, too.
Giving your customer the choice of lab? Really? That sounds like a recipe for disaster. Most of my customers get lost in the shopping cart already.
This would be a really great thing to be able to do!
Hi Selena, right now no, you can’t offer multiple labs per gallery or photo. As the Pro you get to decide who fulfills your orders, making buying much easier on your clients.
This is awesome…SmugMug Rocks!!!
Will WHCC offer the same shipping to Canada set up as they do when using them directly?
Yep!
Fantastic news!
Any plans for lab in Europe? I know you’ve been working on it but not sure if there is any progress…
Hey Tomasz, yes we’re making progress and all of these recent changes have been milestones to get there. I know we’ve been saying this a long time, but stay tuned.
Lots of progress and stay tuned here we’ll post news on this blog. Promise!
That would be great stuff. If you also add the ability to process self-fulfilled orders then I’ll stop thinking about ZF…
Great! It might make it interesting for people in North Africa as well…
, but, When I think of WHCC I think of their awesome album books, then their other unique printing options , any way to add the client used way to create a coffee book- album?
Hi Matt, right now the albums we offer are done through zookie pro and Zoho Design. We don’t offer everything that our print labs create but you’re always welcome to continue fulfilling orders for albums directly through WHCC as it sounds like you’ve been doing. Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Matt, thanks for posting. Not yet, sorry!
I know that Bay Photo has excellent service and I’m sure that WHCC has similar response times, but what about being able to control which lab handles your orders depending on shipping location? i.e. East coast orders handled by WHCC and west coast orders by Bay Photo…
Hi Joe, we’re don’t have that ability, but it’s certainly an idea
Thanks!
I had the same question in my mind…like WHCC for Midwest orders, EZ Prints for East coast and Bay photo for west coast. Probably too much work from an implementation standpoint but hey its an idea.
WHCC has 3 labs: Eagan, MN; Dallas, TX and Fresno, CA… within a couple weeks they’ll turn on geographic distribution and start shipping from the nearest lab capable of the product you order. (Not all labs do all items.)
Great. Now get MY lab (Black River Imaging) associated with Smug and I WON’T cancel my membership in April.
Hi, I’m sorry that we won’t be able to do that, but tell ya what, Give Bay and WHCC a try, you won’t be disappointed, we guarantee it. http://smu.gs/yhVqQ9
BRI is my lab. Those others are great no question, but those crazies down in Missouri have my heart right now. And they’ve got a fantastic BBQ joint near them. Gives me a good excuse to ride down once a year.
I’ve been a very heavy user of WHCC for the last year, and I cannot tell you how happy I have been with the results. Absolutely outstanding, never a single print arrived damaged, no returns for bad color or workmanship. I’ve used them all and I think they are the leading lab in the country. I also have many clients in Canada, and they drop ship them there quickly and cheaply.
WHCC rocks. (My photos are on SmugMug at http://www.retake.com.)
Hi David and thanks for this detailed review on your WHCC experiences. We’re glad to hear it!
I use whcc for many things, but I also adore Miller’s. Any chance they will be teaming up with you in the future?
No plans right now, but thanks for the suggestion and feedback. We hope you’ll give WHCC a try through Smug, of course!
I’ll cast a vote for Millers/mPix/MpixPro also. They are great, fast shipping and excellent pricing!
and Black River!
I love the options that WHCC offers (specifically standard mounting and the “standound” black mounting board), but not bein’ able to have both labs available fer a gallery simultaneously is tough. I understand how customers can git bewildered by the options (if there are *too* many). What’s the possibility of similar mountin’ options through BayPhoto? All the mountin’ options with BayPhoto (as fabulous as they are) are often a little beyond my regular customer base. I know they have plenty of print options that are not directly available through SmugMug. Just a few more (slightly more financially available) mountin’ options would be great addition
>
Johnny! What’s happening, buddy! Long time no see….
-joe
Heh! What up!? HIt me up, we should hang sometime
>
Working on those additional mounting options – stay tuned!
Would like to echo a fellow canadian SmugMug user, a SmugMug Canadian lab would be nice…it is not the shipping that takes the time, it is the time to clear Canda Customs. I have been really happy with Bay Photo, but will check out WHCC.
Randy, one of the reasons we love the WHCC Partnership is they’ve *already* figured that bit out (customs). Give it a try
We are in Canada as well and have ordered many times through WHCC and are always amazed at the speed, consistency and customer service. They certainly are much cheaper shipping wise than Bay. Hope that the lower shipping with WHCC will be reflected and passed on to clients.
Thanks! It’s nice to know we have another option. If there should be a problem with an order, i.e. missing a print, do we still have to go thru SM or can we contact WHCC directly? I had this happen for the first time in December and when I called Bay Photo customer service they acted as if SM was the ugly stepchild and told me I had to contact SM (something about a reference# – even though I explained I had all the numbers off the paperwork my client received and of course all my SM reference info). When I emailed SM, I explained how my client had paid extra to get the prints asap, and if they could get the lost print out right away, the answer was evasive…and when I asked for an exact timeframe, it wasn’t until I got aggressive that they told me it would take a few days…I ended up ordering directly thru Bay Photo and my client received the print the next day…It was Christmas and Bay Photo was still able to get the print out immediately…To keep my client happy, I ended up paying for the print and shipping, and my client received the second print requested by SM a few days later. Can SM do something about these kind of situations? I’m sure it’s rare that these kind of things happen, but I would expect SM customer service to be more accommodating and empathetic.
Hi Debra, that’s definitely not our norm (or Bay’s)! I’m sorry for that experience and we’ll make it up to you, promise. Every single order and print from all of our labs is covered by our unconditional 100% guarantee http://smu.gs/yhVqQ9 and you should ONLY ever have to deal with us, http://help.smugmug.com by chat or email. I’d love to find your ticket from this past Christmas – email us and put ATTN: Andy with the info thanks.
I had a similar experience with EZ Prints. In my situation, I had a set-in-stone deadline (player posters for an end-of-the-season football team party). I could NOT be late with delivery. EZP printed the photos, marked the order as shipped (with tracking number), but never gave the package to the shipping company. When I contacted SM, I was told the order would be re-printed, but nothing could be done to ensure I received the photos by the deadline. I called EZP directly and they told me I’d have to handle it through SM. I was getting the runaround from both EZP and SM. Finally, in desperation, I contacted the SM founder through Facebook about this issue. I never received a response directly from him, but when I contacted SM Help again, they arranged to have the photos printed by Bay and shipped overnight.
I ended up receiving the original EZP order, a re-printed EZP order, and the Bay order. I only paid for the original order and shipping charges. While I appreciate that I only had to pay for the one order, I place greater value on on-time delivery. Three sets of posters are useless to me if I have to tell a team and their parents that they don’t get to have their player gifts when they were promised. I found it frustrating that through multiple requests for help, the SM response to the issue was “we will place another order”, rather than “we will make this right”. It wasn’t until I sent the Facebook message that SM showed a willingness to make it right.
I realize that 99% of orders get printed and shipped without a hitch. But the 1% that do have problems can have a HUGE impact on a small business. I don’t want to be known as a flake and as someone who doesn’t deliver on her promises.
It’s nice to hear that WHCC has been added. I live in the Minneapolis area – having a local lab will help if another “1% case” ever arises.
Thanks for bringing WHCC aboard. I have used them for years and love the quality of their work!
you know what? I looked at what they have to offer, because I would LOVE to do all my work through smugmug instead of going outside to other vendors. However they are not giving us any break on pricing, eg wholesale pricing. I get mounted prints for half the price elsewhere, and I get gallery wraps for 40% less(high quality, personal service etc) . So where is any value added by smugmug for pros here at all??
Hi Sam, we understand that you can shop around and do the fulfillment with other labs (or print at home) for less. But the benefit of having all of your commerce a part of your SmugMug site is that you don’t have to do a thing except upload and edit your proofs. We handle the transaction, printing, shipping, and then we pay you your profits. Plus, if there are any problems at all with the order – even with damage during delivery – you and your clients are covered by our 100% guarantee.
In short: we handle all the busywork so you can focus on your craft.
This absolutely just turned a long and trying day into the best day ever!!!!
Well, glad we could make your day!
As great as it is that your putting on other labs it would be great if they could be non US ones. Many of us are having major issues with shipping costs and although your US customers love the choices, your still leaving the rest if us high and dry. I’m finding that my sales are up if I offer free shipping but then I make little to no profit once shipping is taken out. Please prioritize your customers from other countries on this issues as its a stab in the heart every time you don’t.
I promise we’re not forgetting you. If we could beg your patience just a *little* longer I’m sure you’ll be thrilled soon
I agree with Lara, the out of US shipping costs are a huge deterrent on sales, i would love to get more prints done through any of the labs smugmug offers but it’s just too expensive with the shipping.
If you have a photo in Gallery A, and a copy of the photo in Gallery B, could the lab used in Gallery A be different than the lab in Gallery B?
Collected (virtual) photos obey the settings of their original gallery – so no, I’m sorry it won’t work this way. But you can upload a 2nd copy of the photo to a different gallery and accomplish this.
every time I think I am ready to move away from Smugmug you up the ante and offer more of what I need. No one is perfect but you are definitely putting in the effort. Thank you, you are all awesome!
WHCC has always been my lab! They are FAB U LOUS!!!!!
As if we needed another reason to love you guys at SM! I am thrilled with this news. *happy dance* THANK YOU!!!
That’s great but what about a lab down under or at least somewhere in Asia. You may not have noticed but there are an awful lot and rapidly growing photo mad people living not far north or us. Yes I know, you guys don’t speak Chinese but we speak your lingo (sort of) down here.
Thanks Bob – adding labs is not terribly easy but we hear you and we appreciate your post. I think you’ll see some additional options soon that might please you
OMG!!!!!!!! I was sooooooooooooooo excited (very obviously) to hear this!!! The thought of FINALLY being able to offer my clients QUALITY photo albums, brought tears to my eyes. Then….the bad news…we are only offering WHCC for printing (which is awesome also:)). PLEASE PLEASE hook-up with them to offer albums. Pretty please.
Hi Leah, we’d love that. There are some challenges on it, and we’ll be discussing internally – can’t say if or when, but it’s so very important that you told us this, your feedback is truly like gold to us. Thanks again.
Yes, PLEASE PLEASE do this. I am a SmugMug lover and WHCC fan-boy so my photo world is compete the day anything WHCC offers I can get through SmugMug!!!
Yay! I am so excited!! I’ve been with both SmugMug and WHCC for a while now but I’m so glad ya’ll are joining forces!!
BIG SMILE
Would/Could there ever be an option to sell framing? I’d love if a customer could drag and drop an image from a gallery into a frame, change the frame option and even pick the mat and what-not. Would that ever be possible down the road?
What a GREAT idea
The answer is, yes, it’s something we want to do. Stay tuned here on our news blog (be sure to subscribe by email) and I hope we can satisfy your wish!
Now this is a truly great idea! If you could somehow manage to offer very competitive pricing as well as great quality, I think you’d accomplish two things: everyone else in the framing business would hate you, and your customers (us) would love you forever!
This too is something I had hope to hear. All though the mounted features you offer are great, a lot of my customers are use to the traditional matted and framed image. They order prints and then have to go out and buy a frame and matt it themselves. The only way I can offer it is order the prints myself and either bring it to a framing shop or do it myself. This then causes me to have to deliver/ship it or have the customer pick it up. I’m a one-stop shopper kind of person and would like to see all my orders flow through a single avenue.
I love WHCC… except that I like to put a coating on photos and their’s is a dull one. I like a nice clear spray like ACI, or even the shiny Miller’s version. Thanks for adding them though!
Hi, we want that too – and I hope we can add it soon. Stay tuned.
Will that be an option, or the only choice?
Hi Moira, we can’t share all our plans but we’re always listening for features that you want. So let us know if there are other finishes you’d like to see.
hurrah!!!!
Awesome and Crap……Love WHCC and the fact i get them as a preferred vendor….now I have to go and set up my price lists.
Thanks!!!!
It’s great that they can offer prices in Canadian dollars for Canadian customers
…But the main problem is customs costs when Canadian customers place print orders! This is main reason why we need a Canadian based printer!
Is this something you are looking to add in the future?
Thanks!
I’d love a Canadian Lab as well, but my experience with WHCC shipping to Canada has been quite good, especially since they changed their shipping rates/process to Canada not that long ago. Never have to worry about customs charges with the shipping services they use and they are quick.
Question for Smugmug: WHCC collects the Canadian taxes when I order direct with them. Will it be the same if using them through you? Currently, when I use Bay Photo through you, I have to pay HST to the courier when the package arrives. It’s a minor inconvenience for me, but I cringe when I have to let any clients who order directly from my site that they have to do that. It’s just hassle I’d rather not subject them to.
Great question – will clients be faced with paying the HST to the courier? Or will that be taken care of at the time of purchase online?
Great…I love WHCC ! Wonderful addition!
Hello everyone – I am new and very green to smugmug
. I am a Real Estate Photographer in London Ontario Canada. I am wondering if there is anything associated with smugmug or if anyone knows of a service that would allow for my Agents to…
- “login” to their photo gallery to use their listing house photos
- create and customize a “feature sheet” or “contact sheet” as it’s sometimes called, to their liking.
- and send it off to be printed at a very reasonable price and shipped quickly (or picked up quickly)
The options offered at smugmug are gorgeous – and I’ll definitely be making use of the photo books and others, but for this, I think I need something specialized. Anyways, I would appreciate any and all suggestions – even suggestions of what to insert into the google search so that I can find such a thing
Btw – my apologies if I’m posting this incorrectly or in the wrong place. Again… very green
Thank you in advance for ANY help you can offer!!!
Hi Charlie, great questions, you can use our Assistant Password feature for the login piece. For the rest – I suggest posting over on our pro forum on Dgrin, here: http://www.dgrin.com/forumdisplay.php?f=29 and letting us and the community assist
Thanks!
Hi Andy – thank you letting me know
– I will definitely have a look over there!!
Whcc, says they can’t combine metal and regular prints in the same order. What happens if a customer does order different paper types thru the smugmug pro portal?
Dwight, we split the order up on the backend into as many suborders as is needed to satisfy the WHCC order contents limitations, your customers won’t need to know anything about those limits.
Glad to see this. WHCC does offer very nice quality products. However, I do wish that we could order from Black River Imaging. They offer amazing quality products and free shipping on any order over $10. I also like that the pricing is not available online for clients to see (whereas if a client wanted to they could look up WHCC, BayPhoto and EZ to see what we are paying and the profit we are making. I feel that having this information available to our clients leaves us less professionally appealing, in my opinion…. Glad to see more options here!
We do have versions of our catalog available without the pricing on it. You can pass this link along to your clients if you wish! Just be sure the “P” is left out of the URL:
http://www.smugmug.com/prints/catalog/ABC
We know that some Pros are worried about their clients seeing the at-cost price of products, but we have always highly encouraged you to educate your clients on what they are paying for. You’re the professional and have the expertise, equipment, time and the talent to go out there and capture their special moments. It’s more than just ink and paper they are paying for. You shouldn’t be afraid to charge them for it!
Here’s a fabulous post we did recently about pricing and why you shouldn’t be afraid of doing it: http://smu.gs/zzpHJi
Hi Schmoo,
I don’t worry about upping the price for my clients since I do a lot of work to make sure that their images come out with a professional appearance. I don’t, however, like for my clients to to be able to go to any of the three printers available on smugmug (although you can kinda hide the hosting, for many it is very obvious) show their at cost pricing on their websites….so regardless of what information I put in my clients hands and how much I emphasize to them the quality of them and work I put into them, they can still see what it is costing me out of pocket and typically don’t like the markup and don’t fully understand the time we put into our images. If these printers would just make a simple adjustment of having to have a pro account with them in order to view the pricing it would take away from this frustruation….do you know what I’m talking about. Although I know I get quality images from great printers I am always embarrassed if they ask who my prints run though because they can pull all the information up…and from many can just order themselves. Whereas those printers who keep print prices private for the photographers I can always direct them to their website if they choose and feel confident in the knowledge they will glean from there.
Black River Imaging also has free shipping on any order over $10, which saves a bundle.
What kind of boutique packaging does WHCC offer?
Hi Lois, it’s all explained here: http://smu.gs/w1vHc4 Holler to our heroes if you have questions, we’re always standing by at http://help.smugmug.com
You guys have the best customer service (something many companies out there do not place high on their priorities list)! I have had a few problems with orders and you have fixed them right away! I am still interested in a affiliate program with you guys and have written a couple times inquiring about it but have had no luck getting an answer. Anyways, thanks for all you do!
Hi Adam, I’ll talk to Markham, thanks!
Can you set up the pricelist edits to allow switching to a different lab? Right now we have to recreate the entire pricelist — would love to be able to just change the lab without re-entering dozens of prices. Alternatively, allow us to make a copy of an existing pricelist that we can then edit all options (including lab) before saving.
Thanks.
Hi Chris, you can indeed duplicate an existing price list – go to the price list, click on it to edit it and then choose the ‘duplicate’ button.
I just tried the Duplicate function. Unforunately, it doesn’t let you change the lab. I have lists that I wanted to change to Bay even before WHCC was added.
Hi Chris, sorry about the confusion! You can duplicate Pricelists but you cannot switch labs when you do this. Again, you must create a new Pricelist to use a different lab. This is because each lab offers a different lineup of products with completely different SKUs, so pricing can’t carry over. Again we apologize but hope this info helps.
While I’m sure that WHCC is good and another resource is great for those that use / WHCC. I sure hope this doesn’t mean that you will be phasing out Bay Photo. I’ve been using them for a few years now for just about everything. Love Bay and even though I have local labs, I live in MA, I prefer Bay.
We LOVE Bay and we have no such plans. Hope they are with us a long, long, long time
When will the whcc tab appear in price lists? Right now I only see bay and ez.
Hi Dwight, they should already be there as shown in the screen grabs above, but remember that you cannot change labs on existing Pricelists. Can you try creating a new one and shoot us an email if you still don’t see it? http://help.smugmug.com/
I haven’t done the migrate price thing so maybe that’s why I don’t see it.
Yep! WHCC is a Pricelists-only lab. Give it a try but don’t hesitate to ask our heroes for a hand if you’re stuck.
Thanks Schmoo. I just migrated and giving it a shot now.
Looking for gallery wraps at whcc?
Found it.
Ordering myself through WHCC, I pay an additional 15% shipping to Canada (includes shipping and duty/taxes). Do you know if that would continue if ordering via Smugmug pro account?
Whcc, says they can’t combine metal and regular prints in the same order. What happens if a customer does order different paper types thru the smugmug pro portal?
They’re combined in one order, they could ship from different locations from WHCC.
Hurray! They are my favorite lab. Thank you!!!
YEAY
Any chance WHCC will try and match Bays cost on 4×6′s. The other options we offer are pretty close but Bay offers 4×6 for much less than WHCC and that can really add up if someone orders a whack of that size.
Reposting:
I’d love a Canadian Lab as well, but my experience with WHCC shipping to Canada has been quite good, especially since they changed their shipping rates/process to Canada not that long ago. Never have to worry about customs charges with the shipping services they use and they are quick.
Question for Smugmug: WHCC collects the Canadian taxes when I order direct with them. Will it be the same if using them through you? Currently, when I use Bay Photo through you, I have to pay HST to the courier when the package arrives. It’s a minor inconvenience for me, but I cringe when I have to let any clients who order directly from my site that they have to do that. It’s just hassle I’d rather not subject them to.
Somehow, I manage to use BOTH BRI and SmugMug together. Wouldn’t dream of stopping either!!!
I use Full Color mostly out of Dallas, Texas and their color has been spot on. Bay hasn’t really been my fav. lab but I never heard any complaints from my customers so I’m happy to give another lab a try.
Anyone get an answer on this question?
No. I reposted my initial question about it as well just a few above this post. Still waiting to hear.
Hang tight, working on it….
Thanks Andy. I figured that it wouldn’t be a quick answer type of thing.
How do I change the lab choice in a previously made price list (rather than creating a new one and going through each product individually to match my previous price preferences)?
I’m sorry, the only way is to create a new pricelist using the new lab. I wish I had a better answer for you on this one!
Will print sizes larger than 16×20 be available with mounting options?
Hi Tony, not right now, sorry. But you can do Standout Mounts up to 30×40. http://www.smugmug.com/prints/whcc-standouts
Smugmug you rock!! This is great news! Thank you!
The cost for these labs seems high in comparison to some others. I have been using Pro Photo Lab in North Carolina for some time now and they offer excellent service, quality and the pricing is lower. Does Smugmug mark up all the lab prices?
We aim for parity with our labs. There are some differences with Bay Photo which we’re working on!
FINALLY! WHCC rocks! Thank you, SmugMug!
Thanks for adding WHCC! This is great news! Most of my customers are located within 60 miles of their Eagan, MN headquarters, so my turnaround times should be much faster with this option.
My question was prompted by the fact that I never order anything glossy (luster or matte has been my preferred print finish for years now). If the proposed coating or spray doesn’t turn a matte finish into a glossy one, then I’m not too worried – maybe the “shiny” description just gave me hives.
But at the most basic level, more choice – “Yes, give me shiny!” or “Heck no, thanks!” – is always better.
Many of my senior customers would like some senior format for announcements, yet cannot find anything like that on here. Do we have it, and where?
Hi Merrit, we don’t – but it’ a great suggestion and we’d love it if you added it to our feedback site http://feedback.smugmug.com thanks!
SM – Please service Australian users with an accredited printer … your join up rate in this country would improve no end!
Hi Lee, thanks for the feedback. We’ve done a lot of work in the last few months paving the way for labs outside of the US and different currencies, as you’ve probably heard us saying. Please stay tuned! We love our Down Under customers, of course.
And how is it going with EU-printlab?
It’s going pretty well, Daniel, so stay tuned. Thanks for checking in!
I’ve been waiting for an option to offer mounted prints, so this moves makes me happy. Now, if you could just offering some of their or Bay Photo’s press and specialty products, I’d be over the moon.
Hello,
I’m happy about having WHCC as an option. I did notice there are two different prices for color correction and without on product cost.
My question is..If you select without color correction, do the prints go straight to print? If you select with color correction, does a lab tech look over the prints and correct as needed?
The reason I ask is I know a fellow photographer that uses WHCC for certain prints who has a professional account with them. He has a tech look over his prints before printing his order.
Just trying to understand the process on the other end.
Cheers
Hi Douglas, the color correction option is not related to how quickly your orders get sent to the lab. Our Proof Delay feature allows you, the Pro, to hold orders and review them and then you click the button to send it to print.
In short: All orders take 1-2 days to process and print, regardless of whether you’ve selected color correction or not. Hope this helps.
schmoo,
Thank you for your reply. I do understand and use proof delay.
Basically, what am I getting for the additional color correction cost? Does a WHCC lab tech personally inspect my images before they print?
Generally, I feel I get my photos looking the way I want them in post processing before I upload them to smugmug. I guess I’m trying to figure out if it is worth the extra product cost and if there are a second set of eyes inspecting my files before they print.
Yes, when you get color correction from WHCC, your images are reviewed by a person and the color is checked by hand before it prints.
And don’t forget that even if for some reason it doesn’t work out for you, SmugMug covers you with our bulletproof 100% guarantee. Hope this info helps!
Whcc told me last month they did not have color correction. They have gorgeous color if you calibrate your monitor, but they did a whole 18 months of too dark photos for me, They would call me if my signature ran off the page, but not for dark photos, and it got expensive with wraps. No one in that time mentioned their soft proofing which helps. I use Xrite calibrating and am sending my prints to Bay Photo until I get the luminance issue settled with them. Even tech support at Xrite said my calibration profiles were fine. I was especially ticked off at a couple of wraps I tried when they had a sale and I just threw my money down the drain.
Thanks! I use WHCC a lot and they are closer, too. Great addition!
Oh! Thank you Thank You!!!
We so need a European or, better still, UK printer – even showing a price conversion into Euros or pounds would help stem the constant flow of questions and criticism from my customers.
Second all of these points!!!!
I agree! We’re not ignoring this, stay tuned right here on our news blog
Will WHCC or Bay Photo look at expanding their catalog to include proof portfolio ordering options?
Hi Crystal, great question – can you email us http://help.smugmug.com and put it ATTN: Andy with details? Thanks!
Over the years, I have been employed by Bay Photo and more recently WHCC in Fresno. I give them both high marks for running a quality operation.
Thanks for adding WHCC. They are my preferred lab. Is there a way to tie my smugmug orders to my WHCC account?
Hi Bruce, at this time there isn’t because you order through SmugMug, not WHCC. But that would be really sweet idea to hook them together, considering so many of you already have a history with them.
I work with Digital One Color (www.d1color.com) in San Diego and would like to set up my account so print orders are not sent to the labs you choose. Please point me to instructions on how to do this.
Tony, our heroes can help you turn off buying options in your galleries and get a Paypal or a Google Checkout button embedded in your galleries. This way you can still get notified of orders and then fulfill them wherever you wish.
http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/84515
Is there an easy way to dupe a price list to a new lab? Seems like once you set up the pricelist, the lab is locked in. What I’d like to do is keep my prices the same and retarget to a new lab. The base pricing differences are interesting. If you do a lot of 4×6, WHCC is nearly 3x, but for larger sizes, WHCC has better pricing. Thanks for adding WHCC to the mix!
I already asked that question, and was told it can’t be done. As the products offered at each lab vary, they can’t just change the lab choice. I’m no computer genius but I would think this is a solvable problem but would require too much time for little ROI for those paying for that time. Something like the error notice you see in the shopping cart when the dimensions of an image aren’t big enough for a chosen print size. That could be done for discrepancies in the price lists created by changing labs and modified with a few clicks. Really is a PITA to create new price lists when all you really want to do is change the lab preference.
Panoramas – I’d like to follow up on this subject. Because today’s photographers are CREATING panoramas photo-merge and photo-stiching there will never be enough sizes on the menu. It should be possible to upload a panorama in any size or ratio and get a full frame print of that pano in a specified width or height. It should also be possible to use a custom crop tool (without a built-in ratio) to crop any image to any shape and order a custom pano in a specified size. We can do it at the local lab but I would prefer to do all my printing through SmugMug
Best news I’ve had today. I LOVE WHCC!!!!
Any news on a UK Lab that works with Smugmug?
We’ve been banging on some really exciting stuff over the last few months and it’s all been paving the way to a whole bunch of great commerce-related features. We know it’s been frustrating for our European market but we hope that patience pays off. Thanks for weighing in, Mark.
A UK Lab has been requested for a long time.
Please please please keep Bay Photo as part of your lineup. I tried WHCC, I really really did. But it just didn’t work for me and I’d hate to have to change things now.
BayPhoto isn’t going anywhere. This is all about more *choice*.
I hope you can use WHCC’s boutique Christmas card selection. I really need some more modern design in the selection too. Thanks!
I have a current gallery that I’d love to switch over to WHCC for prints but I still only see Bay Photo and EZP as my choices. Is there a reason that I’m not seeing WHCC yet?
Have you migrated to the new pricing system?
And the hook-up with a European lab you’ve been lying about working on for two years? How do I delete my SmugMug account? I’m off to find out right this minute. I’m totally sick of it.
Hi Avril – don’t go yet! I’ve been giving lots of news lately about this. I promise we’re not ignoring this and you’ll be thrilled. Maybe see you at FOCUS on Imaging next week in Birmingham?
I love that Smugmug is looking at adding more labs. However its very disheartening to see how with 3 labs, we only have 1 choice of paper: Kodak, when Fuji paper is, and has been for years, clearly superior.
WHCC is an excellent lab and produces great stuff for clients. But when I want something printed for myself, something that won’t be faded or deteriorate in 20 years, I only get it printed on Fuji paper or high-end inkjet.
I absolutely love smugmug and find the value for the service you provide to be outstanding. I really wish we had a wider variety of printing options, not just more of the same. It would also be nice to see the printing options trickle down to at least the “power” level for those of us with multiple accounts.
Sorry if this is a double post, but I didn’t see my original post.
I have a few galleries on my website that I use for volunteer/charity purposes so that people can download images to their computer at no charge. I have turned off pricing on these galleries and turned off “Originals” size so that my logo will remain on the photos when downloaded. Will I still be able to do this?
OOps! Looks like I posted in the wrong place!
No prob, Amy! As long as you get your questions answered, which we hope we did.
I’m so excited about this! I love whcc!
Well I am from down Under in little ‘ol Oz… and the postage price and time to post hurts me and customers to be ordering from O/seas, so I’m not sure how many little Aussies you have using your site (I do love mine for the gallery purposes), but any chance of hooking up with a local Australian Printer for products and gifts???
We would absolutely love to do this because we love our Smuggers located on the other side of the deep blue sea. Thanks for weighing in and of course you can throw your vote for an Aussie lab on our feedback forums! http://feedback.smugmug.com/
The addition of a new lab is only good news if they have a Canadian location.
Hi Steve, WHCC is actually a Canadian registered importer, so prints arrive fast! I encourage you to give it a try! You won’t be disappointed.
I have used WHCC for years. Love them (and Smugmug). Shipping is always great (especially for us West coasters since they added the Fresno, CA location).
I’d like to offer senior portrait clients a choice of a few “packages” with a mix of larger and smaller prints, including die-cut wallets. Hopefully the “package” would offer a package discount and the buyer would only need to choose the photos for the print sizes.
Hi Ron! We already do this exactly as you describe it. To get started, look under the “Pros” tab in your SmugMug Control Panel and click on the Packages line. You may want to look through our help page here to find info about how it works: http://smu.gs/A9kHK8
I totally agree. YEARS of us begging you for a Canadian lab, and 320 votes at last count, and who knows how many Canadian photographers on this site……and now we get ANOTHER American lab.
….PLEASE PRIORITIZE YOUR CUSTOMERS FROM OTHER COUNTRIES ON THIS ISSUE AS IT IS A STAB IN THE HEART EVERY TIME YOU DON’T. Well said, Lara.
Hi Caroline and thanks for your feedback. As Andy explained above, WHCC is a Canadian registered importer so while they are not located in Canada they make it very easy to ship there. We appreciate your patience as we’ve been building this huge features, and as we’ve been saying over the last few weeks, we had to make some very significant behind-the-scenes changes to support things like foreign currencies and making our commerce features better for pros outside the US.
We’re not done yet, even though though the wait may seem frustrating to you. We appreciate that you’ve let us know what you think!
WHCC may “make it easy” to ship here to Canada, but it still takes longer, it still costs extra in duties and import fees, and my customers still do not understand why my business is supporting an American lab when we have plenty of great ones here.
I notice that the UK/European pleas for a lab has over 1600 votes and still no lab.
So I have no more hope that, after two years of us asking for it, you are going to provide Canadian members with a Canadian lab. And since my subscription is up next week, I am OUT of here and off to Zenfolio. They don’t have a Canadian lab either, but they are cheaper and have more website options.
So long, SmugMug! You were just too smug!
Caroline
Rivermouse Photography
Again Caroline, we’re sorry that it didn’t work out for you. This morning we did the unthinkable and committed ourselves to a pre-announcement — Loxley Colour in the UK will be joining us as a print lab on Marc 23rd. We hope that you understand that this means we really are dedicated to making printing and shipping easier on Pros outside of the USA, where we are based.
Whatever you do, we hope that you find the best possible solution for your business!
Hi – I thought I saw on one of the announcements of WHCC coming onboard that they offered the Flip Books, but I didn’t see any listed in their ‘products’. Do any of the labs with SM offer these now?
Hi Donna, we currently don’t offer the flip books through our shared catalog but you can still get those direct through WHCC. Thanks for letting us know that this is one of the things that you’d like to see!
I am a photographer who uses Smugmug. I did some comparison price checking on the Smugmug print price list for EZprints and Bay photo. I found out Smugmug upcharges what those labs are actually charging. So, it would be more cost effective to order it directly from their site instead of Smugmug. I was shocked to see this knowing Smugmug gets a percentage from each sale so the upcharge doesn’t really seem fair. Will this be the case with WHCC as well?
I love WHCC and have been using their proofing partner, pick pic proof pro .. it is a cumbersome system to use and it is very expensive so I am thrilled about this smugmug partnership. I want to go ahead and get going with it…. I am also moving my website form livebooks to SM…. will I still get free shipping through WHCC? I will stlll order directly through their ROE’s for my personal stuff and my marketing materials, most likely. But having smugmug will be great for my clients… and I really like the idea of the delay in case i want to work on a print first. So….. thanks so much.
Hi, when do you think you will be able to offer a European printing option, it would be great to offer this to my customers in the uk.
Regards pav
Hi Pawel, see our post from last weekend here. We just pre-announced that Loxley Colour is joining SmugMug! http://news.smugmug.com/2012/03/04/coming-soon-uk-print-lab-loxley-colour/
is whcc my only option to sell on this sight as i am in the UK?
Hi Nadia! We just posted an update a few days ago that we’ll be adding Loxley Colour to our lineup of print labs. We never ever pre-announce what we’re doing so this is a big deal. But we think you European pros have waited long enough.
http://news.smugmug.com/2012/03/04/coming-soon-uk-print-lab-loxley-colour/
Why doesn’t the WHCC Tab show up on my page?
Hi Andy,
Just checking in again to see if you’ve made any progress on finding out if WHCC will be taking care of Canadian taxes if orders are placed via smugmug (since they do this when orders are placed directly through them).
Thanks!
Oops….meant to post that up by the earlier questions around post #130ish……
Yes, I am still waiting to hear the same thing: did you make any progress on finding out if WHCC will be taking care of Canadian taxes if orders are placed via smugmug??? Thanks
A Lab in Australia would be fantastic.
I love the color work that WHCC does but they were not helpful with my luminance and I had a year of dark photos, even with the use of Xrite calibrating software, never explaining their soft proofing process. (I was a newly photographer). I have been using Bay Photo, but will try to get my luminance better with Whcc as they are efficient and the color is gorgeous.
Still I won several awards and a blue ribbon my first year of showing. Lucked out on a few photos.
Wow, dunno how I missed this one…*runs off to check out new lab*
Canada! Canada! We need a lab in Canada!
Yes please – we need one in Canada!!!
Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada Canada
“WHCC offers a lustre coating and three textures that provide extra protection to your photographic prints.” Is there an option to have a lustre coating on the prints we order via Smugmug?
Hi, yes you can order prints from WHCC through SmugMug in Lustre, Metallic and Glossy finish. Currently we don’t offer textures through WHCC, although our Photo Extras feature does offer your clients a few options, through Bay Photo. http://smu.gs/LWfXMU
I cannot get my ez prints to switch to my new whcc default pricing. It does not list it as an option to switch pricing and I am finding the user interface very daunting now and can barely use it so I guess I have to new issues. Is there a way to make all my photos default through my new WHCC option? And how on earth can I do it step by step, because this used to be really easy.
Bevin, to make WHCC your new default pricelist, just create a NEW pricelist that prints through WHCC, add in and price the items you want, and be sure to check the box that says “Make this my default pricelist” at the top. Save this, and then you can delete all the other pricelists on your site so that the default WHCC one takes over.
You can watch our tutorial video here, or write to our Support Heroes for specific questions. Hope this helps! http://help.smugmug.com/customer/portal/articles/93345