Reality check
Our FREE test prints allow you to see how your work will print with us.
Our print types!
There are very few labs still doing a wide range of print types. No, these are not paper types, they are literally different printers with totally different methods of printing.
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Papers: Smooth cotton, Textured cotton, Fibre pearl, Handmade
Uses: Framed prints, loose prints, photo mounts, albums.
Weight: 300gsm
Colour gamut: * * * *
Price point: $ $ $ $
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Papers: Matte
Uses: Loose prints, photo mounts, albums.
Weight: 230gsm
Colour gamut: * * *
Price point: $ $ $
Silver Halide
Tech: Light exposed silver halide paper in a wet process.
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Papers: Lustre, Gloss
Uses: Framed prints, loose prints, photo mounts, albums.
Weight: 180gsm
Colour gamut: * *
Price point: $ $
Matte Art
Tech: Dye based ink penetrates into the paper surface.
Master Fine Art
Tech: Pigment ink carefully floating on the surface.
We offer free test prints, they are 6x4 and printed on silver halide Lustre paper, a Traditional Photographic print. We advise all clients to do a set of test prints prior to ordering any products.
They give you a really good idea of the difference, between your screen and how they will print. Then we can address any issues before you start selling prints. We advise you to send a good range of images, so something very dark, something very light, something black and white, something with good amount of skin tone, etc.
How do I order them?
Jump onto the Albums Ordering site and order anything you need. We are transitioning all our ordering to this site.
Why are our FREE test prints so important?
> 5 Silver Halide 6×4 prints
> check your monitor compared to our prints
> choose wide range of your work
> order on Atkins Album Site
> also consider our Paper Type Sampler, see more below.
Ok, I’ve got them now what?
Once you have seen the test prints, if you’re happy with them, great! You can relax knowing you’re using a pro lab and all we do all day long is make sure we have consistent output on our many machines.
But, if you’re not happy, then we need to work out what’s going on and where the issue it. We encourage you to give us a call or email.
Often people will have their screen calibrated but then absentmindedly up the brightness because they are used to a bright screen, like on our phones and TVs. That then causes your prints to be much darker and then you’ll also have weird colours coming out. But there are other issues that might be causing it too.
We offer three Print Types here at Atkins Lab. That's not three paper types, it's actually three separate machines all printing in completely different ways.
Nerd out on our print types here.
This pack gives you three 8x12inch prints, one on each of our print types.
Add any images you want on your file. Or just have one image, whatever you can fit on an 8x16 at 300 dpi is all we need!
Important: If these prints do not meet your expectations and you see a big difference between the prints and your screen, please reach out to us. We are colour experts and can help you to diagnose what has happened and when. Our colour nerds love a challenge!
Print Sampler Pack
> 1 x 8x8 spread Master Fine Art (Albums un sprayed)
> 1 x 8x8 spread Matte Art
> 1 x 8x8 spread Silver Halide (Lustre)
> 8x16 total size)
Atkins paper pack for print samples and details
We strongly recommend you order a Paper Pack when you first start using us. Or if it’s been a while since you did. This little envelope of glory gives you one of each of our paper types with two kinds of images printed on it.
You also get a great handy card describing all our print tech, and an album page thickness sample AND a hand made paper sample.
What more could you want?
Featured photographer to the right: Oli Sansom
