Photo Restoration Hints Eighteen - What is your work worth ?

I just got a great question from a blog reader who asked me what is the difference between photo restoration work that CVS or Walmart does for $30.00 and what I can do to restore the same picture for $35.00.  Here was my answer to her great question:

"Go and have something restored of yours by Walmart or CVS or Costco.

Examine it for yourself and take note of the printing resolution, color, paper used and quality with your own eyes.

Then do the same restoration yourself and print it using a quality photo printer and quality photo paper on the highest settings.  

Make an honest comparison of the two results with a magnifying glass."

Then I added..."Experience will help you gain confidence in your own abilities.

I compete against myself and I am my toughest critic. "

I stopped there in the interest of brevity.  No one really likes too much advice even if they ask for it.  I couldn't let it go without adding more about printing.

There are hundreds, maybe thousands of people restoring photos...all over the world.  It takes a lot of confidence to stand up and say that you are an excellent photo restorer when you spend a little time on the internet.  I believe that you have to understand the importance of giving the customer an excellent restoration print as well.  I believe I have an edge over many restorers because I have spent many years getting the printing part right using the best Epson printers, Epson ink and Epson paper and canvas.  There really is a difference and unless you know that, you will never know how good your restoration will look or how long it will last!  

I have a wonderful Epson 9890 professional printer that can print 8x10 or 44 x 96...

Using the best printer with matching ink and paper is the best way to go.  Epson has printer settings for their paper and quality settings.  Take time to see the results from different papers until you have a good idea of what is out there.  Epson sells sample packs on Atlex.com and that is a great start.  I have used other brands but I personally prefer Epson. You may not...just make sure you use all the matching inks and papers for your printer.  I also know when to use textured papers and luster based on the subject matter or maybe even the complexion or other artifacts in the print.  The more you experiment with paper, the better your results will be. 

I truly believe that this knowledge through experimentation will cost you some ink and paper to get the expertise you need.  Then, I really believe you will have much more confidence that you are giving the customer the best photo restoration you can possibly can.  And if you believe the promises that Epson and others make...you will be giving them a photo that will last 50 plus years until it is restored again by a robot or nano bots...who knows?  Maybe this will turn into the latest thing?

Coming soon....a review of a couple of programs that do most of the work for you on improving your photos.  I think the nanobots are here now that I think about it.  Digital Progress is FANTASTIC!

Thanks for reading my blog.