Photo Printing on a Deadline

Having a need to get some prints done quickly, I employed a print lab that offered the paper I wanted at a good price.  Unfortunately, they overcharge for 2-day shipping and also charge a $25 fee for a rush order.  Really?  $70 for rush processing + shipping? One of these cost penalties is understandable, but the sum of these two penalties was disturbing.  Maybe a different lab would do the job without one of these two penalties?

I returned to a lab that I had used a month ago. Speaking with the lab via telephone, they told me I must upload the file within 60 minutes to get it into the processing queue.  After consulting the shipper’s web site (UPS), they quoted me only $20 for 2-day shipping and no apparent surcharge for rush processing!  But the paper choices are different and the print cost is significantly higher, compared to lab#1. In the end the total cost would be just a bit less, not much.  I did login and upload the file, but then I could not seem to place an order.  Their website allowed me to upload the file, but then the site navigation was confusing and I could not figure it out.  (Which is odd because I had used this site just one month ago.) At this point, I was experiencing a lot of anxiety because of the time pressure.

Returning to lab#1, I completed the ordering process.  Then sent a courtesy email to lab#2 because they were watching to receive my rush order (which I abandoned).  Ten minutes later, someone from lab#2 telephoned me because he saw the upload and called to help.  Sorry, but it was too late.

Lesson 1: When push comes to shove, never ever underestimate website ease-of-use.

Lesson 2: For rush jobs like this, I need to print myself rather than outsource to a print lab (incurring shipping delays, shipping costs, and rush processing fees).