FAQs
Our desire at Mid-South is to be extremely easy with which to do business, and to make our services as complete and as easy to understand as possible. To that end, we are providing the following questions and answers to better explain our services.
We need a new customer setup form. Mid-South is a professional lab and does not serve the general public. We do not require a minimum annual volume, however, we can provide you better service and more quickly understand your preferences if we process the bulk of your work.
We regularly produce two Black & White products: B&W digital prints on color paper and fine arts prints on our Giclée printer.
Digital prints on color paper are quite neutral and are ideal for digital files. Fine art prints are available on matte rag paper, water color paper and bamboo paper. Fine art prints are archival.
For our standard and Giclee prints, we color manage every image by eye. Our technicians check and adjust the following: color, density, saturation, contrast and sharpness. Images will not be adjusted for our economy photographic prints, or per your request.
You may submit 8-bit files with sRGB embedded profiles, in JPG format.
You may pay by Amex, MasterCard, Visa, Discover credit or debit cards.
Yes, we offer our Partnership Rewards to clients who spend $5,000.00 or more per year with Mid-South. Rebates range from 1% to 6%, depending upon annual purchases. See current price list for details. If you are on open account, all monthly statements must be paid on time. Rebates earned are given as a credit to your account in February.
Shipments that are 16×20 and smaller are billed at $9.95 each. If packages contain prints larger than 16×20, we bill actual shipping charges. Please note that we bill on shipments not orders. This means that several orders may be shipped in a single package with only one shipping charge. There is no packaging fee unless special packaging or shipping is requested. Our standard methods of shipping are FedEx and FedEx Ground. If overnight services are requested, they are billed at actual costs. Due to our shipping volume, our rates with both carriers are well below the carrier’s published rates. We pass the savings along to you.
No. All prints are produced on our digital RA-4 printers. If you provide negatives, we will scan and then produce digitally.
We strip the RC backing off the prints that we produce and apply heat sensitive adhesive to the print. The print is then applied to canvas and bonded in a pneumatic press that applies both pressure and heat. We offer two weaves of canvas: regular 10oz. and a finer 12oz. Canvas is then mounted to Masonite hardboard or stretched on frames. We also offer gallery wrap canvas mounting. Watch a video of this process here.
We have state-of-the-art Giclée printing equipment which uses archival Epson UltraChrome K3 inks. We print on the following materials: fine art smooth (watercolor), fine art textured (watercolor), Gallerie Pearl, glossy, and canvas. Our combination of paper and ink have been tested by Wilhelm Imaging Research and have a projected life without fading of between 75 and 125 years, depending upon the paper surface. The conditions under which prints are displayed can shorten the life of these prints just as it can photographic prints but normal display conditions away from direct sunlight and framed with glass should produce results similar to test results.
We use the industry standard, ROES order entry software. Choose from different catalogs, order multiple sizes, crop, and more in ROES. Easy to use and fast, ROES can be downloaded here.
Yes. We are geared to give you personal service and attention. We are a medium size lab and can spend the time with you that you need to become proficient and comfortable with digital imaging. We can help you with the critical steps of color management and issues like working color space and profiles. We can even assist you with custom profiles for your digital camera. We have been involved with digital printing for over ten years (even before laser and LED printers) and have developed a good understanding of digital imaging.
ROES is the preferred method to send in your digital files for printing. It will work across all computer platforms. For special projects, we can also set up an FTP account for you. We recommend FileZilla for transferring via FTP. It’s fast, easy, and we can provide support to get you started with FTP.
Yes, on most services our minimum order is $10.00, exclusive of shipping charges. The charge is based upon the total order, not just printing.
Absolutely! We do not use automated telephone services. Your telephone calls will always be answered by a real person. We do not feel that we can give you the service that you deserve when you get lost in endless automation. We try our best to answer every question when you call, but if we have to do a bit of research to get the answer, we make every attempt to call you back within two hours. And, if you need to talk with a printer or an artist, we will call them to the phone. It is all about communications and understanding your needs. We don’t think any lab beats us when it comes to client service.
We can mount a photographic print up to 60×120”. For Giclee canvas, the maximum size is 56×120” on a stretcher frame or 48×72 on Masonite. For a photographic stripped canvas, we can go up to 30×40 on a stretcher frame, or up to 40×60 on Masonite.
Yes. We offer a turnkey painter portrait where our artist uses Photoshop and Corel Painter to completely “paint” the image digitally. We then print on Giclee canvas and add contour brush strokes with a clear acrylic gel. We can also add colored oils to selected areas of the print to give a more enhanced oil painted look. If you choose to do the digital painting artwork yourself, we will print and finish the print for you.
A. No. The only possible extra charge for order processing is the minimum order charge for orders under $10.00.
No, due to greatly reduced demand, we no longer process any film formats.
Yes. From the Mid-South website, click the “Order Status” option under the Online Services tab at the top of the page. That takes you to a page where you enter your Customer ID and Password for security. You can then see all of your current and recent orders and the status of each. If the order has shipped, the tracking number appears and you can click it to track your shipment. Online order status is updated at the bottom of each hour. Contact the lab to select a password.
Although we will handle your digital media with the greatest care possible, the possibility of damage or loss is always present. Neither the best machines or operators are infallible. We must point out that sending work to this firm constitutes an agreement by you to waive liability, even though damage may occur by our negligence or other fault. Our responsibility for lost or damaged film, negatives, originals, artwork, or any other material entrusted to us is limited to the replacement cost of the original raw materials. Except for such replacement, we make no other warranty, either expressed, or implied nor can this be altered by any employee of Mid-South Color Labs, Inc.