It's an interesting dilemma... one with several theories.

If you're talking about a "One-sie", printing 5 or less headshots, then by all means go the quick print route. Kinko's has the ability to print good quality digital on glossy cover stock on their color machines, but ASK FOR A SAMPLE FIRST!! The next would be to hit the small photo developers. The cost is minimal at this level, so it all evens out in the end. If you're a smart cookie, photo-quality printers are available at reasonable prices. When I'm running low, I print my headshots on an "As Needed" basis on my Canon i9100 on Ilford Smooth Pearl paper. The cost of my printer is also tax deductible as I use it for my photo business as well! You don't need the latest and greatest 6-ink printers, just one that produces good quality prints. Now you can focus saving your money for mass production.

Regarding paper weight... it doesn't matter as long as it's not copier paper or generic card stock. NEVER, EVER make a copy and use that for an audition (it screams "AMATEUR!!") or print them on anything less than GLOSSY cover stock (see above). But with the internet, the ability to shop around for quality headshot reproductions is endless, and most companies allow you to email your image. Some of the companies I've worked with as a photographer are Isgo Labs, New Image Prints, Photoscan and a couple out of New York whose names I fergit (as Quickdraw McGraw used to say). Photoscan is pretty consistent and you have the ability to print directly on the back of the headshot. Isgo provides higher quality photo paper images and for me, as a photographer and actor, this would be my last stop. Photoscan, out of Orlando, recently switched to a new printer that puts out amazing quality at a reasonable price.

The only other choice I feel is important would be: What kind of money output are you looking at? Are you a "Viking On A Budget," wanting to take the world by storm at a fraction of the cost? Then your consideration would be whether you'd need shots in increments of 25 (25, 50, 75, 100). Some printers "officially" offer only 100 minimum, others may offer less but you have to ask. So feel free to ask if they do short runs (meaning do they print in smaller quantities). In these days of a slow economy, it really would be good business for them to provide a short run instead of saying "No" to money. And with most companies doing digital output, a short run is fairly easy. Best they could say is "Yes!"... worst they could say is "No."

Hope this info helps!

Phillip Ramirez
Headshots: www.artistikvision.com
Online Demo: www.phillip-ramirez.com

Although I have found WalMart to be pretty good quality you should be aware that they will not print anything that they think is coopyrighted material unless you provide them a written release from the photographer.

Late last year we needed some headshots for our daughter Courtney and had less than a week to get them printed. I tried using WalMart online and everything seemed fine. Two days later I received an email that we needed to provide a copy of the release (the photographer had provided us one with the CD). When I went to the local store where I was going to pick them up to find out specifically what I had to do and provide a copy of the release, I was told that they still wouldn't print them until their corporate offices approved them. Plus, if they didn't get the approval within 48 hours, the order would be cancelled and my images deleted.

So, I ended up going to a local Kinkos and having them print them myself on their quality printers.

Chuck Roy

Ok, so asssuming you have your 'shots on a CD, if I were in the UK I would go to Asda, so try the parent company, Wal Mart, most stores havr in house photo-processing and can do 10x8s cheaply.

Just think how stupid the 'average' person is, now think how worrying it is that statistically 50% of people are even more stupid!!