Loxley Colour, UK

This Scottish lab has established a well-deserved reputation for quality, speed and value for money

Loxley Colour has long been favoured by pro photographers who demand great quality while also wanting to stretch their profit margins. Compared with Whitewall, for example, one-off or small-quantity 12x8-inch photo prints work out at £2.30 each instead of £7.95 for glossy or lustre finish, and £3.46 instead of £12.95 for metallic. That said, prices are more comparable for larger sizes from 24x16-inch up to Loxley’s maximum of 66x44-inch.

The ROES (Remote Order Entry System) makes it easy to navigate the huge range of photo prints, giclée fine art prints, wall displays, framing and many other products that Loxley offers. An ICC profile is available for soft-proofing before ordering. One minus point is that there’s only a limited choice of paper for conventional photo printing: Fuji Colour Crystal Archive DP2 for glossy or lustre, and Kodak Endura Premier for metallic. On the plus side, five free test prints are available ahead of placing your first order.

Performance

One thing that sets Loxley apart from many competitors is that colour correction by hand is available without any additional charge. The service is well worth using, even if your monitor is meticulously set up, as it enables Loxley’s technicians to deliver spectacular results, which normally pop through the letterbox in just a day or two.