My top 3 choices for professionl print labs for Consumer?

My top choice consumer print labs?

I have chose this as the top lab for consumers as it is the same quality as what they offer the professionals and the user interface is the easiest to follow. They are located in California but have been in business for over 40 years. I used to use them for my professional work until they started offering their service to the general public and therefore their turnaround time and prices have been affected. The quality is there and you can place your order right from their website. Also they offer a guarantee for their products. They will last a lifetime and prints are on archival paper. Pictures on the phone are nice but what do you do when that device quits working. We can't rely on them to preserve our memories. But where to get them printed and know they will look good!!! Whether you want a custom book or small prints there are consumer labs out there that provide a professional quality. Here are my top three mainly because they used to serve professionals exclusively or they are connected to a professional lab. The colors may vary as different labs have different color calibrations but the quality of products is there.

#1 Lab - bayphoto.com

I have chose this as the top lab for consumers as it is the same quality as what they offer the professionals and the user interface is the easiest to follow. They are located in California but have been in business for over 40 years. I used to use them for my professional work until they started offering their service to the general public and therefore their turnaround time and prices have been affected. The quality is there and you can place your order right from their website. Also they offer a guarantee for their products. They will last a lifetime and prints are on archival paper.

#2 Lab - MPix.com

This lab is a sister company to one of the labs I use. The quality is good and consistent in color the downside is the shipping is high. In many cases I found the shipping can cost more then the product purchased. Their turn around time is good and so is their customer service if you have issues.

#3 Lab - shutterfly.com

This is probably one of the most popular and well know but by no means my favorite. Again the price of shipping alone can cost just as much as your order. The user interface is not the easiest to walk through and I find the color to be inconsistent and the paper/ink quality is eh. The the day the pictures arrive they are ok but but in 5, 10, 15 years the images will fade due to the acidity in the paper breaking down the ink the images will fade. But on the plus side they do have a large variety of items that are perfect for gifts for the holidays.

So if you would like your beautiful images to withstand the test of time I recommend you go with a lab that is producing high quality images for professionals too. This way you know your quality is there.  It may cost more then wal-mart or cvs, but the finished pieces in your home for decades and being able to pass them down is worth it!