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Review Date
March 1, 2010
Overall Rating
 5 of 5
Value Rating
 5 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year
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Reviewed by
Joseph Long
, Intermediate
Price Paid
$2.00
at www.clarkcolor.com
Photography Experience
6-10 years
, People
Summary
I can't really understand why Clark is geting such bad reviews here. I have been using Clark almost exclusively for film developing since 2003 when I seriously got into the habit and needed an inexpensive yet quality lab to process my film.
I searched around and found that Clark, Mystic, York and Snapfish are all the same company, just with different marketing details and higher or lower levels of service. For example, Clark and York are cheap and use only paper mailers and paper bags to hold the negatives for you. Mystic and Snapfish are more expensive, use nice mylar mailers for more weather protection and send you your negatives back in weatherproof negative holders. There are other up perks for using the more expensive Clark brands as well. For me, I didn't need the plastic mailers, sleeves and added conveniences. The best bang for the buck was the bottom line.
Personally, I have always found the service at Clark to vary between very good and excellent, but never poor.
Clark does processing for many, many other retailers as well, so their quality has to be high because other companies reputations depend on them. For example, Clark also does the mail-order processing for Sears, at least back when I tried the Sears product which was around 2004. My proof is that the photos from Sears came back from the same return address as all the other companies listed above. As another example, the photo gifts service like calendars, mugs, mouse pads etc., that Clark produces at its giant location is used by virtually EVERYONE ELSE. I don't care where you go or who you use, whether it's the drug store or the fancy pants photo shop, if you want a photo mug, they take your order and forward it to Clark.
The other thing I really liked about Clark as opposed to other labs of higher or lower reputation is that I found that Clark still used chemical dip and dunk processing which actually resulted in a much higher level of quality prints. Most other labs at drug stores and even photo stores had converted over to the Fuji minilabs which scans your negative or slide, converts it into a digital file and then prints it just as if it were a digital shot. This results in weak, lifeless prints and is also the reason why many people have left film behind--because there is no difference anymore when using film since all images are treated digitally by most labs.
But not with Clark. I LOVE their dip and dunk processing. The colors are rich, the white balance is great, the gradation, everything is so much more detailed than straight digital processing. As far as I know, Clark still uses dip and dunk. I just sent a roll off last week and am awaiting the results.
One other note: Reprints, enlargements, crops, etc., are all done with new digital technology, however and if you have any specialty work done by Clark, it will often be just as good, or just as BAD as that kind of work done anywhere else because it's all done digitally. I had some reprints made and the results were the same as anyone else's. Can't really knock Clark for that in a comparison review, can I?
As for the people moaning and complaining about getting pictures back with heads cut off, I tend to believe Clark that the person who sent the film messed up the file some how. I have been dealing with them for years and have had reprints made, even the old analog way where you had to draw a little diagram or make a crop cut out on a separate piece of paper and lay it over the negative to convey what you wanted. Clark got it right every time.
The only reason I haven't used them in a while is because until Kodachrome K-14 is dead, I've been shooting that exclusively and sending it to Dwayne's directly.
Granted, working with Clark is not as convenient as going to the drug store, but it's still convenient enough because you don't have to go to the drugs store.
Here's how it works: if you shoot film, go to Clark's website and request mailers. When they arrive at your house, you will find two paper mailers and a sheet of stickers. There are four marked stickers for up to four rolls of film that you can send, a coupon for free scanning and upload to their website and two address stickers for the mailer and the order form.
You fill out the order from with what you want, fill out the Clark location nearest you on the outside of the envelope, drop the film in, write out a check for the proper amount, or include credit card info, seal the envelope (it's a good idea to use extra tape to make sure it stays sealed) and put it in the mail. The mailer shipping is free to you because it's business reply mail.
Now you wait. If you have given Clark an email address, they will notify you when they receive your order, again when they post your photos online, and again when they put your order with your prints in the mail.
If you use digital, you go to their website and upload your digital files from your computer and crop them as you like, choose the size prints you want, etc and use a credit card to pay. You will get the same email notices, which I find a nice touch.
You can also send Clark your memory card or a computer disc if you like, but I wouldn't recommend it if your memory card is expensive, just because it could get lost in the mail.
I have ordered many enlargements and reprints digitally as well as with negatives form Clark and I always got back EXACTLY what I gave them in terms of a digital file. My advice to those who messed their orders up is to make sure you know what you're doing when you crop and adjust. That said, the Clark software is really easy and, though I am a bit of a techie, I just really can't imagine people messing it up, but I know they do.
I have also ordered many photo gifts from Clark, from mugs to calendars to mouse pads and they've ALWAYS come out spectacularly. Not only am I hard to please, but the people I've given gifts to are also hard to please. So, again, I think if you know what you're doing, and I'm no genius (but I am a quality and value hound and a bit of a cheapskate), you'll get a great product in return for, really, pennies. The mugs, especially, are really heavy duty and nice. They're a little expensive for a mug, but super cheap for a gift with a favorite photo on it that someone will love forever.
Odd and ends:
Clark (and its sister sites) all offer free software that makes managing photos on your home computer really easy. I use it and I really like it.
I have literally processed hundreds of rolls of film at Clark which has yielded thousands of prints and 99.9$ of the time, they do a great job. If they don't do a great job, they make it right.
For example, one time I had a reprint made. The reprint came back great, but the negative had a finger print on it from a technician. I sent the negative back to be cleaned and Clark did so immediately and also sent me a credit for free processing.
Another time, my mailer split in the mail. But since Clark sends stickers to put on your film with Clark's address on it, the film still made it to Clark and they processed it. It was fine.
I've seen evidence where they've reprocessed prints of mine because they didn't like the quality the first time, or they have taken the extra attention to make my prints look their best. I usually get a set of great prints, but then they also send me the rejects that they've redone and the negatives have a handling strip applied to them that tells me they were rerun--all without me having to ask.
Customer service is certainly done well enough through emails.
This same level of quality can be expected from Clark, Snapfish, MysticPhotoLabs and York, all of which I have used and have been satisfied with.
In truth, after all of this time using them for many years and many, many jobs, I have zero complaints. I will gladly keep using them amd recommending them for many years to come.
Strengths
High quality film and digital processing, printing and packaging.
High quality, interesting and fun photo gifts.
Convenenient mailbox to your door service.
Good customer service through email.
Helpful informative website.
Will store your photos on Clark website indefinitely so long as you use Clark at least once a year (and they'll send you a reminder).
Free photo management software download.
Speedy turnaround whether you mail film or place order with digital files online.
Scanning and posting images to internet is always free with generously supplied coupons; photo sharing is also free.
Service and product upgrades available with upmarket Clark brands like Snapfish at additional cost.
Clark's facilities are heavily relied on and trusted by many photo retailers who have much higher name recognition like Sears and probably virtually any convenient through-the-mail to your door photo processor.
Weaknesses
No scanning of slides or black and white films for posting to internet or placing on CD-ROM.
No processing for any film but 35mm and 110. No medium format and no odd sizes of film. This is really a shame because I shoot a lot of medium format.
Similar Products Used
Shutterfly, photocheap, ABC photo, Dan's Camera City, Sears.
Customer Service
Clark's customer service is as good or better than most other photo processors whether brick-and-mortar or mail order. If you want in person expert help, you won't get it, but you won't get it most anywhere you go anyway. Where you do find it, it will be expensive.
However, I've seen lots of evidence that Clark is committed to high quality without their ever having been an issue on my end. I am very satisfied with Clark's customer service.
1-800 number would be nice for those who'd rather talk to someone in person, but as mentioned, customer service issues are handled efficiently enough through email.
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