Calendars for Christmas Gifts! Anything goes · Dale Penkala · ... · 4 · 147 · 2

Hello Everyone,
In the past there has been threads on holiday gifting our images whether it be on canvas, books, calendars etc… I just wanted to share with anyone that is maybe interested in doing something like this for calendars.

I just got my calendars this morning and I’m very pleased with them. I’ve been using this service now for several years. It’s called LifePhoto in Watertown, Wisconsin. Eric has been great to work with even to the extent of adjusting the brightness of my images more on his end for the final print.

FYI: they are $12.75 + shipping but I bought 30 of them and got a price break at $11.00+ shipping.

https://lifephoto.com

FULL DISCLOSURE:  I AM NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THIS COMPANY AND AM ONLY SHARING FOR THOSE WHO MAY FIND IT USEFUL.

I've had mixed results printing calendars with different services.   I'll add this one to the list.   Astrophotos are really challenging for some of the larger services.   I just had to have Mixbook reprint a run of calendars.  They had an auto contrast adjustment at their printer that messed everything up.   If anyone else is creating one of these I strongly recommend printing one sample with the provider first to see what you get.

I just had Mixbook print 8 1/2 X 11 calendars for me. They printed a proof at the bulk rate and shipped it free. I chose no enhancement or retouching because astrophotographic images are very different from the standard people/scenery types of images. 

What I liked:
         Mixbook had an easy way to add desired holidays from a standard list provided by them.
         Other events such as moon phases or birthdays could be manually added.
         Text boxes are easily placed anywhere on the calendar (or on the images if you prefer) leaving the image free of potentially distracting text. This was very important to me as I wanted to provide astronomical and astrophysical information about the object.
        The web editor was reasonably easy to learn and use.
         The paper is a very heavy weight. The calendar has a good "feel."
         The service was excellent as was the assistance I received via both email and chat.
         Bulk prices are available depending on the quantity ordered.

What I wish was better:
         The paper has a matte finish. I think the contrast would be much better with a gloss or semi-gloss finish.

And full disclosure: I have no affiliation with Mixbook. I'm just a customer who found them by doing a web search.