Diversified Lab Services

So incredibly frustrated by this place. Stay clear.
For context, I’m an amateur photographer and was ordering my first ‘large’ set of prints (about $ 250 worth).
— I first spoke to a woman named Rose. Rose was wonderfully sweet and took the time to walk me through the different kinds of paper and finishes they offered. I told her I was looking to get framing done for a large (15“x40″) print. She took about 30 minutes with me to go over all the details and run a quote. So far so good.
— Called back to place my order for the frame this time spoke to a man. He seemed annoyed that I was on the phone. He told me he wasn’t going to ship anything since it would be expensive and that he ‘would have to remind Rose we don’t do that.’ He quickly pushed me off the phone and told me to place my order through their software.
— After ordering prints there were two big issues: first — a couple prints like the one attached came out horribly splotched. This was clearly a printing error. Second, all of the prints had a far different color/​saturation than what I expected. So much so that I would need to throw them out.
— I called the next day and talked to their printing manager (I believe his name is Tim). This was one of the most frustrating conversations I’ve had for a long time. I could barely finish describing what the issue was before he starting throwing blame. Within a ten minute conversation, he told me:
a) It was my fault for not using the correct color profile on my monitor
b) I should have known to run test prints (even though this isn’t highlighted in their software)
c) I should have ordered additional services
d) They are used to dealing with professionals who know what they’re doing (when I said I was an amateur he told me it wasn’t his responsibility)
e) They’re not ‘responsible for matching color for every photographer in the world.‘
To his fairness, he did say he would take a look at a picture of the print that was seriously wrong and replace it if he deemed it was his fault.
However, by this time I was so frustrated, I didn’t care. I’m not upset at the color being off if it was my fault (it probably was). I’m upset by the complete lack of customer service, the immediate blame, and the attempt to belittle a client who is upset. I’ve had jobs where I worked with clients, and I would have been fired on the spot if I spoke to someone like this.

After researching online and nearly using an online service, a friend suggested I try diversified labs in St. Louis. I thought, great! It’s local! I quickly gave them a call and they were able to not only meet my deadline for 56 photographic «floating» prints on metal, but they were also able to customize the backing of each different size photograph so that they would appear to be floating the same distance away from the wall as all of the other sizes. The online service only offered certain backings for certain sizes. And they were not be willing to mix and match to customize my order so that our wall collage would appear seamless.
Diversified labs not only customized our order but also saved me nearly $ 400 on the order to suit our needs for our custom photographic wall mural vs. going to the competitor.
I’m sold!
If you’re a photographer, professional or hobbyist, check this place out.
Their customer service and follow up calls were impeccable and very welcomed.
The order came out perfect and the prints are gorgeous and very vibrant
I would go back to diversified labs in a heartbeat for any photographic print or specialty print needs!

At first glacé, Diversified Labs doesn’t seem like it’s necessarily tailored towards individual or small business photographers (or anyone else with limited printing needs). It’s name and location might seem to suggest their business is large scale/​industrial printing jobs. However, while they may indeed be excellent at such large jobs, I took a stab and tried them out for prints of a small family photography session and was extremely satisfied.
Most (and perhaps all, though I am not sure) of their prints are chromogenic, rather than ink jet. While ink jet prints can certainly look very good, chromogenic prints provide a different look and one that really can’t be replicated with a home printing set up (at least not with a digital workflow). Diversified Labs offers a couple different types of photo paper they print on, which all can produce very nice results.
They have a nice online ordering system which, though a little confusing at first, allows you to very clearly specify all of the details of your desired print. This makes ordering prints convenient and limits the likelihood of errors. Diversified Labs also offers frequent and substantial promotional pricing, which is immediately reflected in their online system. Depending on which types of paper they are printing on that day, most orders can be processed the same day. And since you have the option of paying through the online system, Diversified Labs will also been willing to leave your photos at a drop point for after hours pickup.
One downside of the Diversified Labs is the location. Though near the Brentwood shopping area, their building is found in a fairly nondescript business park, which made me wonder if I was in the right place the first time I had photos printed by them. Don’t be deterred though, they do excellent work.