So  you've gotten your wedding photographed and you've just received that flash drive in the mail with all those wonderful photos, what to do? A lot of people just store the photos on the computer with the intent of printing them just to end up forgetting about it. In this social media crazed age the first thing many people do is start uploading to Facebook and emailing the shots. 

There are tremendous downsides when a photographer hands clients only a digital disc. Many top photographers will not even offer the digital images for many reasons:

First off let it be known that computer screens and Printers vary in color reproduction so widely that you're almost guaranteed to never see any images accurately or at their full potential. Some screens are warm (deep orange), some are cool (bluish), and most don't even have the capabilities to display the millions of wonderful colors that professional cameras are capable of capturing (see photos below). 

Also, posting photos online, downloading them, emailing them over and over for example between the bride and her friends leads to a terrible loss in image quality, then eventually someone prints it on A4 paper to hang it up and it looks like the most terrible photography job ever. 

Professional photographers generally use special high quality color calibrated monitors (think something like Apple cinema displays or better) to edit their work and calibrate with the photo lab's printers as well so that you get the richest and most accurate visual experience when you order from that professional photo lab, for that reason it is recommended to get your prints from the photographer's printing lab (since its all calibrated it should be accurate, considering he's done his homework). Using your own photo lab could sometimes lead to variations in color.

Do yourself a favor and order some prints on professional Fuji or Kodak Endura paper , a nice professionally made leather wedding album is also a great idea;  it'll last a lifetime without fading especially with the amazing modern quality of today's professional printing paper.

 There is something special about professional printing of photos, it gives you something really beautiful to look at and something tangible to have in your home. Printing is the ultimate product of photography, how is that cd collecting dust on the shelf compared to a vivid large print on your wall ? Or better yet a super detailed professionally made 30X40 canvas print for your living room!