Pro-Lab
Pro-Lab is a 1972-founded professional photo finishing lab in Clifton, NJ, serving professional photographers with film processing, digital printing, album binding, and photo restoration using Colex and Poli Laserlab equipment.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1972
- HeadquartersClifton, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Pro-Lab does
Pro-Lab, Inc. is a privately held professional photo finishing laboratory founded in 1972 and headquartered at 169 Sargeant Avenue, Clifton, New Jersey. The company serves professional photographers with film processing, digital printing, album binding, photo restoration, and ancillary print products including artisan prints, stand-out mounts, greeting cards, magnets, and buttons. Pro-Lab reports over 50 years of continuous operation and is a member of the Professional Photographers' Association of New Jersey. It is founder-owned by Leslie Franciose and operates with 1–10 employees.
The lab's core technology stack consists of a Colex dip & dunk film processor with computer-controlled developing times (supporting pull and push processing) and a Poli Laserlab digital printing system linked to an RA4 paper processor, capable of producing prints up to 20x30 inches with a 5-minute turnaround from file upload to finished print. These are mature, specialized hardware assets rather than proprietary software platforms. The company offers ROES-compatible digital ordering, a dedicated consumer upload portal, and WeTransfer/Dropbox file transfer integrations, but has no mobile app, no public API, and no software product. Its competitive advantage is grounded in decades of operational know-how rather than technology differentiation.
Pro-Lab generates revenue through transactional, per-unit pricing on print and processing services. Pricing is publicly disclosed for greeting cards ($0.39–$1.00 per unit depending on paper stock) and available via downloadable price lists for film processing and digital printing; albums and artisan prints are quoted on request. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven, with direct phone/text ordering, in-person service, mail-order drop-off, and online self-serve channels. The customer base is concentrated in the New Jersey professional photographer segment, with no named enterprise customers, no app-based distribution, and no disclosed revenue or scale metrics.
Pro-Lab firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Pro-Lab
- Legal name
- Pro-Lab, Inc.
- Website
- https://prolabnj.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1972
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Pro-Lab is a 1972-founded professional photo finishing lab in Clifton, NJ, serving professional photographers with film processing, digital printing, album binding, and photo restoration using Colex and Poli Laserlab equipment.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Pro-Lab is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Clifton
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Pro-Lab business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Photo Printing Services: One-time transaction-based revenue from digital and film printing services including standard prints, artisan prints, and specialty mounting options.
- Film Processing: Film development services with unit pricing available for packaging printing. Revenue generated per roll/order processed.
- Album Sales: Flush mount albums sold as finished products with custom sizing options.
- Greeting Cards: Digital greeting cards sold with minimum order quantity of 10 units. Pricing varies by size and paper type (Kodak Endura, Kodak Metallic, Artisan Fiber).
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 4x8 Digital Greeting Cards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 5x7 Digital Greeting Cards |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Film Processing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Digital Printing |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Flush Mount Albums |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Artisan Prints |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Pro-Lab product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Pro-Lab is a professional photo finishing laboratory that processes film (colex dip & dunk) and produces digital prints (Poli Laserlab with RA4 paper processor) for professional photographers. The lab additionally manufactures flush mount albums, artisan prints, stand-out mounts, digital proof books, greeting cards, magnets, buttons, and provides photo restoration services.
Product overview
Pro-Lab is a professional photo finishing laboratory offering a comprehensive suite of photographic services. The core offering centers on film processing (using colex dip & dunk technology) and digital printing (via Poli Laserlab producing prints up to 20x30 inches). These foundational services are complemented by premium print products including Artisan Prints (100% cotton fiber matte paper) and Stand Out Mounts (gatorfoam-backed displays). Pro-Lab also provides album services through Flush Mount Albums and Digital Proof Books, along with specialty items such as Digital Greeting Cards (Kodak Endura/Metallic/Artisan Fiber options), Magnets & Buttons, and Restorations. All services are available via multiple order channels including in-person, mail order, ROES software, and the consumer upload portal.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Film Processing Film development service for professional photographers using a colex dip & dunk processor with computer-controlled developing times, supporting pull or push processing. Includes scanning services for flat art, slides, and cut negatives; quantity discounts available.
- Digital Printing
- Flush Mount Albums
- Artisan Prints
- Stand Out Mounts
- Penny Pinching Proofs
- Digital Proof Books
- Digital Greeting Cards
- Magnets & Buttons
- Restorations
Companies that use Pro-Lab
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Pro-Lab technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature2 records
Pro-Lab partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
Pro-Lab competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- White House Custom Colour (WHCC): WHCC is a professional-grade photo lab providing prints, albums, and press products aimed at portrait and wedding photographers — directly competing for the same B2B photographer customer base as Pro-Lab.
- Nations Photo Lab: Nations Photo Lab is a professional photo finishing lab offering film processing, professional prints, and albums to working photographers nationwide — directly comparable to Pro-Lab in customer base and core services.
- Printique (AdoramaPix): Printique is a professional and consumer photo finishing lab offering prints, albums, and photo gifts with both DIY and pro-grade options — overlapping Pro-Lab in products, channels, and target customers.
- Bay Photo Lab: Bay Photo is a long-established professional photo finishing lab serving portrait, wedding, and school photographers with prints, albums, wall products, and specialty items — overlapping Pro-Lab's full product mix.
- McKenna Professional Imaging: McKenna Pro is a professional photo lab focused on school and sports photography prints and products — comparable to Pro-Lab in serving professional photographers with specialty print outputs.
- Miller's Professional Imaging: Miller's is a professional photo finishing lab specializing in school, sports, and event photography prints and products — closely analogous to Pro-Lab's pro-photographer service model and product suite.
- Richard Photo Lab: Richard Photo Lab is a California-based professional photo finishing lab serving wedding and portrait photographers with film and digital printing — directly comparable in service mix and customer type.
- The Darkroom: The Darkroom is a specialty photo finishing lab offering film developing, scanning, and digital prints with strong mail-order operations — overlapping Pro-Lab in film processing and digital printing for both amateur and professional customers.
Emerging players
- Pic-Time: Pic-Time is a cloud gallery, album-design, and print-fulfillment platform for professional photographers — adjacent and increasingly overlapping with traditional labs like Pro-Lab that depend on album sales.
Broad incumbents
- Shutterfly: Shutterfly is a mass-market online photo printing platform (now owning Mpix) that competes with Pro-Lab in the digital print and photo product category, though at consumer rather than professional-grade positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Pro-Lab social profiles
Digital presencePro-Lab financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Pro-Lab leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Pro-Lab funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Pro-Lab M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Pro-Lab
What does Pro-Lab do?
Pro-Lab is a professional photo finishing laboratory that processes film (colex dip & dunk) and produces digital prints (Poli Laserlab with RA4 paper processor) for professional photographers. The lab additionally manufactures flush mount albums, artisan prints, stand-out mounts, digital proof books, greeting cards, magnets, buttons, and provides photo restoration services.
Is Pro-Lab a public or private company?
Pro-Lab is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Pro-Lab founded?
Pro-Lab was founded in 1972. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Pro-Lab based?
Pro-Lab is headquartered in Clifton, United States, in the North America region.
How does Pro-Lab make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Photo Printing Services are the primary driver. The others are film Processing, album Sales and greeting Cards.
Who are Pro-Lab's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are White House Custom Colour (WHCC), Nations Photo Lab, Printique (AdoramaPix), Bay Photo Lab, McKenna Professional Imaging, Miller's Professional Imaging, Richard Photo Lab and The Darkroom. Pic-Time is listed as an emerging player. Shutterfly is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Pro-Lab have an API?
No public API is recorded for Pro-Lab.