Color Resource Center

What Color Resource Center does

Color Resource Center (CRC) is a New York City-based photo lab founded in 1993 that provides film processing, film scanning, and fine art printing services to photographers, artists, students, and commercial clients. Its film processing capability is built around a Refrema dip-and-dunk machine with battery backup that handles B+W (black and white), C41 (color negative), and E6 (color reversal/chrome) chemistry across formats from 35mm through 11x14, with supporting push/pull and cross-processing services. Scanning and printing are delivered via Imacon high-resolution scanners, Fujifilm Frontier mini lab equipment, Lambda digital C-printers that expose light-sensitive paper with LEDs or lasers, and pigment inkjet systems for giclée and canvas output, spanning paper types from standard Fujicolor Crystal Archive to specialty stocks such as William Turner, Somerset Velvet, Cotton Rag, and Museo Silver Rag, plus mounting on foam core, gator board, sintra PVC, and aluminum.

The business operates a single retail location at 73 Ludlow Street in the Lower East Side, co-located with strategic partner Vista Imaging Group, and supplements the storefront with a nationwide e-commerce mail-in workflow shipped via USPS Priority and Media Mail with 1-3 business day processing turnaround; high-resolution scan files are delivered via WeTransfer. Revenue is generated on a pay-as-you-go unit-pricing model with no disclosed subscription or enterprise tier — processing prices range from $3.50 to $14.00 per roll/sheet and print prices range from $1 (4x6 reprint) to $750+ (large-format mounted prints), with modest bulk discounts on digital C-prints at 11+ print quantities. Commercial and large-scale printing demand is referred to a separate partner, VignyC, while CRC retains the customer relationship under its own brand. The company is privately held with 11-50 employees, no external funding disclosed, and serves a horizontal mix of individual, SMB, and commercial customers primarily across the NYC tri-state area with growing nationwide reach through mail-in orders.

Name

Color Resource Center

Legal name

Color Resource Center

Website

https://colorresourcecenter.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Color Resource Center is a New York City photo lab founded in 1993 that provides film processing, scanning, and fine art printing services to photographers, artists, students, and commercial clients through a Ludlow Street storefront and nationwide mail-in shipping.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Photo Lab and Printing Services

NAICS

Photofinishing Laboratories (except One-Hour) (812921), Photofinishing (81292), Commercial Printing (except Screen and Books) (323111), Photographic Services (54192)

SIC

Services-Photofinishing Laboratories (7384), Commercial Printing (2750)

akta.pro primary industry

Large-Format & Specialty Printing (Signage, Posters, Displays) (MPAJALAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Production & High-Volume Printing Systems (HDACAEAJ), Photo Printers & Dedicated Imaging Printers (HDACAEAG)

Keywords

• Film processing services
• Fine art printing
• Digital photo lab
• Film scanning services
• Archival printing

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Film Processing Services: Revenue generated from processing various film formats including 35mm, 120, 220, 4x5, 8x10, and 11x14. Services include black and white (B+W), color (C41), and chrome (E6) film processing. Additional revenue from push/pull services, cut and sleeve options, and cross-processing.
2. Printing Services: Revenue from various printing services including standard darkroom prints, digital C-prints, print-ready digital C-prints, giclée/inkjet prints, giclée canvas prints, and mini lab reprints. Pricing varies by print size, paper type (glossy, matte, metallic, duratrans, duraclear), and quantity.
3. Scanning Services: Revenue from film and artwork scanning services including flatbed scanning, high-resolution scanning, and web-ready/archival scans. Options include low res (4.5mb) and high res (18mb) scans for various film formats.
4. Contact Sheets: Revenue from contact sheet/proof printing services for archiving and editing purposes. Contact sheets are available for 35mm, 120, 220, 4x5, 8x10 film formats.
5. Mounting and Finishing Services: Revenue from lightweight display mounting options including illustration board, foam core, gator board, sintra PVC, and aluminum mounting in various sizes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Color Resource Center operates a traditional photo lab offering film processing (B+W, C41, and E6 in formats from 35mm to 11x14) using Refrema dip and dunk machines, high-resolution film scanning, and museum-quality fine art printing including digital C-prints, giclée inkjet prints, and canvas prints. The company provides bundled process-prints-scans packages, contact sheets, mini lab reprints, and lightweight display mounting, serving both walk-in retail customers in NYC and nationwide mail-in clients via its online shop.

Product overview

Color Resource Center (CRC) is a traditional photo lab offering a comprehensive suite of film and digital photography services. The core offerings center on film processing (using Refrema dip and dunk machines) supporting B+W, C41, and E6 films in formats from 35mm to 11x14; film scanning via Imacon high-res scanners and Fujifilm Frontier machines; and fine art printing across multiple technologies including traditional darkroom prints, digital C-prints (Lambda prints), and Giclée inkjet prints. Bundled packages combine processing with prints and/or scans for convenience. Supporting services include contact sheets, lightweight display mounting, and a partnership with VignyC for commercial printing needs. The company operates primarily from its NYC Lower East Side location with online ordering and shipping capabilities for remote customers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Processing Professional film development using a Refrema dip and dunk machine with full battery backup, processing B+W, C41, and E6/chrome film in formats including 35mm, 120, 220, 4x5, 8x10, and 11x14. Includes push/pull services, cut and sleeve options, and cross-processing at no additional charge.
• Film Scanning High-quality film and artwork scanning using Imacon scanners for high-resolution output and the Fujifilm Frontier machine for web-ready/archival scans. Available in resolutions from 4.5MB to 500MB for 35mm, 120, and 220 film formats, plus flatbed scanning for artwork.
• Contact Sheets Proof/contact sheets printed on Fujicolor Crystal Archive Type II paper in glossy or matte finish for archiving and editing purposes, available for 35mm, 120, 220, 4x5, and 8x10 film formats at standard 10x12 inches.
• Process, Prints, Scans Bundles Combined film processing with prints and/or scans utilizing the Fujifilm Frontier machine for mini lab prints in various sizes and border styles. Convenience package for customers who need processing plus output in one order.
• Mini Lab Reprints Photo prints produced on the Fujifilm Frontier machine from digital files, negatives, or slides, available in sizes from 4x6 to 10x15 inches with glossy or matte finish options for chromogenic quality output.
• Standard Darkroom Prints Traditional darkroom prints in B+W and color, made using chemicals and processes on Fujifilm paper with Kodak chemistry, available in sizes from 5x7 to 11x14 inches for photographers seeking classic analog output.
• Digital C-Prints Chromogenic prints created by exposing light-sensitive paper with LEDs or lasers, color corrected and cropped. Available in sizes from 8x10 to 48x120 inches with paper options including glossy, matte, metallic, duratrans, and duraclear. Bulk discounts available for 11-24+ prints.
• Giclée (Inkjet) Prints Fine art digital prints using inkjet printers for wide color gamut and smooth gradient transitions, available in sizes from 8x10 to 40x72 inches on specialty papers including William Turner, Somerset Velvet, Cotton Rag, and Museo Silver Rag.
• Giclée Canvas Prints Canvas prints suitable for interior design with glossy or matte options, available with stretched frame option for immediate display, in sizes from 11x14 to 50x50 inches for art and décor applications.
• Lightweight Display Mounting

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Vista Imaging GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVista Imaging Group operates in conjunction with Color Resource Center at the 73 Ludlow Street location. The partnership combines CRC's film processing and printing expertise with Vista Imaging Group's capabilities, forming an integrated photo lab operation. This strategic alliance enables the combined entity to offer expanded services under the Color Resource Center brand.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Darkroom: Long-established U.S. mail-in photo lab offering film developing, scanning, and digital printing services — closely comparable to CRC's mail-in film processing and print offerings.
• The Print Space: Fine art and photography print lab offering giclée, C-type, and framing services globally — direct overlap with CRC's fine art printing tier.
• Bay Photo: Professional photo lab serving photographers and artists with prints, mounting, and digital services — comparable range and target customer base.
• Old School Photo Lab: Mail-in film developing lab with online ordering and prints/scanning options — closely mirrors CRC's mail-in service flow.
• Northcoast Photographic Services: California-based photo lab offering film processing, prints, and scanning for photographers — comparable service catalog to CRC.
• Carmencita Film Lab: Internationally shipping analog film processing lab serving photographers worldwide — overlapping mail-in film developing niche.
• Richard Photo Lab: Professional photo lab with film processing, C-prints, giclée, and scanning services aimed at photographers — directly comparable to CRC's full-service lab model.
• Dwayne's Photo: One of the longest-running mail-order photo labs in the U.S., offering film processing, prints, and restoration — similar heritage-style business to CRC.
• Indie Film Lab: Mail-order film processing lab popular with hobbyists and wedding photographers — comparable mail-in analog processing model.

Broad incumbents

• Artifact Uprising: Larger, digitally native print-products business serving photographers with archival prints and albums — adjacent premium-printing segment to CRC.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/crc.nyc
• Instagraminstagram.com/crc.nyc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/color-resource-center

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Color Resource Center