Okay, so here's the lowdown of all the places I've used (and a few that I've never pressed with personally, but have talked to enough people who have that I feel I can make a relatively informed opinion on their work).
First off, if you're looking for the
ABSOLUTE cheapest route (which I used for most of my releases - Nikola Tesla/Except My Life split LP, Youth Unit 7", High Jinks 7", Eye Gouger/I Resign 7", Half Gorilla/Kursk 7", snic 12", Rape Revenge 7"), you'll want to send your tracks to
Aardvark to get mastered, and have them send the plates to
United for the actual pressing. If you're going SUPER cheap, you can photocopy your own sleeves at Staples or whatever (8.5x14 legal size works great - that way you can cut them in half and have two 8.5x7 pieces, so there will be a "full" front panel and a "short" back panel for track listing and whatnot), but if you want something a bit more "pro", get your sleeves done through
Imprint.
Pros: Most cost effective, good quality all around, quick turn around if you've got everything in the appropriate formats and fill out the paperwork properly.
Cons: United's paperwork is dense and ugly... expect to take at least half an hour filling out forms the first time you go through them (don't even try to press through these guys if you have samples or sound clips... seriously, the legal nightmare mumbo jumbo they put you through isn't worth it), have to assemble everything yourself. If you decide to skip Aardvark and just get your mastering done through United, it'll be more expensive and be just the tiniest bit "hollow" sounding. Their audio techs have a tendency to cut the grooves really light.
RecordPressing.com is a good "all in one" place to get things done so that you don't have to fiddle around with inserting records into sleeves, dealing with a bunch of different places, and having some of your parts arrive later than others. It's a bit expensive for what it is, but less expensive than Pirates Press. This is where I did the Leper/Eleutheros split.
Pros: Everything comes at once, straightforward paperwork.
Cons: Just a tiny bit on the expensive side, nothing really "stands out" as being truly excellent compared to other plants.
An excellent alternative to having to deal with the often frustratingly circuitous and never-ending slew of forms from United is to still use Aardvark for mastering, and have them send the plates to
Musicol. The price is very comparable to United, and they're a lot more laid back. The Res Gestae/La Vendetta splits were done through these guys.
Pros: Truly excellent quality sound-wise. Much easier to deal with than United.
Cons: They're almost *too* laid back. If you e-mail them, expect to wait a week or two for a reply. If you've got immediate concerns, a phone call is a much better bet to get a hold of them in a timely manner. The edges of the records tend to be a little bit "sharp" and jagged, but that's just a minor quibble. Doesn't affect the sound quality at all, just cuts up your hands when you're flipping a record. Hahahaha.
Now for the cream of the crop:
Pirates Press. First off - yes, they are the most expensive, but there's good reason for that. If you want any sort of fancy packaging or weird colour patterns on your vinyl, these guys simply cannot be beat. Everything is done at the same place, and both aurally and visually is truly top-notch. If you're not interested in getting crazy coloured vinyl or intense fold-over/die-cut/gatefold jackets, they're probably not worth using simply because of the price, but if you've got something specific you want done, they can and will do it. Did the DCOI 7" and Cope 10" with them.
Pros: Fantastic sound, best options for colours/patterns of vinyl (including picture discs), everything comes assembled and ready to roll.
Cons: $$$$
Places I haven't used, but contacted for quotes/questions/etc... and directly know people who have used them:
Erika - similar to Pirates Press in that they can do a bunch of crazy shit no other plant will even try - especially "weird" sized records, or ones that are cut into shapes other than a circle. Also expensive, but high quality.
Gotta Groove - they were just starting up when I was pressing the last few records I put out, and they showed lots of promise, especially in the mastering and lacquering department. The sound quality coming from these guys is top notch.
Bill Smith - great customer service, and really nice people. This is the perfect "in between" Pirates and United price-wise. If you're looking for something just a *little* bit fancy but don't want to break the bank, these guys should be able to handle it.
Samo - finally, a Canadian company. It might almost be worth it to go through these guys just to avoid additional customs charges when the records are getting shipped. The actual pressing prices are in the "medium" price range, but shipping might actually tip the scales in their favour since you can circumvent any involvement with the US. Quality is great, by the way.