In today’s digital age, while we capture countless photos on our smartphones, the desire to hold physical prints of our cherished memories remains strong. Picture Printing Services offer a bridge between our digital libraries and the tangible joy of printed photographs. However, with numerous options available online, choosing the right service can be overwhelming. This guide delves into some of the popular picture printing services, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses to help you make an informed decision.
Mpix, a well-known name in picture printing, provides a convenient app for ordering prints directly from your smartphone. Despite its popularity, in our tests, Mpix’s prints were ranked as the least favorite by our panelists. A significant drawback was its inability to print smartphone photos without considerable cropping. This forced cropping can be a major issue if you meticulously compose your shots. Services like EZprints and RitzPix offer smartphone-friendly print sizes with a 4:3 aspect ratio, while Printique and Nations Photo Lab allow uncropped printing regardless of aspect ratio mismatches. Unfortunately, Mpix currently lacks these options, making it less ideal for smartphone picture printing.
Damaged photo print from Snapfish due to inadequate packaging from online picture printing service.
Bay Photo distinguishes itself by offering small print sizes tailored for smartphone photos and robust packaging. Despite these advantages, the print quality in our evaluations was only average. Participants in blind tests often placed Bay Photo as a reasonable second choice but rarely as their top or bottom pick. While Bay Photo provides reliable picture printing services, it doesn’t stand out in terms of overall print quality.
Snapfish stands out as one of the most budget-friendly picture printing services, but this affordability comes at a cost. The 8×10 and 4×6 prints exhibited harsh contrast, resulting in loss of detail in shadows and highlights. Portrait photos also showed noticeable orange skin tones. Packaging was another area of concern. Smaller prints were shipped in flimsy cardboard envelopes lacking padding, while the 11×14 print, although sent in a tube, lacked internal padding, leading to bent edges during transit. The damaged 11×14 print from Snapfish, pictured above, exemplifies these packaging issues, highlighting the risks associated with choosing the cheapest picture printing service.
Corner damage on a RitzPix photo print due to insufficient packaging from online picture printing service.
RitzPix also encountered packaging problems. Our 11×14 print arrived damaged, shipped in a flat envelope with thin backing boards – similar to those found in inexpensive photo frames. The envelope’s snug fit for the 11×14 photo led to corner damage when the package was crushed during shipping. Better packaging, especially considering the high $14.95 shipping fee, could have prevented this issue. The damaged print from RitzPix, as shown above, underscores the importance of protective packaging in picture printing services, particularly when paying premium shipping costs.
EZprints, similar to Snapfish, delivered prints that were noticeably subpar. Every print had a hazy, washed-out appearance, lacking sharpness, and exhibiting a mottled texture in areas of consistent color. The consistently poor quality makes EZprints a less desirable option for picture printing, especially if you value clarity and vibrant colors in your photos.
Shutterfly, while being the second most expensive service tested, offered only average print quality. The primary complaint was about packaging. Small prints arrived in thin envelopes, and 11×14 prints came rolled in tubes, causing curling that requires flattening before display. While shipping tubes offer protection, they often result in curled prints, as seen below.
Curled photo print from Shutterfly, a common issue with tube packaging in picture printing services.
Zazzle offers picture printing but its interface is geared towards single-item orders and has limited paper choices. Choosing print sizes involves individually dragging each image onto a print-size template on separate order pages. This cumbersome process makes Zazzle impractical for ordering multiple prints, especially if you need to print various pictures at once.
Flattening a photo print using heavy books, a common practice after receiving tube-packaged prints from picture printing services.
Winkflash has faced numerous negative reviews, including customers losing access to stored photos due to ownership changes and difficulties contacting customer service. Customer support is limited to a web form, lacking phone or email options. These issues make Winkflash a risky choice for picture printing needs, especially when reliable customer support and data security are crucial.
FreePrints offers up to 1,000 free 4×6 prints annually, but shipping fees apply. Information about the company, prints, and ordering process is minimal on their single-page website, and orders must be placed via a phone app. The lack of transparency and reliance on a “too good to be true” free offer raises concerns about the overall reliability and quality of FreePrints’ picture printing services.
Amazon Prints provides 4×6 prints at a competitive price, particularly for Amazon Prime members who use Prime Photos. The ordering process is straightforward, and print quality is decent, though skin tones tend to be orangish. Packaging, however, is underwhelming, using a thin mailer with minimal cardboard support, which led to corner damage in some prints. While convenient for Amazon users, the packaging could be improved for better protection of picture prints.
Walmart provides a 4×5.3-inch print option, accommodating smartphone 4:3 aspect ratio images without cropping. However, their overall selection of print sizes is less comprehensive compared to other leading picture printing services. While Walmart offers a convenient option for uncropped smartphone picture printing, its limited size variety might be restrictive for some users.
In conclusion, navigating the landscape of online picture printing services requires careful consideration of print quality, packaging, pricing, and user experience. While some services excel in certain areas, others fall short. By weighing these factors and considering your specific needs, you can select the best picture printing service to bring your digital memories to life.
