In the digital age, while we capture countless photos on our smartphones, the desire to hold physical prints remains strong. But with so many online photo printing services available, knowing where to print your photos for the best results can be overwhelming. This review dives into several popular online photo printing services, assessing their print quality, packaging, and overall user experience to help you decide where you can print your photos with confidence.
Mpix is a well-known service, boasting a user-friendly app for ordering prints directly from your phone. However, in tests, Mpix’s prints were rated as least favorite by panelists. A significant drawback was its inability to print smartphone photos without forced cropping. This is a major concern if you meticulously compose your shots, as crucial parts of your image might be cut off. Services like EZprints and RitzPix offer smartphone-friendly 4:3 aspect ratio prints, while Printique and Nations Photo Lab provide uncropped printing options regardless of aspect ratio mismatches – features currently lacking in Mpix.
Bay Photo offers smaller print sizes suitable for smartphone photos and robust packaging. Despite these positives, its print quality was considered mediocre in testing. Participants in blind tests often ranked Bay Photo as a reasonable second choice but rarely as a top pick.
Snapfish stands out for its budget-friendly pricing, being one of the most affordable services tested. However, the low cost comes with considerable compromises in quality. Both 8-by-10 and 4-by-6 prints exhibited harsh contrast, resulting in loss of detail in shadows and highlights. Portrait photos displayed noticeably orange skin tones. Packaging was also subpar; smaller prints arrived in thin cardboard envelopes without padding, offering minimal protection. An 11-by-14 print, while shipped in a tube, lacked internal padding and arrived bent due to impact with the tube’s end cap.
A damaged photo print from Snapfish, showing a crease along the top edge after shipping in a tube without internal padding.
Snapfish’s packaging for larger prints lacked sufficient internal padding, leading to damage during shipping.
RitzPix also experienced shipping damage. An 11-by-14 print was shipped in a flat envelope with thin backing boards, proving inadequate protection. The print arrived with a corner damaged due to package crushing. This was particularly disappointing given RitzPix’s high shipping fee of $14.95, more than double the average of other services tested. Better packaging, such as a larger envelope or a box, could have easily prevented this damage.
A damaged corner of a photo print from RitzPix, highlighting inadequate packaging and shipping.
RitzPix shipped this larger print in an envelope that was too small and offered insufficient protection, resulting in corner damage.
EZprints, similar to Snapfish, delivered prints of notably low quality. Every print had a hazy, washed-out appearance, lacking sharpness and exhibiting a mottled texture in areas of consistent tone. These were consistently ranked as the least sharp photos among those tested.
Shutterfly, while being the second most expensive service tested, offered only average print quality. The primary concern with Shutterfly was packaging. Small prints were shipped in flimsy flat envelopes, and 11-by-14 prints arrived rolled in tubes, resulting in curled prints requiring flattening before display. While uncurling prints is possible, it carries a risk of damage.
A curled photo print from Shutterfly, showing the result of being shipped in a tube and requiring flattening before display.
Prints from Shutterfly shipped in tubes often arrive curled, requiring extra effort to flatten them for display.
Zazzle provides photo printing services, but its user interface is geared towards single-item orders and offers limited paper choices. Ordering multiple prints is cumbersome, as each image must be individually dragged onto a print-size template on its order page. This process is inefficient for anything beyond a few prints.
Winkflash has numerous negative customer reviews, with reports of customers losing access to hosted photos due to ownership changes and significant customer service issues. Customer support is limited to a web form, lacking phone or email contact options, making Winkflash a less reliable choice.
FreePrints offers up to 1,000 free 4-by-6 prints annually (excluding shipping costs). However, information about the company and its services is scarce online, with orders seemingly restricted to a phone app. The lack of transparency and limited online information raises concerns about the reliability of FreePrints.
Amazon Prints offers competitively priced 4-by-6 prints at 17¢ each. Prime members using Prime Photos can directly order prints of their stored images. The ordering process is straightforward. Print quality was mid-range – not exceptional, with slightly orange skin tones, but not the worst either. Prints arrived within six business days. Packaging, consisting of a flat mailer with thin cardboard, was disappointing, resulting in corner damage to one print.
Walmart provides a 4-by-5.3-inch print size, accommodating smartphone 4:3 aspect ratio images without cropping. However, its overall selection of print sizes is less extensive compared to top-rated services.
Choosing where to print your photos online involves balancing print quality, convenience, and price. While some services offer attractive prices, they may compromise on print quality or packaging. Considering reviews and understanding your priorities will help you find the best service to meet your photo printing needs.
