Printing photos directly from your phone has never been easier, but with so many online photo services available, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. If you’re looking to get your smartphone snapshots off your device and into your hands, understanding the nuances of each printing service is crucial. Many services offer convenient apps and interfaces, but the quality of prints, their aspect ratio compatibility with phone photos, and even the packaging can vary significantly. This comparison reviews several popular online photo printing services to help you decide where to best print your phone photos.
Mpix, a well-known name in photo printing, even offers an app for direct smartphone uploads and orders. Despite this convenience, in tests, Mpix photos were ranked as the least favorite by panelists. A significant drawback for phone photographers is Mpix’s cropping issue. If you are meticulous about your photo composition, Mpix’s inability to print smartphone photos without forced cropping is a major disadvantage. This means parts of your carefully framed images might be automatically cut off to fit standard print sizes.
Services like EZprints and RitzPix stand out by offering smartphone-friendly print sizes with a 4:3 aspect ratio, perfectly matching the native aspect ratio of most phone cameras. This ensures your photos are printed without any cropping. Printique and Nations Photo Lab go a step further, providing the option to print your images uncropped regardless of aspect ratio mismatches. As of this review, Mpix does not offer either of these crucial features for smartphone photographers.
Bay Photo is another service that provides small print sizes suitable for smartphone photos and is known for its robust packaging. However, print quality from Bay Photo was found to be just average in tests. Participants in blind tests often ranked Bay Photo prints as a reasonable second choice, but rarely as their top pick when compared side-by-side with competitors. While not the worst, Bay Photo’s print output was decidedly middling in terms of overall appeal.
For budget-conscious consumers, Snapfish is often the cheapest option. However, the low prices come with compromises in print quality. Both 8×10 and 4×6 prints from Snapfish exhibited harsh contrast, resulting in a loss of detail in both shadows and highlights. Portrait photos also showed noticeably orange skin tones. Packaging was another area of concern. Smaller prints were shipped in flimsy cardboard envelopes lacking padding, offering minimal protection during transit. Larger 11×14 prints, while shipped in a tube, also lacked internal padding, leading to damage.
Snapfish’s packaging for larger prints, while using a tube, failed to protect the print edges, resulting in damage during shipping. Photo: Amadou Diallo
RitzPix also had issues with damaged prints upon arrival. Their 11×14 prints were shipped in flat envelopes with thin backing boards, similar to cheap photo frames. The envelope’s tight fit to the print size meant that any crushing during shipping directly impacted the photo. In one instance, a RitzPix print arrived with a corner dinged due to inadequate packaging. This is particularly concerning given RitzPix’s high shipping fee of $14.95, more than double the average of other tested services. Better packaging, such as larger envelopes or boxes used by competitors, could easily prevent such damage.
Damaged corner of a RitzPix photo print due to poor packaging.
Inadequate packaging from RitzPix led to corner damage on this 11×14 print during shipping. Photo: Amadou Diallo
EZprints, similar to Snapfish, was noted for below-average print quality. Prints from EZprints consistently appeared hazy and washed out, as if veiled. They were also the least sharp among the services tested, and areas of consistent color tone showed a mottled appearance. These quality issues make EZprints a less desirable option for printing phone photos where clarity and color accuracy are important.
Shutterfly, while being the second most expensive service in the tests, offered only average print quality. The primary complaint with Shutterfly was their packaging. Smaller prints were shipped in thin, flat envelopes, and larger 11×14 prints arrived rolled in a tube. Shipping prints in tubes, while offering protection from bending, results in curled prints that require flattening before they can be displayed.
Curled photo print from Shutterfly after being shipped in a tube.
Prints from Shutterfly, shipped in tubes, often arrive with a significant curl that needs flattening. Photo: Amadou Diallo
Zazzle provides photo printing services but is primarily designed for single-item custom orders. Its user interface is not optimized for ordering multiple prints efficiently. Selecting print sizes involves a cumbersome drag-and-drop process for each image on individual order pages. This makes Zazzle impractical for ordering more than just a few prints at a time, especially when printing numerous phone photos.
Flattening a curled photo print using heavy books.
Heavy books can be used to safely flatten curled prints from services like Shutterfly over a day or two. Photo: Amadou Diallo
Winkflash suffers from a poor reputation online, evidenced by numerous negative customer reviews. Beyond customer service issues and complaints of lost photo access due to ownership changes, Winkflash offers limited customer support, with only a web form available and no phone or email contact options. These factors make Winkflash an easily dismissible option for printing your phone photos.
FreePrints advertises up to 1,000 free 4×6 prints per year, requiring only payment for shipping. However, their website offers very limited information, suggesting all interactions must occur through their phone app. The lack of detailed online information about the company, print quality, and the ordering process raises concerns. As the saying goes, “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is,” and FreePrints may fall into this category.
Amazon Prints offers 4×6 prints at a competitive price, particularly for Amazon Prime members who already use Prime Photos for storage. The ordering process is straightforward and integrated with Amazon’s ecosystem. Print quality from Amazon Prints was ranked as middle-of-the-road – not outstanding, with skin tones tending towards orange, but also not the worst. Photos arrived within a reasonable timeframe of six business days. Packaging, however, was basic, using a flat mailer with thin cardboard, resulting in occasional corner damage to prints.
Walmart provides a 4×5.3-inch print size option, which is advantageous for printing smartphone photos at their native 4:3 aspect ratio without cropping. However, Walmart’s overall selection of print sizes is less comprehensive compared to top-rated services. While good for aspect ratio, their limited range might not meet all printing needs.
Conclusion
Choosing where to print your phone photos depends on your priorities. If avoiding cropping and maintaining your original photo aspect ratio is key, services like EZprints, RitzPix, Printique, and Nations Photo Lab are worth considering for their 4:3 friendly options or uncropped printing. For balanced quality and convenience, Amazon Prints and Bay Photo offer reasonable performance, though packaging could be improved. If print quality and robust packaging are paramount, despite potential cropping issues, further investigation into services beyond those listed might be necessary. Budget options like Snapfish and FreePrints come with notable compromises in quality and service, while services like Winkflash and Zazzle present usability or reliability concerns. Carefully weigh your needs against these factors to select the best service for printing your cherished phone photos.
