In the digital age, while we capture countless photos on our smartphones, there’s still something special about holding a physical print in your hands. If you’re looking for the best Places To Print Photos online, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve tested a range of popular online photo printing services to help you find the perfect option for your precious memories. From print quality to packaging and user experience, we’ve examined the details to guide your choice.
When it comes to online photo printing, services like Mpix are often mentioned as popular choices. Mpix provides an app for direct smartphone ordering, which sounds convenient. However, in our tests, Mpix didn’t quite live up to expectations. Our panel ranked their photos as the least favorite, and we found a significant drawback: their inability to print smartphone photos without forced cropping.
A close-up of the edge of a rolled-up print from Snapfish that was damaged during transport.
Damaged photo print from Snapfish due to inadequate packaging during shipping.
For those who pay close attention to photo composition, forced cropping can be a major issue. Fortunately, some services offer more smartphone-friendly options. EZprints and RitzPix, for example, provide a print size with a 4:3 aspect ratio, ideal for smartphone photos. Printique and Nations Photo Lab go a step further, allowing you to print your images uncropped, regardless of the aspect ratio mismatch. Unfortunately, Mpix currently lacks both of these options.
Bay Photo is another service that caters to smartphone photographers with small print sizes optimized for these devices. They also impressed us with their sturdy packaging. However, the print quality from Bay Photo was somewhat average in our tests. Participants in our blind print comparison often placed Bay Photo as a reasonable second choice, but rarely as their top or bottom pick.
If price is your primary concern, Snapfish might seem appealing as it’s known for being one of the lowest-cost services. However, our experience with Snapfish revealed some significant compromises in quality. Both 8-by-10 and 4-by-6 prints exhibited harsh contrast, resulting in a loss of detail in shadows and highlights. Portrait photos also had noticeably orange skin tones. The packaging was also a disappointment. Smaller prints arrived in a flimsy cardboard envelope with minimal padding, offering little protection during transit. While the 11-by-14 print was shipped in a tube, the lack of internal padding led to a bent print edge when it hit the tube’s end cap during shipping, as shown in the image above.
RitzPix also had issues with packaging and delivery. Our 11-by-14 print from RitzPix arrived damaged. They used a flat envelope with thin backing boards, similar to those found in cheap photo frames. The envelope was barely larger than the print itself, and when the package was crushed, the print’s corner was damaged. Better packaging, like a larger envelope or a box used by other services, could easily have prevented this damage. The subpar packaging was particularly frustrating considering RitzPix charged a hefty $14.95 for shipping, more than double the average of other services we tested.
A close-up of the corner of a photo print from RitzPix that has been damaged, in front of a green background.
Corner damage to an 11×14 photo print from RitzPix caused by insufficient packaging.
Like Snapfish, EZprints was among the services where print quality was noticeably below par. Every print from EZprints had a hazy, washed-out appearance, as if veiled. They were also the least sharp prints in our comparison, and areas of solid color appeared somewhat mottled.
Shutterfly, while being the second most expensive service in our tests, offered only average print quality. Our main complaint with Shutterfly was also about packaging. Small prints came in a thin, flat envelope, and the 11-by-14 print was shipped in a tube, resulting in a curled print that required flattening before it could be displayed.
A large photo print that was shipped in a shipping tube and now has a very defined curvature, resting on a table.
Curled photo print from Shutterfly, a common issue with tube packaging.
Zazzle offers photo printing services, but their user interface seems designed for small, individual orders. Choosing print sizes involves dragging each image onto a print-size template on its own order page. This process is far too cumbersome for ordering more than a few prints.
Winkflash has garnered a considerable number of negative reviews. Customers have reported losing access to photos hosted on their servers due to ownership changes, and many have experienced difficulties reaching customer service. The only support option is a web form, with no phone number or email available. These issues led us to quickly dismiss Winkflash as a viable option.
FreePrints, as the name implies, offers up to 1,000 free 4-by-6 prints per year, but you do have to pay for shipping. However, their website is very basic, providing limited information about the company, print quality, or the ordering process. This lack of transparency, combined with the “too good to be true” offer, raises concerns.
Amazon Prints offers 4-by-6 prints at a competitive price. For Amazon Prime members already using Prime Photos, ordering prints is seamless. Print quality from Amazon was in the middle range – not the best, with slightly orange skin tones, but not the worst either. Photos arrived within six business days. Packaging was again an issue, with prints arriving in a flat mailer with thin cardboard, leading to corner damage on one print.
Walmart provides a 4-by-5.3-inch print size, which is perfect for printing smartphone photos with a 4:3 aspect ratio without cropping. However, their overall selection of print sizes is less extensive compared to some other services.
Two large coffee table books, placed on top of a couple pieces of cardboard that are being used to flatten an unseen photo print.
Flattening a curled photo print using cardboard and heavy books.
Choosing the right place to print your photos online depends on your priorities. If uncropped smartphone prints are essential, consider RitzPix, EZprints, Printique, Nations Photo Lab or Walmart. For sturdy packaging, Bay Photo stands out. If you are looking for the absolute lowest cost and are willing to potentially compromise on quality and packaging, Snapfish or Amazon Prints might be options. However, based on our tests, it’s worth considering investing a little more for better print quality and reliable packaging to ensure your precious photo memories are printed and delivered safely and beautifully.
