In today’s digital age, while we capture countless memories on our smartphones, the desire to hold physical prints remains strong. But Where Can I Get Photos Printed online that truly bring your cherished moments to life? With a plethora of online photo printing services available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming. This guide dives into a comprehensive comparison of popular services, analyzing print quality, pricing, packaging, and user experience to help you make an informed decision.
Mpix, a well-known name in the photo printing industry, even offers a convenient app for ordering directly from your phone. However, despite its popularity, our tests revealed some significant drawbacks. Panelists consistently ranked Mpix prints as their least favorite, and we encountered a major issue with smartphone photos being forcibly cropped during printing.
A close-up studio shot of three photo prints from Mpix, showcasing their color and clarity in a controlled lighting environment.
For those who meticulously compose their shots, this mandatory cropping can be a deal-breaker. Fortunately, services like EZprints and RitzPix offer smartphone-friendly print sizes with a 4:3 aspect ratio, perfectly accommodating photos taken on most smartphones. Furthermore, Printique and Nations Photo Lab stand out by providing the option to print your images uncropped, regardless of aspect ratio mismatches, giving you full control over your final prints. Unfortunately, as of this review, Mpix lacks both of these crucial options, limiting its appeal for smartphone photographers.
Bay Photo presents itself as a solid option, offering small print sizes tailored for smartphone photos and commendable sturdy packaging. However, in our rigorous testing, its print quality was notably average. Participants in our blind print comparison tests rarely placed Bay Photo as their top or bottom choice, generally considering it a satisfactory, albeit unremarkable, second-tier option.
When budget is a primary concern, Snapfish emerges as one of the most affordable services we tested. However, this low price point comes at a cost in print quality. Both 8×10 and 4×6 prints from Snapfish exhibited harsh contrast, resulting in a loss of detail in both shadow and highlight areas. Portrait photos also displayed an undesirable orange tint in skin tones. Packaging was another significant letdown. Smaller prints were shipped in flimsy cardboard envelopes offering minimal protection, while larger 11×14 prints, although sent in a tube, lacked internal padding, leading to bent edges during transit, as shown below.
A close-up studio shot of three photo prints from Mpix, showcasing their color and clarity in a controlled lighting environment.
Snapfish’s attempt to protect the 11×14 print with a tube was undermined by the absence of internal padding, resulting in damage during shipping. Photo: Amadou Diallo
RitzPix also encountered packaging-related issues. Their 11×14 print arrived damaged, shipped in a flat envelope with only thin backing boards for protection – similar to those found in inexpensive photo frames. The envelope’s snug fit, barely larger than the print itself, meant that any crushing during shipping directly impacted the photo, resulting in corner damage. This damage could have been easily prevented with a larger envelope or, ideally, a box – a packaging method successfully employed by several other services in our test. Adding insult to injury, RitzPix charged an exorbitant $14.95 for shipping, more than double the average cost of other services we evaluated, making the poor packaging even more disappointing.
Close-up of a damaged corner on a photo print from RitzPix, set against a vibrant green backdrop to emphasize the flaw, illustrating shipping damage to photo prints.
This 11×14 print from RitzPix suffered corner damage due to undersized and inadequate envelope packaging during shipping. Photo: Amadou Diallo
EZprints, mirroring Snapfish in some ways, also delivered prints that were noticeably subpar. Every print exhibited a hazy, washed-out appearance, as if viewed through a veil. These were the least sharp prints in our comparison, and even areas of solid color showed an undesirable mottled texture.
Shutterfly, while being the second most expensive service in our tests, only provided average print quality. Our primary complaint centered around their packaging. Smaller prints arrived in a thin, flat envelope, while the 11×14 print was shipped in a tube, leading to a significant curl that required flattening before display. While uncurling prints is possible, it can be tricky and potentially damage the print. A safer method involves laying the prints flat under weight for a day or two.
A curled large photo print from Shutterfly, demonstrating the effect of tube shipping on photo prints and the need for flattening before display or framing.
Shipping prints in tubes, while protective, often results in significant curling of the print, necessitating a flattening process. Photo: Amadou Diallo
Zazzle offers photo printing services, but its user interface is clearly designed for single, customized item orders rather than bulk photo prints. Paper options are also limited. Ordering prints involves a cumbersome drag-and-drop process for each individual image onto a print-size template on its own order page. This tedious approach makes Zazzle impractical for ordering even a small number of prints.
Flattening photo prints using heavy books and cardboard, showing a practical method for restoring curled prints shipped in tubes, emphasizing post-delivery print care.
For safely uncurling prints, the recommended method is to sandwich them between cardboard sheets and apply weight, such as heavy books, for 24-48 hours. Photo: Amadou Diallo
Winkflash suffers from a barrage of negative customer reviews. Beyond reports of customers losing access to their hosted photos due to ownership changes, numerous users have reported difficulties contacting customer service. Web form submission is the sole method of customer support, with no phone number or email option available. These combined issues led to Winkflash being quickly dismissed from our consideration.
FreePrints, as the name suggests, lures customers with the promise of up to 1,000 free 4×6 prints per year, requiring only payment for shipping. However, their website offers minimal information, essentially a single page, and all ordering appears to be app-based. The lack of transparency and the “too good to be true” offer raise red flags, prompting caution.
Amazon Prints offers 4×6 prints at a competitive price of 17¢ each, although they previously matched rivals like Snapfish at 9¢. Amazon Prime members who utilize Prime Photos for storage can conveniently order prints of their stored images. The ordering process was straightforward. Print quality was average, falling in the middle of the pack – not exceptional, with slightly orange skin tones, but not the worst either. Prints arrived within six business days. However, packaging was once again a weak point, consisting of a flat mailer with only two thin cardboard sheets inside, resulting in corner damage to one print.
Walmart provides a 4×5.3-inch print size option, accommodating smartphone 4:3 aspect ratio images without cropping. However, their overall selection of print sizes is considerably less comprehensive compared to our top recommendations.
Conclusion
Choosing where to get photos printed online involves balancing various factors, including print quality, cost, convenience, and packaging. While services like Mpix and Snapfish are popular and budget-friendly respectively, they fall short in crucial areas like print quality and accurate smartphone photo printing. For superior uncropped prints, consider Printique and Nations Photo Lab. While Bay Photo offers decent packaging, its print quality is merely average. Services like RitzPix and Shutterfly struggle with packaging issues, while EZprints and Winkflash present concerns regarding print quality and customer service. Consider your priorities – whether it’s top-notch quality, budget-friendliness, or smartphone compatibility – and carefully weigh the pros and cons of each service before deciding where you should get your photos printed.
