Choosing the right online photo printing service can be the key to transforming your digital memories into cherished physical prints. While services like Mpix are popular, our comprehensive tests reveal that not all photo printing services are created equal. Many services struggle with crucial aspects like accurate smartphone photo printing and secure packaging. This guide dives into the details of several prominent photo printing services, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses to help you find the Best Photo Printing options for your needs.
Mpix, despite its user-friendly app and popularity, received the lowest ratings from our panel due to its significant cropping issues with smartphone photos. This forced cropping is a major drawback for anyone who pays close attention to image composition. For users prioritizing uncropped smartphone prints, services like EZprints and RitzPix offer 4:3 aspect ratio print sizes. Printique and Nations Photo Lab provide even more flexibility, allowing uncropped prints regardless of aspect ratio mismatches. Currently, Mpix lacks both of these crucial options, limiting its appeal for smartphone photographers.
A mobile phone displaying the Mpix app interface, highlighting its ease of use for ordering photo prints directly from smartphones.
Mpix smartphone app interface for convenient photo printing orders.
Bay Photo presents itself as a solid option with small print sizes suitable for smartphone photos and robust packaging. However, our tests showed that its print quality was merely average. In blind comparisons, participants often ranked Bay Photo as a decent but not outstanding choice, typically placing it as a second-tier option rather than a top pick. While reliable, Bay Photo doesn’t particularly excel in print quality compared to leading competitors.
Snapfish stands out for its budget-friendly pricing, offering some of the lowest rates in the market. However, this affordability comes at a cost in print quality and packaging. Our tests revealed harsh contrast in both 8×10 and 4×6 prints, resulting in loss of detail in shadows and highlights. Portrait photos displayed noticeably orange skin tones. Packaging was also a significant concern. Smaller prints were shipped in flimsy cardboard envelopes without adequate padding, while larger 11×14 prints, though sent in a tube, lacked internal padding, leading to damage during transit, as shown below.
A mobile phone displaying the Mpix app interface, highlighting its ease of use for ordering photo prints directly from smartphones.
Snapfish’s insufficient packaging led to shipping damage, creasing the edge of this 11×14 print.
RitzPix also encountered packaging problems, with an 11×14 print arriving damaged. Despite charging a premium shipping fee of $14.95 – more than double the average – RitzPix used a thin, flat envelope with minimal backing board. This inadequate protection resulted in corner damage when the package was crushed during shipping. A more appropriately sized envelope or, ideally, a box, could have easily prevented this damage, especially considering the high shipping cost.
Detailed view of corner damage on a RitzPix photo print, illustrating the consequences of poor packaging during shipping.
Corner damage to an 11×14 RitzPix print due to undersized and flimsy shipping envelope.
EZprints, similarly to Snapfish, delivered subpar print quality. Every print exhibited a washed-out, hazy appearance, lacking sharpness and clarity. Tonal areas appeared mottled, further detracting from the overall print quality, making EZprints one of the least impressive services tested.
Shutterfly, while being the second most expensive service in our evaluation, offered only average print quality. The primary issue with Shutterfly was its packaging. Small prints arrived in thin envelopes, and larger 11×14 prints were shipped in tubes, causing them to curl significantly. While curling can be rectified by reverse rolling or flattening under weight, it adds an extra step and potential risk of damage for the user.
Curled photo print from Shutterfly after shipping, demonstrating the inconvenience of tube packaging for large format prints.
Shutterfly’s tube packaging results in curled prints needing flattening before display.
Zazzle provides photo printing services but is better suited for individual, customized orders due to its user interface. The process of ordering multiple prints is cumbersome, requiring users to drag each image onto a print-size template individually. This tedious process makes Zazzle impractical for larger print orders or users seeking efficient batch printing.
Flattening a curled photo print using heavy books, showcasing a method to correct print deformation caused by shipping tubes.
Using heavy books to flatten curled photo prints, a common issue with tube-shipped photos.
Winkflash faces significant customer service and reliability issues, as reflected in numerous negative reviews. Reports of lost photo access and unresponsive customer support via web form only (without phone or email options) make Winkflash a risky choice. These issues led to a quick dismissal of Winkflash as a recommended service.
FreePrints attracts users with its offer of up to 1,000 free 4×6 prints annually (excluding shipping costs). However, the service provides minimal online information, operating primarily through a phone app. The lack of transparency and limited details about print quality and ordering processes raise concerns, aligning with the adage, “If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”
Amazon Prints offers competitive pricing on 4×6 prints at 17¢ each. While print quality is decent, falling in the mid-range, skin tones tended to be slightly orange. Packaging remains a concern, with prints arriving in flat mailers with thin cardboard, resulting in occasional corner damage. Despite convenient integration for Amazon Prime Photos users, packaging needs improvement.
Walmart provides a unique 4×5.3-inch print size, accommodating smartphone 4:3 aspect ratios without cropping. However, their overall print size selection is less comprehensive compared to top-rated services. While offering a solution for uncropped smartphone prints, Walmart’s limited size options might not meet all user needs.
Conclusion:
Navigating the landscape of online photo printing services requires careful consideration of print quality, packaging, user experience, and pricing. While some services offer attractive prices, they often compromise on quality or packaging, leading to disappointment and potential damage. For the best photo printing experience, prioritize services that balance quality prints with secure packaging and user-friendly interfaces, even if it means investing slightly more. Services that offer uncropped smartphone printing options and demonstrate commitment to secure shipping are particularly valuable in ensuring your memories are preserved beautifully and arrive in perfect condition.
