In today’s digital age, while we capture countless photos on our smartphones, there’s still undeniable magic in holding a physical print. Choosing the right online photo printing service can be the key to transforming your cherished digital memories into beautiful, tangible keepsakes. However, with numerous options available, the quality and service can vary dramatically. We’ve rigorously tested several popular photo printing services to help you find the Best Photo Prints for your needs, avoiding common pitfalls like poor print quality and inadequate packaging.
Decoding Photo Print Quality: What Truly Matters
When evaluating photo prints, several factors come into play. Color accuracy is paramount – you want your prints to faithfully represent the colors you see on your screen. Sharpness and detail are also crucial, ensuring your photos are crisp and clear. Contrast plays a significant role, influencing the depth and richness of your images; prints with harsh contrast can lose detail in shadows and highlights. Beyond print quality, the paper stock, available print sizes, and the service’s ability to handle different aspect ratios, especially from smartphone photos, are essential considerations.
Services That Missed the Mark
Some services, despite their popularity or low prices, consistently deliver subpar results. Mpix, for instance, a widely used service with a convenient smartphone app, unfortunately, ranked lowest in our panel tests. A significant drawback is its tendency to crop smartphone photos, which can be frustrating if you meticulously compose your shots. For those prioritizing uncropped smartphone prints, services like EZprints and RitzPix offer 4:3 aspect ratio prints, while Printique and Nations Photo Lab allow uncropped printing regardless of aspect ratio – options currently unavailable at Mpix.
Snapfish, known for its budget-friendly pricing, also yielded disappointing prints. Our tests revealed harsh contrast and unflattering orangish skin tones in portrait photos. Packaging was another letdown; small prints arrived in flimsy envelopes offering minimal protection. Even the 11-by-14 print, shipped in a tube, suffered damage due to lack of internal padding.
A close-up of the edge of a rolled-up print from Snapfish showing shipping damage, highlighting inadequate packaging for photo prints.
Snapfish’s protective tube shipping for larger prints failed due to missing internal padding, leading to damage during transit. Photo: Amadou Diallo
RitzPix shared Snapfish’s packaging woes. An 11-by-14 print arrived damaged in an undersized flat envelope with inadequate backing board. The $14.95 shipping fee compounded the disappointment, making the damage due to poor packaging even more unacceptable.
Close-up of damaged corner on a RitzPix photo print, demonstrating poor packaging leading to print damage during shipping.
RitzPix’s 11×14 print damaged in shipping due to an envelope too small and insufficient protection. Photo: Amadou Diallo
EZprints, similar to Snapfish, consistently produced poor prints. A hazy, washed-out appearance plagued every print, lacking sharpness and exhibiting mottled tones in clear areas.
Shutterfly, while pricier, delivered only average print quality. Packaging was a major concern. Smaller prints came in thin envelopes, and larger 11-by-14 prints, though tubed, arrived curled and requiring flattening.
Curled photo print from Shutterfly after shipping in a tube, illustrating the inconvenience of curled prints upon arrival.
Shipping tubes, while protective, often result in curled prints needing flattening before display. Photo: Amadou Diallo
Zazzle, while offering photo prints, presents a cumbersome user interface best suited for single-item orders. The print size selection process is tedious, making it impractical for ordering multiple prints.
Winkflash raises serious concerns due to a history of negative customer reviews. Reports of lost photo access and nonexistent customer support via phone or email make Winkflash a service to avoid entirely.
FreePrints entices with the offer of free 4-by-6 prints (up to 1,000 annually), but requires app-only ordering and provides minimal online information. The lack of transparency and reliance solely on an app should raise suspicion.
Amazon Prints, despite offering competitive 4-by-6 print pricing, exhibited only middling print quality with orange-toned skin tones. Packaging, similar to other budget services, was underwhelming, resulting in corner damage to a print.
Bay Photo, while providing smartphone-optimized small print sizes and robust packaging, produced only average print quality in our tests. Participants consistently ranked Bay Photo as a decent but not outstanding choice.
Promising Alternatives for Better Photo Prints
While the services above presented various shortcomings, the market offers better options for achieving high-quality photo prints. Services like Printique and Nations Photo Lab, mentioned earlier for their uncropped printing options, are generally known for superior print quality and professional-grade results. For smartphone users, exploring services offering 4:3 aspect ratio printing, like EZprints and RitzPix (despite other issues), or Walmart with its 4-by-5.3-inch option, can prevent unwanted cropping.
Flattening a curled photo print with heavy books, demonstrating a method to correct shipping damage and prepare prints for display.
Using heavy objects like books to flatten curled prints, a common necessity after tube shipping from some photo print services. Photo: Amadou Diallo
Conclusion: Choosing Wisely for Lasting Memories
Selecting the right online photo printing service is crucial for preserving your precious memories in the best possible way. While budget options might seem appealing, they often compromise on print quality and packaging, potentially leading to disappointment and damaged prints. Investing in a service known for quality prints and careful packaging ensures your photos arrive in pristine condition and accurately reflect the moments you cherish. Consider print quality, paper options, aspect ratio handling, and packaging when making your choice to guarantee the best photo prints for your needs.
