In today’s digital age, while we capture countless photos on our smartphones, the desire to hold tangible prints remains strong. Printing photos allows us to preserve memories, create personalized gifts, or decorate our homes with cherished moments. However, with a plethora of online photo printing services available, choosing the right one can be overwhelming. This review dives into some of the most popular online photo printing options to help you decide Where To Have Pictures Printed for the best results. We’ve examined various services, considering print quality, pricing, ease of use, and packaging to guide you in making an informed decision.
When it comes to overall print quality and options, Printique and Nations Photo Lab stand out as top contenders, particularly for those who prioritize professional-level results. These services offer a range of paper types and finishes, allowing for uncropped prints regardless of your photo’s aspect ratio. This is a significant advantage for photographers who pay close attention to composition and want their prints to accurately reflect their original images. Unlike some services that force cropping, Printique and Nations Photo Lab respect the integrity of your photographs, ensuring you receive prints that meet your expectations. For users seeking the highest quality prints and full control over their image presentation, these services are excellent choices.
For smartphone photographers, aspect ratio compatibility is a key consideration when deciding where to have pictures printed. Services like EZprints, RitzPix, and Walmart offer print sizes optimized for the 4:3 aspect ratio common in smartphone photos. This means you can print your photos without unwanted cropping, preserving the full image you captured. While Walmart provides a 4-by-5.3-inch option specifically for this purpose, EZprints and RitzPix also cater to smartphone users with print sizes that accommodate this aspect ratio. This focus on smartphone compatibility makes these services user-friendly options for those primarily printing photos taken with their mobile devices.
A close-up of the edge of a rolled-up print from Snapfish that was damaged during transport, showcasing shipping damage.
However, not all online photo printing services deliver satisfactory results across the board. Mpix, despite its popularity and user-friendly app, received unfavorable reviews regarding print quality in our tests. Panelists ranked Mpix photos as their least favorite, and the service’s cropping limitations for smartphone photos were a significant drawback. If precise composition is important to you, Mpix might not be the ideal choice due to its forced cropping and less preferred print output.
Budget-conscious consumers often look for the most affordable options when deciding where to have pictures printed. Snapfish is known for its low prices, but this comes at the cost of print quality and packaging. Our tests revealed harsh contrast and orangish skin tones in Snapfish prints, indicating a compromise on image fidelity. Furthermore, the packaging was inadequate, with smaller prints shipped in flimsy envelopes lacking sufficient padding. This resulted in damage to an 11-by-14 print, highlighting the risk of receiving damaged prints from Snapfish due to their cost-cutting measures in packaging.
A close-up of the corner of a photo print from RitzPix that has been damaged, highlighting shipping and handling issues with online photo prints.
RitzPix also encountered packaging issues, shipping an 11-by-14 print in an undersized flat envelope that led to corner damage during transit. Despite charging a higher-than-average shipping fee, RitzPix’s packaging was insufficient to protect the print, raising concerns about the value proposition. The damage incurred by both Snapfish and RitzPix prints underscores the importance of robust packaging to ensure prints arrive in pristine condition, especially for larger sizes.
EZprints similarly fell short in terms of print quality. Prints from EZprints exhibited a hazy, washed-out appearance and lacked sharpness compared to other services tested. The overall print quality was considered uncommonly poor, making EZprints a less desirable option for those seeking vibrant and clear photo prints.
A large photo print that was shipped in a shipping tube and now has a very defined curvature, illustrating challenges with print storage and display after shipping.
While Shutterfly‘s print quality was deemed average, packaging concerns also arose. Smaller prints arrived in thin envelopes, and larger 11-by-14 prints were shipped in tubes, causing them to curl significantly. While shipping tubes offer protection, the resulting curl necessitates flattening before display, adding an extra step for the user. The need to flatten prints shipped in tubes can be an inconvenience, particularly when you want to display your photos immediately.
Zazzle, while offering photo printing, is not optimized for bulk or straightforward photo printing orders. Its user interface is geared towards single-item orders and lacks paper options, making it tedious to order multiple prints. The cumbersome process of individually dragging images onto print-size templates makes Zazzle unsuitable for users looking to print numerous photos efficiently.
Winkflash presents significant concerns due to numerous negative customer reviews. Reports of lost photo access and poor customer service, with only web form support available, make Winkflash a risky choice. The lack of reliable customer support and past issues with photo access are red flags that should deter users from choosing Winkflash for their photo printing needs.
FreePrints offers a seemingly attractive deal of free 4-by-6 prints, but limited information and reliance on a phone app raise questions about its reliability and overall quality. The lack of detailed information online and the “too good to be true” nature of the offer suggest caution when considering FreePrints.
Amazon Prints provides reasonably priced 4-by-6 prints and integrates seamlessly with Amazon Prime Photos for Prime members. Print quality was mid-range, with slightly orange skin tones, and packaging was basic, leading to minor damage in some cases. While convenient for Amazon Prime users, Amazon Prints doesn’t excel in print quality or packaging compared to top-tier 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, demonstrating methods to flatten curled prints.
In conclusion, when deciding where to have pictures printed online, consider your priorities. For the highest print quality and uncropped options, Printique and Nations Photo Lab are recommended. EZprints, RitzPix, and Walmart cater well to smartphone photos with aspect ratio-friendly sizes. However, be wary of services like Snapfish, EZprints, and Mpix if print quality and robust packaging are paramount. Services like Winkflash and FreePrints present too many risks and uncertainties to be confidently recommended. By weighing these factors, you can choose the best online photo printing service to bring your digital memories to life in print.
