Best Website to order digital prints from?

[JenLoy]

I just signed up for Snapfish. They give you 20 free prints the first time you upload. I was wondering if anyone had used them to order prints and how happy were you when you received them? Also are they any other sites out there that you would recommend for a novice?

 

[OceanAnnie]

I just tried Wal-Mart for their one hour pick up. You upload your pictures to their site. Place and pay for the order online and pick up the pictures at your nearest Wal-Mart in an hour. For first timers (like me) you get 10 free prints. They are usually .19 a print for the 4 x6.

It's great to be able to get them so soon without the hassle of filling out the forms and waiting to be waited on and not knowing if they are ready when you go to pick them up. They give you a tracking number so you know they will be ready when you arrive. Gotta love it.

I'll let you know how they turn out!

ETA- I was mistaken. The 4 x 6 prints start at .12 per print. Not bad.

 

[JenLoy]

Snapfish charges 12 cents a print, or 10 cents if you pre-pay (not sure on the specifics) I ordered 25 photos (got 20 free) and with s&h, my total was $2.68. I thought that was pretty good.

 

[bicker]

My understanding is that there is a difference in quality between the various options, and that the lowest price is not necessarily the best deal. I cannot find a link to the earlier discussion about this... Does anyone remember the final outcome?

 

[OceanAnnie]

Snapfish charges 12 cents a print, or 10 cents if you pre-pay (not sure on the specifics) I ordered 25 photos (got 20 free) and with s&h, my total was $2.68. I thought that was pretty good.

That is pretty good. But it seems like it was a good price because of the free prints. I just went on the Wal-Mart website and it's .12 a print. So they are competitive.

I've used Ofoto before. (They are now owned by Kodak.) They did a good job. I think their prices were about the same. Just about all of those photo sites will run free pictures at some time or another. That's when you get the best deals IMO.

As far as quality goes, I was really happy with Ofoto. I hope to be with Wal-Mart too.

 

[JenLoy]

My understanding is that there is a difference in quality between the various options, and that the lowest price is not necessarily the best deal. I cannot find a link to the earlier discussion about this... Does anyone remember the final outcome?

That's exactly what I was afraid of. I would like to find a site that offers great quality even if the price is a little steeper. So I decided to only order a few prints in addition to the free 20 so I can check the quality before ordering more.

 

[bicker]

Again, I wish I could find the full discussion. The biggest difference in quality was NOT apparent by looking at the photos when you received them -- it had to do with how long the prints would last, i.e., was related to the quality of the paper and especially the ink used, and degradation would only become evident over time.

Gosh -- I'll have to go look for the discussion again now.

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Found it! Here's the thread.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=888967

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No, that's not the one.

 

[bicker]

Well, I cannot find it.

I did find this though:

http://www.consumersearch.com/www/internet/digital-photo-printing/

It put ofoto.com at the top-of-the-heap, with shutterfly.com a close second, and SnapFish and Wal-Mart very far behind those two in third and fourth, respectively. As you might expect, the top two are higher in price, as well as print quality, while the latter two are much less expensive, but the print quality varied from suspect to bad.

 

[faireygod mother]

I wish they would have rated Walgreens as well. Does anyone know how they are?

 

[bicker]

How much do they charge? My best guess is that their quality will be comparable to the other places that charge as much as they do.

 

[cryssi]

I've printed at Target and Wal-Mart.

Target uses kodak paper, wal-mart is fuji. Target was glossy, wal-mart was lustre. I ordered our xmas cards from Costco, and they came out really nice.

This is, of course, uploading and sending the prints online. I had sub-par (by my standards) results from the kodak kiosk at a Target (images were slightly too pink...). I was incredibly pleased, however, with the quality of the Target prints I sent through Yahoo photos. I couldn't even tell they were digital, there was no trace of pixelization.

I like that you can print up to 8x10 online, too. I missed out on the 50 free prints from shutterfly, but I'm planning on trying them out too.

 

[faireygod mother]

How much do they charge? My best guess is that their quality will be comparable to the other places that charge as much as they do.

They charge 19 cents. Should I question the paperthey use to determine the quality. Although I did read that the ink was important as well.

 

[bicker]

Paper is a very easy discriminator, so most places are now using great paper. What is harder to tell is the ink, as you suggested, and that does make all the difference in the world with regard to longevity.

 

[faireygod mother]

How do you determine the ink? Is there a brand that is better than others?

 

[MICKEY88]

That's exactly what I was afraid of. I would like to find a site that offers great quality even if the price is a little steeper. So I decided to only order a few prints in addition to the free 20 so I can check the quality before ordering more.

if you don't mind paying a little bit more for pictures printed on professional paper, check out MPIX. I have used them with fantastice results...


their metallic paper is awesome...



Mpix... The professional online digital imaging lab for both the professional photographer and the advanced amateur.

Mpix is a division of Miller’s Professional Imaging. Miller’s was founded in 1939, and is the largest professional photography lab in the United States. The company has production facilities in Pittsburg, Kansas and Columbia, Missouri.

The swift evolution of the digital photographic industry prompted Miller’s to respond to changes in the marketplace with Mpix.com…a high quality online lab for all photographers.

With Mpix, a photographer is able to upload images to a secured website, store and share images in albums, and order professional prints, professional finishing services, and specialty products.

Mpix customers do not go through a credit application or acceptance process as they would with Miller’s Professional Imaging. With either a MasterCard or Visa, photographers are able to set up an account, and place an order instantly.

Professional Kodak Endura papers, professional color management standards perfected by years of experience, availability of large prints and 24 hour turnaround are just a few of the features that separate Mpix from other online labs.

To learn more about Mpix please take the tour, or try us out by uploading and ordering your favorite image. We think you will be impressed by Mpix’s quality, turnaround and ease of doing business.

.

 

[glass slipper girl]

Mickey88, do you use the metalic paper for all prints or just for special images?

 

[pattyT]

i love www.winkflash.com
fast great sevice!!

 

[MICKEY88]

Mickey88, do you use the metalic paper for all prints or just for special images?

so far I've only used it for special pics,,8x10s and memory mates, nothing small

 

[JenLoy]

Thanks for sharing all the great information. Mpix sounds really neat. I'll have to check them out.

 

[librarygal]

Have not tried them yet but PC Magazine rated Shutterfly the best with Ofoto a close second. If you have the Entertainment book you can get 30 free prints from Shutterfly.