Where do you send your digital pictures to be printed?

[Beauty]

Our Wal-Mart employees are so terribly stupid that they can't even figure out how to use the machine that prints the digital pictures from a memory card......so, I know Dan and possibly some others here use online services to print their pictures. What sight do you use? Do you email the pictures to them? How long does it take to get your prints?

Thanks!!

 

[ead79]

I use ofoto.com, and I have been nothing but pleased with them. You upload your pictures to their site, then you can buy prints. The prints are great quality, just like regular pictures you get printed at Eckerd or Wal-Mart. Their prices are quite reasonable too. Also, you download their free software that lets you crop, change color, get rid of red eye, etc. before you upload the pictures.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

Personally, we don't print our digital pictures. To us, the point is to not have all those pictures taking up so much room. I use ofoto.com to create online albums though and share them with friends. They also print pictures, so you can check them out if you want.

 

[Pam]

Beauty - one WalMart - over 20 miles away - has 2 machines that you stick the memory card into the machine, choose which prints you want developed and how many of each - and then you come back in an hour and they are processed. (Be sure to remove the memory card before walking away from the machine!!)

I have never used any online developing places. We also download our pics onto our computers and then print out the photos.

 

[Dan Murphy]

I have only used www.wolfcamera.com and then, only rarely. I almost never make a print of any picture I take.

 

[KathyTX]

I like shutterfly.com.

Beautiful quality, quick turnaround, very affordable. In addition to regular prints, I've had them make photo calendars and note cards that I gave as gifts.

 

[Rajah]

Good timing, Beauty. I was about to post this same question, as we want to get 3 or 4 of our WDW / DL pictures printed to hang in the bedroom.

Those of you who have gotten them printed -- what's the largest size you've had printed from a digital picture and were you happy with it? Anyone done 8 x 10s or thereabouts?

 

[Tuffcookie]

I use www.snapfish.com when I want special photos printed. They do a much better job than printing on my own printer!

TC

 

[tiggerlover]

When I first got my digital camera last year I tested a few different places online to see how they compare. I uploaded the same 10 pictures to all the sites and based my final decision on the following: ease of upload, added features available, timeliness of pictures arriving at my home and finally quality of the photo. After comparing the results I chose www.shutterfly.com, I have used them ever since and I have never been disappointed. I highly recomend them to anyone who wants to print their digital photos.

(For the record, the companies I tried were ofoto.com, searsphoto.com, imagestation.com, shutterfly.com and I think there was one other, but the name is escaping me at the moment.)

 

[Fire14]

I use Walmart/Sams Club. Meijers, target, Walgreens, thinking of trying CVS.
I did have a 8x10 printed at walmart and it came out really nice, it was taken using best quailty on Dig canera.

 

[amid chaos]

Another vote for shutterfly.

 

[Lanshark]

I've used www.imagestation.com and have been happy. We don't have too many printed but I've never had a problem with them. I believe it is 26 cents a picture.

 

[Carl]

You must upload a higher quality file to get the larger sized prints. Imagestation tells you at what sizes the particular picture you choose will print well or if it is not recommended. I usually upload a file which is 144 dpi at 5X7 size. This allows a 4X6 print. If I want an 8X10, I upload a higher res file. Most of the sites have about the same price for a 4X6, but the prices vary for larger prints from site to site.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

I had been using Walmart and doing the machine myself(time consuming) and they would print them in 1 hour. But then I discovered Eckerd 1 hour and they are SO much better and they do all the adjustments that I like(brighten if need be, I even had them crop our Christmas card pic.) Eckerd's here are glossy print(Walmarts were matte) and I just got 100(equal to 4 rolls) from our past WDW trip and it costs about $27 and they had them in about 1 1/2 hours. I also had them burned on a CD at the same time for about $3. I sat at my computer and wrote down the number of the ones I wanted developed and how many copies(some I needed doubles of). I just gave them that paper and the compactflash card in the envelope. We love our Creative Memories photo albums here-we can just sit and look at them all day! I would be afraid something online might go poof. We do also have copies on the computer.

 

[Towncrier]

I've had good luck with our local Wal-Mart, but perhaps that's because the guy running the photo center is an engineer who was laid off about a year ago and who ended up at Wal-Mart. He is way over qualified for the position, so that perhaps explains the quality of the product from that store.

Before Wal-Mart, we used to take digital photos to a local camera shop (Cord Camera). Since I crop and correct all my photos on my PC before sending them to be printed, and since Wal-Mart is 25% less expensive that Cord, I've been going that route for the past year.

I haven't tried any of the online services although I have purchased photos that others (perfectmatch300) have uploaded from snapfish.com with great success.

 

[Alex]

I use O-photo... they have been excellent!

 

[pnelson]

I don't get it... I just print the pictures at home. Why would anyone go anywhere-I thought the point was to be able to print at home. Is it the cost?

 

[Alex]

There's a lot of reason's pnelson.
The pictures that are printed online or at a wal-mart look far better than anything you can print at home unless you have a fairly expensive (to buy and run) dye-sublimation printer.
I have a very good ink jet that I use when I need something quick but the quality can't touch what you get printed professionally.
When you ad up the cost it is actually cheaper anyway.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

It is the quality, but also the TIME that I save by having Eckerd's do them . Plus I know the ink will last forever, not sure about the photo ink cartridges I have(and I also will do 1 or 2 myself if in a pinch)

 

[KathyTX]

Originally posted by pnelson
I don't get it... I just print the pictures at home. Why would anyone go anywhere-I thought the point was to be able to print at home. Is it the cost?

Like Alex says, the quality you can print at home can't touch professional prints. It's kind of like comparing a Polaroid instant print to a quality processed print.

And the cost of printing at home can be rather high, when you factor in the cost of the printer, the papers and the inks.

The stuff you print at home certainly has its place- you can print quickly and on a variety of photo papers. But you are using printing inks, not photo inks. Even on relatively expensive printers. True "photo-quality" printers will cost in the thousands, and require frequent maintenance and tuning.

Aside from the print quality issues, you have aging issues. Your home printed photos are going to fade with age. They simply won't hold up for future generations. The online services will use archival-quality photo papers and inks, and their product will hold up well over time.

You might want to give online processing a try with a couple of prints, just to get a good comparison.