Does It Matter Where You Print Your Photos?

Have you ever wondered if it really makes a difference where you get your photos printed?  Well, [SPOILER ALERT] it does.  But what exactly is the difference?  I’ve spent a little time and money to see if it’s worth spending a little time and money on prints.  Here’s what happened:

This adorable family wanted a print of this photo, so I sent the original to Mpix.com.  I’ve always had great success with them, so I was expecting their usual standard of quality.  I checked “do not color correct” just like the Interwebs have been telling me to do for years.  The result, as  you can see, was not awesome.  Shortly thereafter, Mpix asked me to write a review of my latest order and I gave them a not so good review.  An Mpix employee immediately emailed me to ask what gives.  During our email exchange, Nikki from customer service dropped this truth bomb on me:

“In review I see that the order was submitted with Do Not Color Correct. When this option is chosen we print the files exactly how we receive them without making any adjustments to color or density. However, we do not recommend that you submit your orders as Do Not Color Correct unless you have a calibrated monitor using a professional device such as ColorMunki Display.  This is the only way to ensure that what you see on your end is how the images will be printed.”

She offered me a discount to print it again, this time with color correction.  As you can see, it made a huge difference.  By then I had already purchased a giclee print from Artifact Uprising that I really loved and that’s what the client received.

The whole experience made me wonder how other popular photo labs would interpret my color monkey-free digital images.  So I went back to the orange grove for a photo shoot with three well-behaved children.

I ordered a 5×7 print from Walmart and it cost $0.78.  Walmart and I are currently in the middle of a blood feud (I have my reasons.  They’re three-fold.), so I had the photo shipped to me so I wouldn’t have to step foot in their store.  Including shipping, the total cost was $1.83.  The color is much warmer and the paper is kind of flimsy, but it was pretty much what I was expecting for the price.

A 5×7 print from Walgreens was $2.49.  The paper is thicker than Walmart photo paper and I was able to pick it up in an hour, but get over yourself, Walgreens.  As you can see, the photo was much darker than the original file.

Mpix offers both standard and metallic prints as well as a lustre coating.  I ordered a standard 5×7 print for $1.09.  The quality was great and the color was actually much closer than it appears in this picture.  I chose to have them color correct this one.

A 5×7 print from Snapfish was $0.69 and worth exactly that.  There is also an option to pick up your Snapfish order at Walgreens, in which case you will be charged $2.49.  (Is it just me or does Walgreens have all kinds of nerve?)

My 5×7 print from Sam’s Club was $0.34.  The paper quality was decent, but the color was pretty far off from the original.  I didn’t check “Do not color correct.” on this order like I usually do.  I know a lot of people get their photos developed at Costco, but I don’t have a membership there so sorry I can’t include your exclusive club in my post.

I ordered a 5×7 pearl (or metallic) finish print from Shutterfly for $1.99 and I absolutely love it!  I don’t think it would necessarily be awesome for all types of photos, but I liked it for these.  It just makes the whole photo seem brighter.

Here you can see the original next to the pearl finish as well as the textured matte finish from the Artifact Uprising photo.

I ordered four extra thick 5×7 prints from Artifact Uprising.  This size can only be ordered in groups of four for a total of $29.99.  (I had a coupon for filling out a survey, so I paid much less than that.)  The color is probably the closest to the original of all the prints.

As you can see, these prints are very thick.  They’re basically mounted to a board, so they can stay up on their own without bending.  I think this type of print looks super cool with landscape photos.  If I had a million dollars, I’d fill my house with them.  (And buy a green dress.)

It’s easier to see the difference in the textured finish here.

Of the seven labs I tried I would say that Mpix, Shutterfly, and Artifact Uprising provide the best quality and produce prints closest to what I see on my computer screen.  (At least until I get a colorful monkey, or whatever.)

I think the main question you should ask yourself when deciding where to get your photos printed is “What am I going to do with these?”  If you are printing out photos from your phone to put in an album or stick on the fridge, I’d probably choose something inexpensive and convenient.  If you’re going to spend hundreds of dollars to hire a photographer and dress your family to look respectable, why not invest a little more in the actual prints?

Either way, I encourage you to PRINT YOUR PHOTOS.  My kids spend hours looking through our old photo albums, our blog books, and our Chatbooks.  Never have they ever sat at the computer and fondly flipped through my photo files.  Not only that, but our computer crashed last month and years of pictures were lost.  All we have of those years are the photos that we actually printed.  Let this be a lesson to us all.

Now go print something!