Best Digital Printing
Snapfish wins overall
Almost all digital photo printing websites offer the same basic options: online storage, editing tools, printing services, photo gifts and photo sharing. Photo sharing is an especially helpful feature, as users can upload photos and invite friends and family to view them online. This saves you from e-mailing large batches of image files. Anyone can then order just the prints they want, as well as photo gifts like photo mugs, coasters, magnets or entire photo albums.
We find the most consistently good reviews for Snapfish (*est. 9¢ per print), with recommendations from nine review sites including PC Magazine and Which?, a British consumer magazine. Owned by Hewlett-Packard (HP) since 2005, Snapfish has a "110% guarantee." If you're not happy with your photos, Snapfish will give you a refund or let you re-order for free, and also gives you a 10% credit on a future order. In several reviews, Snapfish also receives great scores for fast turnaround. Additionally, Snapfish offers free unlimited storage, editing software and photo sharing, as well as a pickup option at Walgreens, Meijer and other stores for a small per-print fee.
Reviewers consistently comment on the site features of Snapfish, with favorites being an extensive array of photo-management options and a detailed help section. Editing tools, such as a cropping tool, red-eye removal, rotation and auto-contrast help you fix and enhance your photos. Reviewers also praise the variety of photo gifts and novelty items offered, including photo-adorned boxer shorts (*est. $20), neckties (*est. $30) and tote bags (*est. $25). More mundane photo mugs, photo magnets and calendars are also available. In older tests at Good Housekeeping, editors like the 9 x 11-inch printed photo album produced by Snapfish (*est. $20), saying the print quality "wowed our experts."
In a 2006 review, Ben Long of MacWorld notes that Snapfish "stood out from the pack" and rates it best overall. Which?, a British publication, agrees in a recent review that pits London retail photo processors against online photo printers. The editors name Snapfish a "best buy" and state that Snapfish came out on top of the eight online digital photo printing services they tested. Snapfish was the fastest in average upload time and the editors were impressed by the quality of the photos.
Shutterfly scores for its photo gifts
Reviews for Shutterfly (*est. 15¢ per print) vary among experts and consumers, but the site remains one of the most popular, even as its per-print charges are higher than Snapfish. In a recent review in Information Week, writer Don Reisinger finds the overall print quality in the middle of the pack, but for customers looking for "all the bells and whistles," he says "Shutterfly is the place to be." In fact, Reisinger found himself overwhelmed by all the options. Shutterfly's per-print prices are also among the highest in the industry, although a pre-paid plan drops prices as low as 10¢ per print. For a small fee, Shutterfly allows users to pick up photos at Target, rather than waiting for home delivery.
Shutterfly receives many positive comments from reviewers and users for superior customer service, including 24/7 telephone support. Recent reviews by customers on Epinions give Shutterfly good marks for ease of use, and The Wall Street Journal calls it "the simplest site" in their 2007 review. Users like the free and unlimited online storage. Easy-to-use editing tools include cropping and centering tools, red-eye removal and automatic color and sharpness enhancers.
Top Ten Reviews says in their 2008 review that Shutterfly offers "the best photo gifts on the Internet." Several reviewers comment on the photo gifts, particularly the storybook options. A child's picture can be incorporated into a variety of available books, including those featuring popular characters like Clifford, Thomas the Tank Engine, Angelina Ballerina and Dora the Explorer. Experts also give Shutterfly praise for their photo cards and hardbound photo books. Shutterfly offers hundreds of gift choices, with unusual options like playing cards and puzzles. In addition, there are over 500 free photo borders to choose from. Shutterfly is also the only photo site we found that allows users to add captions on the front and comments on the back of printed photos. Shutterfly Share, a new sister site designed specifically for free photo sharing, has just been introduced.
Wal-Mart has the most convenient delivery options
While reviewers say that Snapfish is the best all-around digital photo printing service and Shutterfly offers the most options, experts say the most convenient service is the Wal-Mart Photo Center (*est. 9¢ to 19¢ per print). Accessible through WalMart.com, this popular service offers the option of picking up prints at any Wal-Mart location, earning points for usability and speed. Nearly all consumers and experts mention the low prices and convenience of the three delivery options, including two in-store pick-up choices, including a one-hour option and a mail-to-store choice that eliminates all shipping and handling charges and provides photos in three to five days.
Reviewers like Wal-Mart's online interface, with several commenting on the easy upload process and user-friendly features. In the most recent review we found, Don Reisinger in InformationWeek says that Wal-Mart's service offers the kind of flexibility that "puts it at the top of the list." Ease-of-use features include editing tools, free unlimited storage of photos and photo sharing. Users and experts alike are also pleased with the available photo gift options. Print quality for Wal-Mart, however, scores mixed reviews. Don Reisinger says that Wal-Mart's photo quality is comparable to the best he tested, but some older reviews note only mediocre photo quality. This may indicate a positive shift in quality at Wal-Mart Photo Center over the past year.
Other digital photo printing services are mentioned by some reviewers as good choices. Burt Helm, writing in an older 2005 review at Business Week, likes dotPhoto.com (*est. 9¢ per print). He says that if your top priority is sharing photos with family and friends, dotPhoto has the best photo-sharing features. Its photo quality is also very good, he observes, a close second to Snapfish's impressive prints. Additionally, in CNet.com's 2005 article about the best digital photo printing services for advanced photographers, dotPhoto Pro is a top choice, with advanced color and printing features for professionals who want to organize, promote and sell their images online.
AdoramaPix.com (*est. 15¢ per print) scores points from one reviewer as a top choice for professional photographers because it offers a larger variety of papers than others, including lustre, matte, glossy, silk and metallic surfaces on Kodak Royal and Endura papers, and Ilford black and white paper. The professional papers cost more: 19¢ to 29¢ per 4 x 6 photo, but one unique feature at Adorama is that every image is personally reviewed by a technician with at least ten years of processing experience. One downside is that AdoramaPix charges a flat-rate $4.95 shipping charge for orders, which is not economical for small orders.
Winkflash (*est. 8¢ per print) is mentioned by two reviewers. Winkflash has some of the lowest prices per print. Another low-price leader that is mentioned by two reviewers is York Photo (*est. 8¢ per print). Few reviews compare these services to others, however.
Finally, Kodak Gallery (*est. 15¢ per print) does fairly well in reviews, but is not really a standout in any area. Kodak Gallery's store pickup option is mentioned as a positive feature, with same-day pickup at selected Target and CVS locations, and two- to seven-day pickup at selected CVS, Kmart and other locations. Most reviews are only mixed, however, among both consumers and experts. Recent user reviews at Epinions give good marks for photo quality, but complain of long delivery times and poor customer service. A 2008 review at Photo Print Reviews notes that Kodak's quality and prices leave "room for improvement." A 2007 review in The Wall Street Journal also calls Kodak's editing features "a bit clumsy." On the other hand, a recent article at Information Week notes that the quality of Kodak's photos puts it "towards the front of the pack."
There are literally dozens of services that offer digital photo printing. Among the reviews we read, we find 30 different services mentioned. Only a few of these services are discussed in truly comparative reviews, but information is available from individual vendor websites.
