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Digital Photo Printing Reviews
Updated October 2007
We found the most recent review of digital photo printing services at PC Magazine, where editors test and rate features, delivery options and print quality. We find older reviews at Consumer Reports and PC World. These reviews also compare the quality of prints, price, ease of use and editing tools of various sites. In our All Reviews chart, we give a higher weight to the most recent coverage. We also examine user reviews of digital photo printing services. Those routinely ordering from services like Snapfish, Shutterfly and Kodak EasyShare Gallery are in a great position to observe fluxuations or changes in services or image quality over time. We continue to read reviews for Sony ImageStation (*est.12¢ per 4 x 6 photo) and Yahoo! Photos, both of which are ending services. Yahoo! Photos has already shut down and is offering to help users transfer their photos to another service. Sony's digital photo printing service will shut down early in 2008. To Sony's credit, the website clearly alerts users that the service is shutting down, so new users don't spend hours transferring photos that will only have to be moved eventually to another service. Sony ImageStation has been acquired by Shutterfly, so presumably, existing members will be shifted to that service when ImageStation shuts down completely. Digital
photo printing services are recognizing that even two or three-day service
isn't fast enough for many users. Wal-Mart pioneered the in-store pickup idea.
Users can still upload their photos online, then choose to pick them up in
a couple of hours at their local Wal-Mart store (*est. 15¢ per photo) PC Magazine
includes Wal-Mart in its review, where it scores a low rating. Reviewer Jonathan
Roubini says prints are too dark, and that Wal-Mart's print quality is "the
worst" of the services tested. Roubini also says that the Wal-Mart website
is feature-light. PC World's Tony Mainelli isn't much kinder, saying that
Wal-Mart's prints scored at the bottom due to "dismal print quality." Other reviews say the Wal-Mart service is simple to use, however,
and the price undercuts most other digital photo printing services. Ben Long
of Macworld chose Wal-Mart as the best option for quick delivery, but not
the best choice for print quality. Now that Snapfish, among others, matches
Wal-Mart's 12¢ price, there's little reason to go with Wal-Mart unless you
need your prints quickly with in-store pickup. Other
services also offer some kind of in-store pickup option. Kodak EasyShare Gallery,
for example, has partnered with Target and CVS pharmacies to offer pickup
within hours for the same price as its by-mail photo printing service (*est.
15¢ per 4 x 6 photo). Target also has an association with Shutterfly for a
similar service. However, if you can wait for photos by mail, most experts
say you can expect more consistent quality. Reviews
say that using one of these online photo services generally costs less than
printing your own photos at home, but doing it yourself offers a better level
of control and immediacy. If you prefer to print your digital pictures at
home, see our reports on full-size inkjet printers
and on small-format photo
printers
(which print mostly 4 x 6-inch photos, although a few now print
5 x 7 photos). Printing at home will generally cost between 17¢ and 30¢ per
photo, not including the cost of the printer itself.
Almost all digital photo-printing websites offer the same basic options: online storage, editing tools, printing services, photo gifts and photo sharing. The Good Housekeeping Institute notes one major advantage to having your memories printed by an online photo printing service: "Your snapshots will get a coating that protects against water, smudging and discoloration." In addition to professional-quality prints, a major advantage is photo sharing. You can upload photos and invite friends and family to view them online, which saves you from e-mailing 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. ... Continued
Our Consensus Report shows how many times products are top-ranked by reviewers included in our
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© 2008. ConsumerSearch, Inc. A service from 
, a part of The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.
ConsumerSearch and ConsumerSearch.com are registered trademarks of ConsumerSearch, Inc. Other trademarks or service marks on this site are the property of their respective owners. ConsumerSearch is not sponsored by any source reviewed, and we accept no consideration or payment for including, excluding, or ranking any reviews, products or services in our reports.
* Pricing information is approximate as of the time this report was written and is based on observed market selling prices and/or list prices. Actual selling prices may differ.
