The Best Photo Printing Services
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It's easier than ever these days to snap a picture on your cell phone, but the love for printed photos persists. Thankfully, there is a wide range of online photo printing services available to help capture your precious memories in a physical form. A lot of these companies offer more than just your basic 4 x 6-inch prints, with some services offering customization options for everything from cups and tote bags to full-blown canvas prints. Navigating the wide range of photo services available out there can be intimidating, but you can narrow down your choices with a few considerations.
When choosing an online photo printing service, it helps to keep in mind your project constraints. Factors like your budget and how soon you need your photos will likely limit which services are best for you. Additionally, you'll want to consider what a service offers when it comes to image quality and editing tools. To help you pick the right photo service for your needs, we've rounded up the best photo printing services based on everything from budget to delivery. After finding the perfect photo printing service, you'll be on your way to sharing those cherished memories, whether they're in a photo album or on a custom calendar.
Best Photo Printing Services of 2022
Best Overall: Printique
Best Budget: Snapfish
Best for Mobile Photo Printing: Mpix
Best for Photo Delivery: Walgreens
Best for Canvas Prints: CanvasPop
Best for Gifts: Shutterfly
Best Premium: Nations Photo Lab
Best Overall: Printique
Key Specs
Free Shipping? Yes (only for orders over $100)
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Gift Options? Yes
Pros & Cons
Pros
Paper types ranging from matte to fine art paper available for prints
Wide range of product options, from posters to mugs
Multiple editing and formatting tools
Options available for rush orders
Cons
Expensive base print price
Why We Chose It
Printique has been serving photographers since 1998, and it's our pick for best overall online photo printing service due to its premium-quality prints, transparent and reliable processing times, and wide range of product options. For the most part, the service operates online and ships to the United States and Canada. Generally, processing times take anywhere from three days to two weeks, with photo prints falling on the faster end of this spectrum.
When it comes to pricing, prints start at $0.32 per picture, and shipping is free in the continental United States if your subtotal comes out to be more than $100. Standard print sizes range from 3.5 x 5 inches to 12 x 36 inches, and you can choose from luster, glossy, matte, metallic, deep matte, and fine art paper. You can also upload photos from your phone or computer in addition to social media platforms.
If you want to turn your Instagram vacation pics into a photo album, Printique offers this option, along with other formats such as wall decor pieces or calendars. Aside from its photo mediums, Printique also features multiple editing tools, including its Photo Book Design Tool which is great for dragging and dropping photos into customizable templates, and its Collage Tool that's perfect for arranging multi-picture layouts.
Best Budget: Snapfish
Key Specs
Free Shipping? No
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Gift Options? Yes
Pros & Cons
Pros
Features an active deals page with limited-time offers
Many unique product types available, such as blankets and ornaments
Easy to upload from phone through Snapfish app
Can pick up prints from participating retail partners like Walgreens or CVS
Cons
Prints are only available on matte and glossy paper
Why We Chose It
With prices for standard prints starting at just $0.09, it's hard to beat Snapfish when it comes to cost. This budget-friendly photo printing service also features an active deals page, where you can check out great limited-time offers to help you save even more cash. In addition to sitewide discount codes, you'll often find savings on everything from standard prints to photo tile mugs.
When it comes to size, Snapfish offers prints as small as wallet-sized minis or as large as 20 x 30-inch posters. Photos are either matte or glossy, which may be a potential limitation if other textures interest you. Despite this, the service is very accessible, allowing customers to easily upload pictures from their phone, computer, or social media onto their Snapfish account.
After uploading a photo, you can apply basic edits—such as cropping and color correcting—or add other embellishments such as texts and designs. Creating your desired product can take up to three days, so your estimated delivery time can take up to eight days. You can also order online and pick up prints from a participating retailer such as Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. Many stores have one-hour print services, so you could potentially pick up your order the same day.
Best for Mobile Photo Printing: Mpix
Key Specs
Free Shipping? Yes (only for orders over $35)
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Gift Options? Yes
Pros & Cons
Pros
App allows users to easily create and save projects
Offers high-quality print paper that is long-lasting
Prints available with special paper textures such as luster and fine linen
Can send in film rolls for development
Cons
Costs are a little pricey
Why We Chose It
Mpix's interface is easy to navigate on a desktop, and even easier to navigate on a phone for mobile photo printing. In addition to uploading and ordering your pictures, you can apply basic edits—like crops and rotations—through your mobile device. You can also personalize products such as photo books and cards within the app. If you need time to add photos or think about how to put them together, you can save projects for later, too.
Other than its easy editing and ordering process, Mpix also creates high-quality products using professional-grade paper and materials. Available in everything from 1.75 x 2.5-inch minis to 24 x 36-inch posters, the service's standard E-Surface Paper features archival quality of up to 100 years in a home, and 200 years in dark storage. Other unique print paper surfaces and coatings include luster, fine linen, metallic, or black-and-white to give your prints a professional-looking finish.
Basic prints start at $0.33 for a 3.5 x 5-inch photo, making Mpix a slightly expensive photo printing service. However, bulk purchases come at a lower cost, with 11 or more 3.5 x 5-inch prints costing $0.24 per photo. Regardless of photo choice, shipping is free after customers hit a $35 minimum, and orders generally ship in one to three days.
Best for Photo Delivery: Walgreens
Key Specs
Free Shipping? No
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Gift Options? Yes
Pros & Cons
Pros
Free, fast pickup available in stores
Non-print items like drinkware and blankets can be shipped to stores for free
Wide photo size selection ranging from wallet to poster
Features a dedicated sales and deals page
Cons
Home deliveries result in shipping costs
Limited gift products and photo paper types
Why We Chose It
If you're keen on getting your prints as soon as possible, Walgreens is our top choice for fast photo printing due to its same-day pickup option. This service typically applies to standard items, such as cards and prints, while products like mugs and cups may take up to seven business days to ship. However, if you're planning to get photo goods delivered straight to your home, shipping costs will vary depending on the items you order.
4 x 6-inch prints cost $0.38 each, but if you order over 74 photos the cost per print drops down to $0.28 each. For extra savings, Walgreen Photos has a dedicated deals page where customers can find various photo products ranging from calendars to frames on sale. However, product offerings from Walgreens are a little limited compared to other photo printing services.
When it comes to importing pictures, Walgreens allows customers to upload photos for printing from social media accounts using desktops or mobile devices. Keep in mind that standard prints can only have glossy or matte finishes, and you'll only be able to grab matte pictures online. You can customize your photos after uploading them, but your edits will be limited to basic filters, enhancements, crops, and rotations.
Best for Canvas Prints: CanvasPop
Key Specs
Free Shipping? No
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Gift Options? Yes
Pros & Cons
Pros
Canvas print is water and fade resistant
Canvas pieces are handmade
Will receive free proof for approval
Has an entire page dedicated to deals
Cons
Runs a little pricey
Why We Chose It
CanvasPop prepares museum-quality, ready-to-hang canvases specifically created to suit your preferences. The service has designers create proofs, while printers and crafters hand make the canvas pieces. When it comes to quality, the canvas is water and fade resistant, and you can choose from a depth-stretched canvas, or a floating frame in black, white, or espresso.
CanvasPop primarily focuses on portraits and wall art pieces, so its gift offerings are generally canvas, framed, triptych, and panoramic prints. After uploading and customizing your photo to your liking, (almost every size works), you can also add basic filters and framing options during this step. Afterward, Canvaspop will send you a free digital proof for approval before printing out your final project which takes 10 to 14 days to arrive at your home.
Canvas options include square, portrait, and landscape orientations. Standard sizes range from 8 x 10 inches to 30 x 40 inches, but you can also customize dimensions. The 8 x 10-inch option is the smallest and cheapest size available, starting at $76. While this is somewhat pricey, CanvasPop has a dedicated page for deals on prints that's worth checking out before making an order.
Best for Gifts: Shutterfly
Key Specs
Free Shipping? No
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Gift Options? Yes
Pros & Cons
Pros
Offers a wide variety of photo print gifts from drinkware to puzzles
Print prices start at $0.18 per 4 x 6-inch print
Wide range of print finishes, including pearlescent and cardstock
Features an active deals page for discounts
Cons
Photo editing tools are limited to adjustments like cropping and filters
Why We Chose It
Shutterfly is a fantastic photo printing service that transforms your photos into charming mementos. You'll find stationery products and photo books on Shutterfly, but your options only open up from there. The service offers photo printing services for drinkware, kitchenware, puzzles, ornaments, garden accents, and so much more.
When it comes to cost, most pieces have mid-range pricing, with ceramic mugs costing $17 and t-shirts costing $30. However, Shutterfly often offers promotional discounts and free shipping for qualifying products, so its deals page is definitely worth checking out for the best savings. Gifts aside, standard prints come in glossy, matte, pearlescent, and cardstock finishes, and cost as low as $0.18 per 4 x 6-inch photo.
Whether you're getting normal photo prints or an ornament of a special memory, Shutterfly allows you to upload pictures from your computer, phone, or social media platform. Shutterfly does have a photo editor, but it's mostly limited to basic filters, rotations, and crops. Once you're satisfied with your order, you can either get your photo products shipped to you, or you can pick up prints at a partner CVS or Walgreens.
Best Premium: Nations Photo Lab
Key Specs
Free Shipping? Yes (only for orders over $79)
Photo Editing Tools? Yes
Gift Options? Yes
Pros & Cons
Pros
Offers a wide range of print textures, including glossy, linen, and more
Multiple sizes to choose from, from 4 x 4-inch to 30 x 45-inch photos
All photos are printed on high-quality paper
Many personalized photo gift options such mugs, magnets, and more
Cons
Prices for photo gifts and prints run a little high
Why We Chose It
Nations Photo Lab is an excellent pick if you're willing to splurge for premium photo printing. Typical glossy photos from Nations Photo Lab start at $0.40 per print, but the service prints every photo on Kodak Professional Endura or Fujicolor Crystal Archive Super Type PDN Paper for vibrant, true-to-life colors. Photo sizes range from mini 4 x 4-inch wallet prints to 30 x 45-inch prints, and come in a variety of finishes like glossy, linen, metallic, luster, and pearl.
Prints aside, Nations Photo Lab offers gifts ranging from phone cases to keychains on top of your typical photo books and stationery items. However, these giftable printed pieces are on the more expensive side, with phone cases starting at $51, and keychains costing $11 and up. Additionally, the free shipping minimum for this service is at $79, making this service one of the priciest options on our list. However, the quality of the photos and the service's easy picture uploading process that accepts photos from computers and phones makes up for these drawbacks.
Final Verdict
Printique is our pick for best photo printing service because of how seamlessly it combines high-quality product offerings with exceptional accessibility. From the get-go, pictures are easy to upload and edit through its site, allowing users to arrange and modify their pictures in customizable templates. Plus, Printique offers a respectable range of print textures and product offerings for precious memories you want to immortalize. It also clearly states its processing timeline on its site, and has an option to pay extra for rush orders. Combine all these features together, and you have a photo printing service that's hard to beat.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Much Do Photo Printing Services Cost?
Photo printing services usually charge per print, but many companies will offer a discounted bundle price if you purchase over a certain amount of photos. Depending on your printing service, standard 4 x 6-inch glossy photos can cost anywhere between $0.09 to $0.40 per print. You should also expect to pay more if you opt for specialty textures, such as linen, luster, or metallic prints.
Is It Better To Keep Photos on a Cloud or Physically?
Backing up your photos on a cloud and printing them out physically both offer specific benefits. Keeping your pictures on a cloud can be a safe way to store hundreds of images that you can easily access on an electronic device. Plus, it can end up being significantly cheaper than printing photos if you happen to have a lot of pictures. While photo prints are pricier to process and more delicate to handle, they offer a physical and sentimental way to share memories. Additionally, photos make for good hard copies if any technical issues arise.
Methodology
We researched dozens of photo printing companies to find the best services that provided reasonable prices, high-quality finishes, multiple photo size options, and more. Each company was evaluated based on the following criteria:
Price range
Shipping price
Delivery wait times
Pickup availability
Photo finish quality
Photo size selection
Editing tool availability
Gift selection
Customer service accessibility
Photo printing services that had accessible prices, easy pickup options, and a variety of photo sizes and finishes were given precedence over other companies. Additionally, any services that had editing tools, a robust gift selection, and multiple customer service lines were also rated highly. Any services that excelled in particular categories were awarded their respective superlatives.
