It is not very often that I need to print digital photos these days. I used to do it for some time after migrating from my film camera to a digital one but then I gradually stopped doing so. Instead I upload them to our online family album to watch and share online.
Once in a while I still have to print some shots whenever I want to send them to my parents (who don't have a computer) or just want to frame a few nice pictures with kids and put them on my desk. So the question of finding bargains for printed digital images is not completely off the table for me.
How much do you pay for printing your digital photos? If the price is more than $0.07 for a 4"x6" glossy print then you pay too much. Here is a list of web sites that I used in the past with very competitive pricing and good service. In addition at the end there is a table with pricing stats on other alternatives.
Fotki prices are very attractive compared to competitors. In fact their price on 4"x6" prints is just 2 pennies shy of the best I know in the US. I have used them a lot to send prints to my parents in Eastern Europe. The thing I like is that I can order my prints online and get them shipped directly to a different country. Far not all web sites offer international shipping and this is one of those that does a very good job at it.
Fotki pricing goes like this: 4"x6" - $0.09, 5"x7" - $0.40, 8"x10" - $1.50. I seldom print any other sizes. Shipping in the US is from $1.99 and international shipping is from $5.99. See complete pricing information here.
Winkflash is the service I use most often. Their print prices are probably not the lowest but their shipping costs are very hard to beat. Winkflash charges $0.99 flat rate to ship any number of 4"x6" prints and this can save you a lot (see my table at the end). If your average order is 50 prints then expect to pay from $3 to $5 in shipping with other online services. If you use Winkflash your savings are $2 to $4 per order which is around $0.04 to $0.08 per print!
There was only one time when I had a problem with Winkflash in the past -- they lost my order in mail -- but they promptly re-shipped it free of charge at my request.
Winkflash pricing goes like this: 4"x6" - $0.12, 5"x7" - $0.29, 8"x10" - $1.99. Shipping in the US is $0.99 flat rate as long as you order just 4"x6" prints. They don't offer international shipping. See complete pricing here.
If you are in a hurry then Snapfish is the right service for you. You can order your prints online and pick them up at any local Walgreens store in your area (expect to pay a sales tax if you do so). Besides Snapfish often runs promotions of different kind which is why I happen to use them a lot. I suggest you to check current Snapfish deals before ordering your prints.
Snapfish pricing might not be as good as the other two services but it is still very competitive: 4"x6" - $0.12, 5"x7" - $0.79 to $0.39 (based on quantity), 8"x10" - $2.99. Shipping in the US is from $0.99 and up. Make sure to check their pre-paid printing plan. If you sign up the price for 4"x6" prints will come down to $0.10. More pricing details here.
Other Alternatives
Besides to the above mentioned web sites there are plenty of others that compete for your attention and some offer prices as low as $0.07 for 4"x6" prints. I suggest you to take a look at this list to compare prices side by side and read feedback on many online printing services. Thanks to Oleg Kikin -- a digital photo enthusiast -- for creating and maintaining the list.
I have done some verification and number crunching based on the information from that list and here are my 10 finalists ordered by True Cost which is the price to print a 4"x6" photo including shipping and handling in the US and assuming an order size of 50 prints.
Company | 4"x6" | 5"x7" | 8"x10" | Shipping | True Cost | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
picsquare | $0.07 | $0.20 | $1.00 | from $0.80 | $0.086 | details |
winkflash | $0.12 | $0.29 | 1.99 | flat rate $0.99 | $0.1398 | details |
fotki | $0.09 | $0.40 | $1.50 | from $2.99 | $0.1498 | details |
samsphotoclub | $0.11 | $0.54 | $1.86 | from $1.20 | $0.158 | details |
photocheap | $0.08 | $0.26 | $1.30 | from $1.98 | $0.1596 | details |
dimeprints | $0.10 | $0.99 | $1.99 | from $1.99 | $0.1598 | details |
yorkphoto | $0.10 | $0.79 | $2.99 | from $0.99 | $0.161 | details |
pephoto | $0.08 | $0.18 | $1.24 | from $2.49 | $0.1698 | details |
bonusprint | $0.11 | $0.19 | $1.99 | flat rate $2.99 | $0.1698 | details |
clarkcolor | $0.11 | $0.79 | $2.99 | from $0.99 | $0.171 | details |
I just love your awesome comparisons and analysis of products and sites. I ‘ve only tried winkflash and shutterfly but in comparing the two print qualities shutterfly is better quality. I also get lots of codes for free prints up to 50 at times and free shipping.
Just wondering why you don’t have shutterfly on the list. How about photobooks? Any recommended sites with the best prices?
Thank you again with providing such useful content..I really appreciate your in depth effort!
Thank you. It is 5 months since I wrote this and I probably need to make an update on this data.
Shutterfly didn’t make the list because of their pricing. They charge $0.19 per print which is higher than anyone I know.
Sorry, I can’t say anything about photo books. Let me know if you find a decent place.
Thank you so much for putting this thoughtful article together. I am putting out an art show and I would like to get my prints out there for the least amount of money. This will really help me and my cutomers!
snapfish is now $.09 per print for 4×6
Good Job. Thanks for taking the time to
put this article together.
Just checked out winkflash and they are charging me 11.99 for shipping. Not sure where the .99 cent flat rate shipping went. Please let me know if there is some way I’m not seeing to get that.
thanks!
Also, if your order is over $25, you can get $10 OFF with snapfish. I just printed almost 300 pictures and the total was $32 instead of 42! Just type in the code: SNAPFISH321 when you’re about to start the paying process. This is the link that takes you to the code, just in case the code changes: http://www1.snapfish.com/info96?s_kwcid=TC|11894|coupons for snapfish free shipping||S|e|3213180143
Hope this helps!