You need to read this one BEFORE you order print photographs!
I ordered the same 25 pictures from 11 different photo labs. This is what I found!
I’m a huge advocate for printing your phone pictures. There is something about holding a print in your hands that is just more special than scrolling past a mess of pictures on your phone. I personally make it a monthly habit to open up a photo lab app on my phone and place a quick 4×6 print order. I then keep all of those pictures in a running photo album for that year. This is the album that I use:
Start a running photo album that you add prints to every month!
When the kids are home visiting or the neighbors are over for dinner, inevitably someone will pick up that album. It sparks conversations, it brings back great memories and even makes everyone more excited about being photographed because they want to “make the album”!
What are things to consider when selecting a photo lab?
Here is what I look for in a great photo lab for printing cell phone pictures:
Easy ordering – Must have an easy to use app.
Quality printing – Skin tones must look natural and color should be vibrant. I also looked at the overall quality of the paper. This could be a good indication of the longevity of those prints.
Packaging – I want it to arrive in great condition.
Cost – Who doesn’t like a great deal!
This is the second year that I am doing this comparison. I was surprised to see some of the results have actually changed. My overall winner for quality last year was NOT the same one I’d pick this year. I’ve also added some new labs to the list. My only qualification for each lab is that it MUST have an online ordering system and home delivery. The goal is to make this so easy, you have no reason to skip out on ordering your pictures!
I even selected some “bad” pictures to print this year, just to compare those results!
Another thing that is different this year is that I went on a hunt to find “bad” pictures to order. In addition to selecting a range of colors and lighting, I added in some photos that I would call junk! I selected an old pixelated photo that I took with my iPhone 4 back around 2010 and a 2015 phone picture that was backlit. It was interesting to see how each photo lab printed these photographs.
The labs are listed in order by TOTAL price to print 25 4×6 pictures, starting with the least expensive.
It’s important to note that many of these labs (especially the more expensive ones) offer membership plans, coupons and frequent buyer discount options. I suggest not ruling out any based on price alone. I would first join the email list for the labs you are interested in so that you are receiving their discount offers.
Important to know about photo paper quality
Before I dive into the results, one last thing I want to mention. The paper and printing quality difference is especially important to the overall durability of a print. Digital prints that are NOT waterproof literally fall apart when wet. This photo is an example of two photos that spent just a little time in water. I’ll note those prints in their quality description below. In comparison, a true, old fashioned, photographic print goes through a water process. They are waterproof and significantly more durable.
11 photo labs tested this year, here are the results:
$3.99 – Prints are free. However there is a shipping fee.
Ease of ordering: Mindlessly easy.
This app is as simple as it gets. Very few buttons to press, all the things you need to get your order placed without a bunch of steps to get from start to finish. You do need to sign up for an account to use the app, however if you are in the habit of ordering pictures regularly you’ll want to be signed up with the photo lab you select.
Quality of printing: Um… Did I mention that they are cheap?
Okay, here it is. If you need your prints to last a super long time, be the least apt to fade, have the best color quality and really wow every time… Don’t order from here. They print on a random off brand digital photo paper. Colors were a little too warm and skin tones were more pink than I generally like. The too dark photo… The pixelated photo… They looked very poor in print. And these photos will fall apart when wet.
Packaging/Delivery: They arrived in a thin board envelope. They do offer next day delivery for 4×6 prints, so that is definitely a bonus if you are in a rush.
Overall value: you get what you pay for.
$6.15
Ease of ordering: Simple, easy to use app.
Quality of printing: Their prints look nice.
Shutterfly does a really nice job with colors. I think their prints look nice and the colors are the most realistic among the cheaper photo lab options. That being said, it is still an off brand digital print paper. The prints from the “not so great” pictures, looked poor in print too. I don’t know as though these prints would stand up to the test of time very well, they are definitely NOT waterproof, but when you aren’t looking to pass down a photo for for generations, Shutterfly is a great option.
Packaging/Delivery: Thin board envelope. Not great packaging but they arrived fine.
Overall value: Shutterfly is a discount photo lab, but in it’s category you are getting a nice looking print.
$7.24 Includes a monthly “100 pictures for a penny” deal plus shipping fee.
Ease of ordering: Super easy app.
I love that this app also offers an auto centering option. It’s a simple adjustment that does make the pictures a little better.
Quality of printing: Colors were surprisingly nice for a discount lab.
This is an inexpensive lab offering digital printing on their own off brand paper. Again, not the place for perfect long lasting prints. The photos I had printed that were poor quality still looked bad. Generally the colors were really good though. I liked how skin tones printed…. Just a tiny bit warm but in a good way. These prints are also NOT waterproof, but a fine option for quick print.
Packaging/Delivery: Fail. The flimsiest for packaging.
Overall value: This one surprised me this year. I felt the color quality had improved from last years prints. Based on this years prints, I would suggest this as a good value for a discount photo lab.
$8.84
Ease of ordering: Minimal steps but a little tricky.
There isn’t a “select all” button, making ordering a large group of photos cumbersome. Also, I received glossy prints even though I had wanted matte finish. That could be due to user error, not going to lie, however that definitely means that at best that isn’t an option that is easy to select. Or they just sent me the wrong print type. Either way, I wouldn’t count it as a win for CVS.
Quality of printing: They did the least to compensate for my bad photos.
They are using FujiColor Crystal Archive Paper which should have better longevity and will withstand water better then the earlier off brand digital paper options. However, the dark photos were printed VERY dark and there seemed to be extra contrast in many of them.
Packaging/Delivery: Small but rigid envelope.
Overall value: They are the least expensive photo lab printing on a decent paper, however I wasn’t impressed with the overall printing quality.
$10.50 – More than half was shipping at $6.99 however there is free shipping with Walmart Plus or store pickup.
Ease of ordering: More steps than others because there isn’t a photo specific app.
Quality of printing: Actually printed my poorly shot photos pretty well.
Among the cheaper, discount photo lab options, Walmart actually did the best at correcting for the poor quality old phone pictures. The color quality was fine. The prints are also on the FujiColor Crystal Archive Paper which is estimated to last for over 100 years. It will also stand up to water.
Packaging/Delivery: Small but rigid envelope.
Overall value: Among the budget options Walmart wins for having the best paper quality. And with Walmart Plus, it’s likely the most inexpensive too. However the ordering process was a lot more cumbersome than others. If you want to keep this super simple, I’d suggest one of the others.
$10.03
Ease of ordering: The easiest, especially if you use Amazon Photos for their free photo storage.
Quality of printing: They have downgraded their paper. I have heard rumor that they are now sending all of their printing to Snapfish. I saw a difference in the color cast in the photos from Amazon vs. Snapfish, but the paper was the same quality.
Interestingly, last year Amazon Photos was using the FujiColor paper, but this year they are printing on “Amazon” paper which is a lesser quality. I did the water test on this new paper. This new paper soaked in the water and destroyed the print.
In general the colors and look of the print was a little dark, but not the worst of the group.
Packaging/Delivery: Flimsy envelope.
Overall value: With Amazon Prime this may be cheaper and if you use the app to store your photos it doesn’t get any easier. The print quality wasn’t my favorite though and I wasn’t super impressed with their new photo paper.
$11.70
Ease of ordering: Easy to use app. Has a select all option and also offers the auto centering.
Quality of printing: Lacking.
Another off brand paper that was the WORST in the water test. It fell apart. I doubt this print will last very long in general and the overall printing was a little dark.
Packaging/Delivery: Very flimsy and bendable envelope.
Overall value: At that price point for low quality paper, I would personally shop elsewhere.
I would call the list to this point “budget printing options”. The next labs offer a higher quality of service and printing. While their prices are more expensive, they also all offer sales and some even have discount clubs. I wouldn’t rule these options out, even if you are on a budget.
$14.90
Ease of ordering: Offers a print club for monthly subscriptions. Easy app includes auto centering and ability to select a specific album on your phone.
Quality of printing: Printed on good quality professional photo paper.
Printed on FujiColor Professional Paper which is a switch from the Professional Kodak paper they were using last year. This was the least expensive option to have prints on the highest quality professional paper. Overall all of these last few labs did a nice job, however of these last few MPix prints were a little darker. The prints that were already too dark and poor quality weren’t helped in printing.
Packaging/Delivery: Small but rigid board envelope.
Overall value: A great option for a quality print.
$19.85
Ease of ordering: This app was simple to use. They are the only ones to offer free color correction and they have file naming/date on the back of the photo.
Quality of printing: Beautiful prints.
This one was the best of the best last year and I’m keeping it at the very top for quality. I would highly suggest this lab, however it didn’t win at printing my bad pictures. It did a good job, but it got beat out this year. That being said, I’m really being nit picky with these last few. We are talking about some incredible prints that are 100X better than the budget options. Printique prints on Kodak Professional Digital paper and the colors are vibrant and beautiful.
Packaging/Delivery: Solid! An indestructible box.
Overall value: Printique is a great option for printing.
$19.96 – This was just for their individual prints and shipping. Their monthly plan includes more prints for approximately the same price AND you get two months free when you purchase the entire year.
Ease of ordering: Especially easy if you join their box club which has a simple app. I love that you can add special instructions with each picture when ordering.
Quality of printing: Beautiful quality.
The prints are on the FujiColor Crystal Archive Paper. The colors are really nice. Overall the dark images that I ordered prints of came back still dark, however with their option to add notes it’s possible that could have been fixed by asking to have it adjusted.
Packaging/Delivery: Arrived quickly and packaged solid.
Overall value: The box is the way to go to make this the best deal. Overall the quality is great, the website is packed with other trendy products and considering this is a small female owned business I give it some bonus points for being a feel good shopping experience!
$20.93
Ease of ordering: Clunky. There’s no select all button. Cumbersome to select size.
Quality of printing: Exceptionally nice.
These prints have a great neutral tone to them. Colors seemed very realistic in print. And BONUS they were the ONLY LAB that really rocked getting those dark prints lighter and making my bad pictures look good! They definitely did the things you expect of a professional lab when it comes to going above and beyond to make a picture shine.
Packaging/Delivery: Rock solid. Nations Photo doesn’t mess around on the packaging.
Overall value: If they would give their app a revamp I’d be singing their praises all day long. The fact that they are difficult to order from makes this one less attractive. However, the quality is exceptional. If you are looking to print one large print, this is the place to go. But for large quantity 4×6’s on a monthly basis, it could be frustrating.
Here is a picture of the dark, backlit photo that I ordered. You can see how printing can make a difference.
This definitely could have been fixed by editing it in my camera before I sent the photo in (check out my phone photography tips and tricks at this link!). However, I did find it helpful to see how much a photo lab would do.
Do you have a favorite photo lab? Leave a comment below with your go to lab or if one of these are the one you’ll be trying out!
And let’s stay connected! If you found this helpful, join my email list so you are always the first to get my best photo information! And be sure and follow along on social too!
Thank you so much for doing this research for us!
Absolutely! Happy to do it!
Thank you, Krista! This information is so helpful. And I LOVE the photo album you recommend! Even bought one for my daughter who is having the best time filling hers up! 🙏
So glad you have found this helpful! It’s actually a really fun project to do! And YES on the album! I LOVE mine. I’m in my 3rd year using that same one and I think it’s great too! Glad you and your daughter are enjoying it!!
Super helpful! Thanks!
You’re welcome! I’m so glad you found it helpful!!!