Are you searching for the best photo lab?
It’s time! If you haven’t started yet, you need to print those photographs that are on your phone. But where do you send them to get the BEST quality? And what is the least expensive option? There is no shortage of photo labs, but which one is best for you? I have done some research to find those answers for you! Below is my photo lab comparison results. Check them out to find out what lab is best for you!
The mission:
Send the same 14 cell phone pictures to 11 different photo labs!
To stay in the habit of ordering prints I believe “the easier the better”! If the process of ordering the pictures isn’t fast and mindless it’s more apt to be put on the back burner. So for that purpose, I put a lot of emphasis on how easy the ordering process is. With the best quality being the next thing I prioritized.
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
Packaging – I want it to arrive in great condition
Cost – Who doesn’t like a great deal!
The labs I reviewed were selected based on a social media poll
They are in order from least to most expensive. Price displayed is what I was charged for 14 4×6 prints including shipping to Florida. The least expensive shipping option was selected for each. All arrived in 6 – 10 days.
$2.38 (free shipping from Amazon Prime)
Ordering is mindless. If you are already using Amazon Photos to back up your pictures (which I highly suggest!) it’s quick and simple. The app doesn’t recognize albums you’ve created on your phone though. I like to start a folder on my phone and add favorite pictures as I go along. Amazon Photos is the only app that didn’t recognize or import the folders that are created in camera/phone.
Average Quality – The pictures were printed a little darker. The colors were okay on some, but some had a green cast to them. Overall Amazon is the place to go for speed and affordability. Consistency or perfect quality are definitely not their selling point.
Conclusion: Print quality was okay. You definitely want to invest more if you are looking for high quality, but speed and ease of ordering is excellent.
This lab is for you if: You want the least expensive option that is easy to order and quickly shipped.
$3.90 (free unlimited prints, only pay shipping)
Easy App – Quickly choose a folder, select all and order. It couldn’t be easier.
Good Quality – Not bad. The colors were actually pretty accurate. UPDATE: I placed all of the photographs in water for 10 minutes and all were fine except for Shutterfly and Snapfish. Those absorbed the water and were ruined.
Conclusion – I was impressed with Shutterfly, I think it’s a great affordable option.
This lab is for you if: you want a budget option that offers a nice print.
$5.43 – Up to 100 free prints per month only pay shipping which is based on the quantity you order.
Easiest App – There are very few buttons to press from opening the app to placing an order. They’ve made the ordering process easy. There is an auto crop that actually did a nice job centering all of the pictures.
Average Quality – the packaging itself is flimsy. The print quality was marginal. I found the pictures to have a green tint to them. Overall skin tones were not great. UPDATE: I placed all of the photographs in water for 10 minutes and all were fine except for Shutterfly and Snapfish. Those absorbed the water and were ruined.
Conclusion – While the app was simple to use, the quality wasn’t impressive and the packaging was poor.
This lab is for you if: You want a mindlessly easy ordering process.
$6.75 (offers free shipping when you spend over $30)
Easy Ordering – The app opens up directly to a gallery of your phone pictures. You can select an album but the app doesn’t allow you to “select all” pictures in that album, you have to tap on each photo one at a time. That could get time consuming if you are ordering a large group of pictures.
Good Quality – Color and skin tones were good. The photos are printed on Fuji Crystal Archive paper which is a good quality paper and is known to maintain colors for a long time.
Conclusion – I think CVS is a good option if you are looking for a budget friendly printing option that prints on quality paper. I have not tested their in store printing but would be interested in seeing if the prints would be the same quality if I opt for the on site printing.
This lab is for you if: you care about the quality of the paper your pictures are printed on but you are on a budget.
$9.29
Easy and Well Designed App – If you like a trendy aesthetic you’ll definitely like the Lala Lab app. It has a very modern vibe, it’s super easy to use and includes optional filters and unusual print sizes. They even offer photo postcards that can be shipped directly to a friend.
Really Good Quality – I thought the colors were spot on. They use the Fuji Crystal Archive Paper Supreme. The supreme paper is thicker and according to the Fuji website it has brighter whites and a larger color range compared to their regular Fuji Crystal Archive paper. I could definitely see that the colors were great. Overall print quality was really nice.
Conclusion – Lala Lab fit right in with the highest quality labs. The app had the best design and an overall very easy ordering experience. I will absolutely be ordering from LaLa Lab again.
This lab is for you if: you like easy ordering on a pretty app with quality prints.
$10.68
Functional App with Lots of Extra Features – Easy to navigate but found the thumbnails to be tiny, you would definitely want to select your pictures outside of the app. The auto crop function worked well. Overall only took a few clicks from start to finish. They also have a collage creation tool, if you want to do a wall collage the app makes that super easy. I did like that there is an option to add retouching to pictures right from the app.
Nice Quality – Overall colors were really good. MPix prints on Kodak Professional Digital Paper. Generally professional quality paper should have the most vibrant colors and skin tones should be the most accurate. I did find that to be the case with these prints.
Conclusion – The prints were really nice. I didn’t like that the thumbnails were super tiny in the app, but otherwise it was easy to use. I think this would be a great option if you like to have a ton of printing options, sizes and products to choose from.
This lab is for you if: You want a quality print and a lot of in app options, products, sizes.
$12.85
Simple App – Only took a few steps to place an order. You do need to click, one at a time, on each photo to place an order though.
Nice Print Quality – The printing was better than some. Skin tones could have been a little better. They use the Fuji Crystal Archive paper, so it is a nice quality print. The packaging was excellent.
Conclusion – This is a small, family owned, printing lab that is local to Allentown, PA. I like the fact that it is a small operation. The prints arrived just as quickly as the mega labs but was packaged much better.
This lab is for you if: You prefer to support small, family owned businesses but still want the convenience of getting your prints delivered quickly to your home.
$13.30
Complicated App – This one definitely took the most clicks to place an order. You need to individually click on each photo you want to add to your order, there is no select all button. The order is then placed in the cart as all 5×7 prints, even though I wanted to order 4×6. I had to go back in and again, one at a time, change each to 4×6. When all was said and done it was time consuming and a little frustrating too.
Beautiful Print Quality – Colors were vibrant, skin tones were great. They print on FujiFilm Professional Paper and you can tell it’s definitely a highest quality paper. The prints are made in a chemical process (not digital) which is also considered to be a higher quality. The packaging was very sturdy.
Conclusion – For the pro’s out there who are devout Nations Photo Lab fans, I can see why. The quality is great. For printing my cell phone pictures though, I didn’t like the frustrating app. I think more everyday people need to print everyday pictures and to do that I believe it really needs to be a simple process. Unfortunately Nations Photo app is just too clunky for placing a quick photo order.
This lab is for you if: you want a quality print but the ease of the app is not a concern.
$14.45
New App for easy ordering – They have just updated their app, making it easy to place any order.
Nice Quality Print – Prints are made using a chemical process that is said to have a longer print life and be a higher quality. They are printed on quality Fuji Crystal Archive Paper. I thought the colors were great and skin tones were very accurate.
Conclusion: Overall the company has a trendy vibe and super cute products (check out their photo calendar!). The print quality is great too. They fell a little short with ease of ordering for me but they have since added this new app so that may be resolved now. I’ll definitely give them a try again then.
This lab is for you if: you like trendy product options and fun gifts and nice quality prints
$15.50 – This cost was mostly shipping cost ($10). The per print cost is reasonable and shipping is free over $100.
Nice App But Several Steps to Place an Order – Each photo needs to be uploaded and selected individually. You are then taken out of the app to complete the order. It was the only service that included free color correction. There are also boarder options and nine different paper types to choose from.
Impressive Print Quality: The color correction was a nice option. The skin tones had a good, realistic look to them while the colors were very vivid. They print on FujiFilm Professional Paper which I think also gave them prints their great quality. Printique also prints using a true chemical process.
Conclusion: The quality is A+. I really loved these prints. The slower ordering process and high price (for small orders) would deter me from making this one my usual lab though. For their print quality I do feel their pricing is actually very reasonable, but the shipping cost made it pricey. If you are printing a large quantity I think it would be a great option.
This lab is for you if: You are ordering a large quantity of prints and want quality printing
$15.99
Photos to a Dedicated Number: Nothing will ever be easier. You set up your NanaGram account once with the size, quantity and shipping address. You are given a dedicated phone number and you simply text your pictures to that number every month. It is mindlessly easy.
Poor Quality: The pictures are actually a little soft/blurry compared to the other labs. They also did not pass the water test and were destroyed immediately.
Conclusion: This is a fun novelty and great if you are looking to quickly send pictures to a loved one.
This lab is for you if: You want a super easy way to send pictures to family.
There you have it! A lot of options for printing those phone pictures and getting yourself photo organized! There really is no bad option, as long as you are making it a habit to print pictures every month!
If you are ready to make the commitment to printing your pictures, I suggest you start today by ordering a photo album! A new album might be just enough motivation and inspiration to get that project started!
Here are a few nice photo album options!
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3.5
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3.5
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$49.70
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$23.99
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I would love to hear about your experiences having your photographs printed! Comment below with the photo lab you like the most or if you are just feeling inspired to start printing your pictures where will you order from?
Thank you for doing the hard work. I have been wanting to print photos and have used Shutterfly in the past but I used to shoot Fuji film with their processing so I’m going to try Printique. Again, THANK YOU!
Glad you found this info helpful! I think Printique is a great option. You’ll have to let me know what you think!