I moved house in 2023 and after a number of home improvement projects, it’s time to redecorate the walls. I have a huge collection of digital photos, but almost no photo prints. I’m on a mission to change that, which means researching some of the best online photo printing services to find the best combination of photo quality and price.
For my purpose, I’m specifically looking at photo printing services who offer 8×10 and 16×20 sizes to hang in specific locations for some of the photography I’ve done over the years. I’m also looking at more standard 4×6 prints too.
Best All Around Photo Printing Service
Mpix gets my vote for the best all around photo printing option. It isn’t the cheapest solution — prices before any current running sales are higher than some other options. At the same time you get what you pay for. The Kodak Endura paper used by Mpix for their E-surface paper is designed to last as archival paper and maintains color accuracy when printing.
Like many online photo printing services, they also offer photo books, posters, printing on metal, and cards for all occasions. Another thing I like about Mpix is that all photo book offerings have lay flat pages, which is not the case for all photo printers. One of the more unique offerings is statuettes, which are freestanding cutout printed on the same E-surface paper and mounted on 1/8″ masonite with a small black acrylic base.
As of this writing, 4×6 prints are priced at $0.36 each. With free shipping on orders over $35 and numerous specials that bring the price down, you can easily end up with high quality prints in the $0.25 range.
Printing Photos on a Budget
Snapfish is a winner on price. List price for 4×6 prints is $0.25, but they have perpetual sales that bring that price down. In some cases you can get below $0.10 per print if you time it right. This is one case where you never want to complete checkout without looking for a coupon code first.
Snapfish also wins on ease of use for adding photos. It doesn’t matter whether your photos are on your phone, on a computer, or on social media, Snapfish can accept the photos and print them. They also have a convenient option to start the photo upload process on a computer and continue from your phone without making you start over.
Other Photo Printing Options
Honorable mention goes to Nations Photo Lab for offering quality prints and making it easy to choose by paper type instead of by print type if you choose. Nations uses Fujicolor Crystal Archive Super Type PDN or Fujicolor Crystal Archive Digital Pearl Paper depending on the type of print you’re going for. They don’t have the fastest shipping, with estimates ranging in the 7 days to 2 weeks range for standard shipping when I checked recently. They do include color correction of images with every order, which makes it more likely your prints will be stunning when they arrive. Prices start at $0.36 for 4×6 prints, just like Mpix.
