Digital cameras have meant the death of conventional film cameras. Digital cameras now sell more than the standard 35mm film cameras. It is natural for digital camera printing business to gain market share with each passing year. While home printing from a digital camera is ok; the prints might not be of the highest quality since the printer is usually a compact one not capable of providing high quality prints. Home printing could cost as much as $0.50 a print for a 4×6 photo. Digital camera prints printed at a studio near you are fine but costs could be higher.

In light of the above the best route is to order prints online by uploading your photos to sites that provide this service. Not only is this cheaper but you have the advantage of having your photos online which acts as a back up of pictures. Many sites often correct images for the best color and brightness. You can share photos with friends and relatives and enjoy online album facility. Although you bear the cost of shipping charges (which is not more than a few dollars) this is made good by discounts, free prints on sign up and promotions that are on offer from time to time. A Google search often reveals some coupon for either free prints or free shipping offer for the leading printing sites. Many of them have free shipping for orders over a certain amount. Most sites also provide photo gifts, photo cards, flip books, printing on mugs, calendar printing etc. All of them require you to sign up once and take an account after which you can start uploading photos. Have you considered the options available for online printing service? Although there are many sites providing online printing I have left out those that charge a higher price (more than 20 cents) for a standard 4×6 print. In my view the higher cost is a major deterrent despite whatever other features a photo printing site may offer. Here are some online printing services that you can consider:

Snapfish: One of the most popular and earliest entrants in online printing business. It is now a HP company. One of the cheapest for 4×6 photos at $0.12 a print. It also offers unlimited duration photo storage facility. Print quality is very good. I have used their service and they are reliable and provide the best value for money. You get 20 free prints upon sign up. Additionally you can earn 20 free prints for each referral that signs up and you can earn a total of up to 5,000 such free prints. Also Snapfish supports Retail Pickup at selected locations in Walgreens, Costco and other local photo finishers, notably Jessops (UK). Ships internationally. It claims to have over 19 million members, and houses over 350 million unique digital pictures. Snapfish is one of the best and the biggest in the business.

Shutterfly: I have tried them and their prints are not as good as snapfish (just ordered the same set of photos and compared). 4×6 prints at $0.19 a print. Prepaid plans for a 4×6 print can be $0.12. You can sign up and get 15 free prints. They offer photo books; index prints; calendars; greeting cards; gifts; photo CDs and scan from film services.

Kodak EasyShare Gallery: (formerly Ofoto): Supposedly excellent prints. 4×6 is at $0.15 each. Create a free account and get 20 free prints. They use high quality Kodak paper.

Imagestation: A standard sharing and printing service from Sony. Offers 4×6 prints at a low 12 cents. Very good print quality. In-store pick-up service available in USA.

Walmart: Very good pricing at $0.12 for 4×6 photos. I have used the service and prints are ok although not comparable to snapfish. Photos can be ordered and picked up at any of the Walmart centers in the USA. Prints can be ready in as fast as 1 hour after and can be collected at that centre. The extensive Walmart network spanning hundreds of cities in USA makes this very convenient and you can avoid on shipping charges. However note that if you don’t order at least 1 print a year then all your photos will be deleted and your account cancelled. This happened in my case and my account stands deleted now!

Dotphoto: Get 50 free prints upon sign up! 4×6 print at 15 cents a print. Create a photo book. Can’t comment on print quality.

Fotki: The lowest pricing at $0.09 for a 4×6 print! You won’t get prints for any lower than this. I’m not sure of the print quality though. Beats Snapfish, Walmart and Imagestation in pricing. Ships internationally. Site also offers free unlimited photo hosting for sites, blogs, auctions and emails. Provides social networking and video sharing features.

Photoworks: Sign up and get 25 free prints. Charges $0.19 for a 4×6 print (for up to 24 prints). Volume discounts offered for bulk printing of a single order. Print quality is good. I have tried them.

Winkflash: Get 50 free prints on your first order. 4×6 prints at $0.12 each. Provides greeting cards, photo books, photo gifts and canvas print facility.

Bonusprint: Excellent pricing at $0.11 for a 4×6 print. The second cheapest amongst all online services available. Localized service in a dozen countries. Free online web album. Photo gifts and other options available. I don’t know about the quality of prints.

Photosite: Offers 4×6 at $0.12 . Print quality is supposed to be good.

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