Sharon Hoeg Photography

One of the questions I get asked most often is “What is the best place to print my pictures?”

All my session packages include a CD with images, so this is a common and important question!

Here are three of my favorites.

This is my number one place for printing photos. I do all of my personal printing here. The quality cannot be beat. The images have a sharp finish with no color bleeding and the colors are true to what you see on your screen. They calibrate their computers with the printers and the result is a fabulous image. I love large prints and black and whites from mpix.

The interface is a little clunky, but it’s worth the learning curve. They can be a little pricey, especially for your 4x6 prints, but the large prints (5x7 and 8x10) are the same or even cheaper than other online sites. Shipping is a little more costly too, but everything comes packaged nicely and I’ve never had my prints crushed during shipping like other online sites! They also print lots of different sizes and their wallets are beautiful.

I have also ordered some products from them. While the accordion albums are just fine (the pro level ones I order are much better quality), I really love the standouts, which give the look of a canvas, but without losing part of an image and for much cheaper. It is a great addition to your wall.

BOTTOMLINE: Use MPIX for everything, but especially large prints, black & whites, or wallets. Use for gift-giving prints and images you’ll hang in your home.

SNAPFISH: www.snapfish.com

I love snapfish for so many reasons. Let me start by saying that I used to use the cheapest sites I could find to print my pictures, but I started to care about quality. Snapfish is the happy medium between the two. It is relatively inexpensive, especially for 4x6 prints, and has a nice quality to them. You can also order cards (flat cards are great for Thank Yous!), calendars (love the desk calendars), and other outstanding products. You can order snapfish prints and have them printed at the store, but they don’t come out as nicely. They also often run great deals for penny prints!

Recently I printed some of the same pictures at mpix and at Snapfish. They are virtually indistinguishable. The color is slightly off on the Snapfish photos, but not anything you would notice unless they were side by side, and I might even like it better.

Large prints, however, don’t look as great and are rather expensive.

BOTTOMLINE: For the best cheap 4x6 prints out there use Snapfish. Great for scrapbooks, photo albums, or keeping in a memory box.

MEIJER: local Midwest big box store

While Meijer prints can be hit or miss, lately they have had wonderful quality and color and printed beautifully for me on my last visit. On previous visits skin tones have looked a little “green,” but still completely usable for scrapbooks and projects. The advantage, of course, is having your prints instantly. You can even upload from your computer and place your order. They offer a wide variety of styles and products, but I’ve only ordered prints and never anything larger than a 5x7.

Sometimes “prints in 15 minutes” is more like prints in an hour. If you have other shopping to do this is just fine, but if you are on your way somewhere, it’s not. Try going early (between 9-10am) to avoid this problem.

BOTTOMLINE: Instant gratification and the potential for great quality make Meijer a worthwhile option.

I know that you might ask me about other places that you might want to print your photos. I’m going to tell the answer with a story. When you go to get your haircut do you stop at any salon or quick cuts shop you can find? Do you ask your gardener to give you a little trim with the hedge clippers when he stops by your house? No! You wouldn’t do either of those things! You find a hair stylist or at least a salon or a barber that you trust. You want to be looking good and you want to look your best! So do your pictures. They were meant to be printed. Don’t take just take them anywhere. All other places are not as good. Use the best. Check out one of my three options instead.