I get it, we’re busy and on a budget and sometimes making a quick Shutterfly order or run to Costco is the only way we can get our photos printed, it’s the easy way (or so you think).

There is a significant difference from ordering through your photographer and public access printers…

Printing just got easy, over here it is done-for-you no hassle printing where the quality is guaranteed!

I’ve recently done an experiment where I print the same 4 photos at 5 different places to compare (my professional printers, Costco, Walmart, Shutterfly, and Walgreens).

Now at the time you may think you’re saving a lot of money but this is the situation where you bought something on amazon and it kind of looks like the image but it’s really not the same at all…

Here’s what i’ve learned:

👉🏼Pro: now don’t get me wrong, even professional print labs print differently. I’ve tried 3 and they all print slightly different. I have worked to find the print lab that prints my photos true to color. The biggest difference is I am able to get a finger print resistant coding to the photos that leaves them fingerprint free!

👉🏼Costco (membership required): Costco was *most* true to color in my experiment but the quality of the paper and color was not matched. The crop was slightly off as well. The biggest difference you could see was in the white tones.

👉🏼Walmart: I used to think Walgreens was bad but by far Walmart was the most blurry. There was no definition in the details at all. There were also noticeable print lines you could see.

👉🏼Shutterfly: my family used to print at Shutterfly religiously. It was quick but “good quality” and shipped right to our door. I was shocked when I saw the comparison between Shutterfly and pro. The colors in the photos were so pink toned.

👉🏼Walgreens: I don’t think we’re surprised when we see how Walgreens compares. Everything is almost equally disappointing; the crop, the color, the quality.

Here’s the deal, at the end of the day you are accomplishing so much by doing something and getting your photos printed. Don’t feel bad if you do buy from any other printing labs because of cost or timing! 

This year I have something super exciting coming that will give you the opportunity for some sweet deals to finally get your photos professionally printed! Get on my email list to get first dibs!