Best place to get prints of digital photos

[PonderInc]

Now that I've been taking digital photos for a few years, I have a zillion photos stored on my pc, but I'd like to get some actual prints.  When you order prints online, how do you know what sort of quality you're going to get?  (Kodak paper, processing, etc?)  I don't want a bunch of photos that are going to fade over time.

Some folks use Snapfish, some use Walgreens, etc.  What's best (and affordable)?

[HoneySuckle]

Good question.  I've used both Walgreen and Snapfish and can tell you that they are both a waste of time.  Quality does not exist!

I'd be curious to see what others recommend.

[cannon_fodder]

I use Snapfish and Walgreens as well as one other (can't remember the name, it is supported by Picasa though) and have no real complaints.  Better photos, easier to please, or ignorant on photo quality? 

[Conan71]

You get what you pay for, but don't expect anything spectacular if you are shooting at low res, either.  Try Apertures at 21st & Harvard, if you want a high-end product. 

For 4 x 6 standard album prints of family vacations, etc. shot at about 1 meg Walgreens is fine.

[TheArtist]

I use Apertures....

Artist puts the shame on Ponder for using a chain and not the local guys.

Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame. 

http://www.aperturesphoto.com/filmpp.html

[PonderInc]

Hey Artist!  Unless there's some Catholic "sinful thoughts" thing going on here, I haven't actually committed a foul.  (Yet.)  All I've done is "think about the act" of which company to use for prints! 

As an aside... wouldn't "Apertures" be a great name for a gay bar?   

[Conan71]

As an aside... wouldn't "Apertures" be a great name for a gay bar?   

Gross.

[PonderInc]

Relax, Conan.  They'll serve Marshall's beer at Apertures...

[TheArtist]

Hey Artist!  Unless there's some Catholic "sinful thoughts" thing going on here, I haven't actually committed a foul.  (Yet.)  All I've done is "think about the act" of which company to use for prints! 

As an aside... wouldn't "Apertures" be a great name for a gay bar?   

Sorry, poor wording on my part. But...

  As for the thinking thing, when thinking up options of course the occasional bad option will pop up in ones "mental google search", its when one continues to consider and "ponder" that bad idea as a real possibility instead of throwing it immediately out once its realized the idea is bad, thats when one gets the ol, Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame lol.

So since you may not have realized it was a shaaaaame thought, I shall in my inifite mercy give you pass on that. However, the "Apertures as a great name for a gay bar", you definitely get a double shaaaaaaame for that one lol.  And brownie points taken away just to make sure ya dont forget it. 

[Cherish]

I actually print my own photos from my printer.  I have a printer that came with my Canon camera but I also have a Lexmark printer and Epson (connected to playstation 3) that prints out quality photos.  Plus it's cheaper than paying someone else.  Just make sure you go to best buy and get two different kinds of color ink.  There's one for high quality photos and then there's one for regular daily use.  I wouldn't use the high quality photo ink on a daily basis as it shoots out more ink plus the ink can be expensive.  You can buy any brand of photo paper not just your printers brand but obviously the ink has to be for your printer.  If your a reward zone member and buy two ink cartridges or a combo ink pack (black and color) you get free paper (ANY TYPE) up to 10 bucks free.  Anything over the 10 bucks you just pay for the difference, it's a great deal.  Best Buy has had that deal for years for RZ members and it's free to become one.

Here's a link for Canon professional photo printers (these are expensive printers but gives you an idea):
http://www.usa.canon.com/app/html/proPrinter/index.html

This printer is GREAT and my friend has it and it produces great colors plus it's hundred bucks and may be cheaper at Walmart or Best Buy:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=184&modelid=17105

Printers really don't cost that much anymore plus in the long run will be cheaper than paying someone to do it, I'm all about budgeting and deals 

Sidenote if you have a playstation 3 and use it for more than gaming lol, get an Epson or Canon printer since those are the only two brands compatible for printing with the PS3.

[nathanm]

Printers really don't cost that much anymore plus in the long run will be cheaper than paying someone to do it, I'm all about budgeting and deals 

The problem with inkjets is that if you are like me and would only use it once every few months, the ink will have dried up and clogged up the works by then. If you print regularly, it's not an issue.

Dye sublimation printers are pretty inexpensive these days, so are probably a better bet for occasional use if you must print photos yourself. They are not at all useful for general printing tasks, however.

[patric]

None of the chains seem to understand the importance of getting the entire frame on paper, as they automatically crop your image to fit the paper (instead of the other way around).

I was able to get a Walgreens to manually adjust their printer, but the clerk still didnt understand why I seemed to want white bands at the top and bottom of my print.  Forget about the kiosks if you want full-frame printing.
Kinkos seems to give Walmart-quality at about 3 times the cost with their Sony kiosks, but you get your prints right then and there without having to wait.
KC photo at 21st & Harvard does decent work but you will pay through the nose.  I paid $70 for an old print to be restored, and was miffed that they wouldnt give me a digital copy on the thumb drive I supplied (they wanted to charge $15 more for a CD).

And as fun as it is, occasional printing on a bubble-jet ends up being an expensive novelty.  Manufacturers can almost give away the hardware as they will make up the loss on what they charge you for ink cartridges.