Note: This is an updated version of an article originally published in Fall 2019. Assessments of print quality and delivery times have been carried over from that article. Believe it or not, there are still people that like to print out their photos and create photo books to send gifts to family members.
There seem to be more options than ever when it comes to online printing services, which makes choosing one a bit overwhelming.
We tested out five popular online printing companies and assessed them based on their ease of service, price, turnaround time and most importantly, print consistency/paper quality.
How we tested
We placed an order for three 8x10 and three 4x6 prints on the same day (October 23rd, 2019) from Snapfish, Amazon Photos*, Shutterfly, MPix, and Printique (formerly known as AdoramaPix). We used the automatic 'smart crop' feature on each website when preparing the prints and, when it was possible, requested that the image be printed on Lustre paper. All prints were shipped with the economy shipping option.
Our picks: Printique and MPix
Printique. com
Our top pick
Printique, formerly AdoramaPix, offers slightly higher pricing than the competition, but has the most consistent/pleasing print quality. Print turnaround is fast.
MPix. com
Also good
MPix's pricing is in the middle of the road, the print quality is consistent – second only to Printique – and print turnaround is also speedy. But you'll have to pay extra for options like lustre paper.
Now let's take a closer look at each of these print services including the process of ordering, the speed of delivery, the condition prints arrived and the overall quality of our purchase.
*FULL DISCLOSURE: DPReview. com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Amazon. We are editorially independent of our parent company.
. dpreview.com2020-5-12 15:00