PSA. Photo Printing

I was having a thought a few weeks ago that having been supplying my clients with digital files from weddings, parties, engagements & many other important family occasions and events for well over a decade I came to the realisation that I want now sure how or who they should be using to make prints and hard copies on there photos to preserve them for the future or to display and look at now. If asked the questions I would have been stumped to give an answer.

I decided in my wisdom to undertake a small task and send a few images to 3 of the most popular online suppliers to see the results and variations that I received from them. With a quick disclaimer I am by no means an expert by doing this, I worked in photo printing on and off for 8 years and have been a professional photographer running my own business for over 10 years. The results of this are based on my person opinions of the 1 set of prints I received by post from each of the printers. I paid for all the prints and postage from my own pocket. I hope no one will be offended and sue me :-)

*NB- While I like most of the world just jumps online to do most things nowadays and I have completed this test this way, I would urge you if you have a local independent or even a franchised Kodak Express or Fuji minilab in your town or try them out for printing first. A lot of the people who work in these places have a passion for this and we should all support a local business first-Now back to the test.

After a very quick google search I saw that the 3 most popular commercial photo printing services in the UK seemed to be Boots, Photobox and Fujifilm. I went into my archive and found 5 files that I felt covered a good range or tones, colours and the colour gamut from black to white and all in-between.

Photobox

15 pence per print, Postage- £2.99

The cost of the Photobox prints are very competitive but the postage is a bit costly at £2.99 and delivering being between 7-10 days from order. The prints arrived with me on the 9th day so within the estimate. 

The prints are printed on Fujifilm crystal archive paper and are the 2nd heaviest prints of the 3. The prints quality is harp but the colours are disappointing. There is a yellow colour cast over the colour photos and they are at least 1 stop to dark. I would be disappointed with these prints and would be questioning the colour printing and the exposure on the prints.

Photobox prints

Fujifilm

17 pence per print, Postage- £3.00

The Fujifilm photos were the quickest to arrive as they dropped onto my door mat within 2 days or ordering. The postage cost paid was the highest you pay for & says your prints will arrive between 1-10 business days.

Unfortunately this was the only positive I can give on the Fujifilm order. There is a dreadful yellow colour cast over all the photos- colour and black & white. Having worked in photos printing I would almost say that the machine & paper the prints were made on had not been calibrated or balanced (I have no proof about this- just a guess). The photos are also vey dark and 2 of them are unusable for any purpose. The paper Fujifilm use is the heaviest of the 3 (Fujifilm crystal archive paper supreme) but this is not an advantage when the prints look this bad. The colour cast extends to the black and white photos as well. 

Fujifilm Prints

Boots

15 pence per print, Postage- £2.25. Total £3.00

Of the 3 orders Boots was the most cost effective including the postage. The prints took 5 days to reach me but that is in the middle of the 3-7 day estimate the order confirmation gave me. 

The prints from Boots look very good. The prints are printed on Fujifilm original photo paper and are back branded with the Crewe marking. This paper is by far the thinest and lightest of the 3 but the prints are sharp and clear. The black and white photos are accurate with no colour casting and the colour photos are punchy with good tones.

Boots Prints

In conclusion and based on the prints that I have right in front of me at this very moment I can highly recommend Boots photo printing services as an easy, cost effective and most importantly a quality way to print your photos. I have no way of checking the longevity or lifetime of these prints but I have always recommended never to put your only original photo out on display in a frame, make sure you have an other hard copy in a file, album of an envelope in a drawer somewhere.

But please bear in mind that this is based on 1 set of prints so its highly scientific but it is something worth bearing in mind when printing your photos and your memories.

A last note is to please make sure you have a good digital back-up or achieve in place for all your photos. We take so many now on phones and camera that it is smart to start early and get a system in place for saving and backing up your precious memories. 

Thanks

Johnx