Whether your graduate got a formal commencement ceremony or not, graduation is an accomplishment worth celebrating. You took some fabulous photos of your grad, why not print some to hang on the wall, print graduation announcements, print their mug on a mug, or make a photo memory book? Regardless of your printing needs, we've got you covered. I tested out a dozen popular photo services, and here are my favorites.
Best Quality
Printique is laser-focused on a handful of products: prints, wall decor, photo books, albums, calendars, and cards. Within each category, you'll find a huge variety of options. The website is easy to use, and orders arrive well-packaged. There are three mobile apps if you prefer to upload and place orders on your iPhone or iPad. The quality of Printique's prints and photo products is outstanding. I especially loved the photo book and the photo card, both of which clearly stood out from the pack in quality.
Crowd-pleaser
Snapfish's quality is great, prices are reasonable, and the website is easy to use. The selection of photo prints and gifts that Snapfish offers is enormous. I make a lot of photo books, and their platform to make books is nicely done. The free, unlimited storage is a nice touch, as is the Snapfish app that lets you place orders and get additional deals. Snapfish has been a popular option since the early days of digital photography.
All-around great option
I've been using Shutterfly in my personal life for over a decade. I trust Shutterfly with my family's precious memories. Shutterfly is the keeper of my children's childhood. I've ordered hundreds of prints, books, and gifts from Shutterfly over the years. I've never been disappointed. There are always deals and promo codes, and in fact, you can use three at a time on Shutterfly. Using the iOS app entitles you to extra freebies.
Best prices
It may not come as a surprise that Walmart had the best prices overall. Walmart offers an enormous selection of photo prints and gifts. The photo book creation platform is frustrating, but if you're not looking to make a photo book, I can recommend Walmart for just about all of your other printing needs. The overall quality is good, though not quite as good as some others.
Made for iOS
FreePrints online photo printing service is utterly unlike the others out there. It has an interesting model that offers tons of freebies; you only pay for shipping and extras. You get up to 85 4x6 prints, a 5x7 softcover 20-page photo book, and an 8x8 photo tile for free every month, but there is no commitment. This isn't a bad deal, even if you do pay to ship each freebie, which ranges from $2 to $10. You can certainly upgrade your order to more or larger or more premium options; you just pay for the upgrades.
Drug store convenience
Walgreens offers a huge selection of photo prints and gifts. The website and photo book creation platform are well-done. The quality is great, and shipping is pretty fast. Same-day pickup at your local Walgreens is available for particular items. If you prefer to deal with a brick-and-mortar store, I thought Walgreens offered the best quality of all the drugstores and big box stores. Walgreens also has one of the better websites for when you do order online, plus a Walgreens app where you can order photos as well as manage prescriptions and other drugstore stuff.
Which is the best option for you?
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I tested out quite a few printing services, and you really cannot go wrong with any of these. Printique was my favorite overall for the professional-level quality. While it's not the cheapest option, nor does it have the most extensive selection, the prices are reasonable for the amazing quality prints and gifts.
For the price, selection, quality, and overall convenience, Walgreens does a great job balancing it all. Whether you prefer an in-person experience in a brick-and-mortar store or you like to take care of everything online, Walgreens is another great option.
If you haven't taken the photos yet, we've got some tips for getting some great photos of your graduate for you. Congratulations to your graduate!
