You took the time to book a family photo session with a photographer you love (hopefully that’s me!) and you have received your final images. Most likely you received high quality, professionally edited, digital files. You love your images and the digital files make it super easy to share socially (make sure to show your photographer some love with a photo credit) and get holiday cards or birth announcements printed. What receiving digital files does not do is give you quality prints to hang in your home for all your friends and family to admire. So the question you might have is “Where and how do I print my photos?” I am going to give you a few options for printing your photos and a few places to absolutely stay away from.
Print With Your Photographer
This is one of the best and easiest options for printing your photos. I always offer high quality prints and canvases to all my clients. This option is right in your photo gallery that was delivered to you. This is the best way to guarantee the highest quality prints and really the easiest option, as all you have to do is click a few buttons and you will have your prints to you in about a week.
Online Print Options
There are a few companies out there that deliver professional quality prints to individuals that are not photographers.
Both of these companies have been highly rated by PC Mag for color quality, customer service, and speed of service. If you are going to print your own these are the two services that I recommend.
Print Shops To Avoid
This is probably the most important part of this article. By avoiding the services below, you’ll notice there aren’t any links, you will not waste money or frustration on prints you hate. The companies that offer “printing” services that I would avoid are the following:
- Walmart
- Target
- Walgreens
- Costco
- Shutterfly
The reason to avoid these services is because they are not professional printers. Their machines are not calibrated on a daily basis and therefore they do not produce accurate colors, their products are inconsistent, and they really don’t care or will rectify the problem by sending you more prints you are dissatisfied with. They are great on price, speed and ease of use, but the quality is lacking. You made an investment in your family photography session so make sure to make an investment in your prints.
However you get your photos printed, whether through me or one of the online companies recommended, get your photos printed. You will never regret it, your kids will love looking at the photos everyday, and you will be reminded everyday of the fun time you had slowing down and spending time with your family.
