The 10 Best Online Photo Printing Services

Best for Photo Gifts: Shutterfly

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

If you want to decorate your entire home with custom photo art or create a unique gift for a loved one, Shutterfly has you covered. The website can print your images on almost any item imaginable: pillows, blankets, drinkware, place mats, mouse pads, desk caddies, and more. It also does more traditional photo items, including prints, albums, cards, magnets, and calendars.

You can upload photos via a computer or the Shutterfly app, and you can pull in pics from Facebook and Instagram. Just note that it’s a good idea to make sure your images look the way you want before doing so, as the platform’s editing features are somewhat limited.

If you don’t need anything fancy and just want simple prints, Shutterfly can get you nearly instant access to your photos, as it has partnered with Walgreens and CVS to provide one-hour pickup photo services. Shutterfly also doubles as a photo storage service, offering free, unlimited cloud storage to customers who make a purchase at least once every 18 months. It frequently offers promo codes for discounts on various items, as well as free shipping.

Best for Cards: Minted

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

If you’ve been to a wedding in the past few years, chances are high that the invitation was designed using Minted. The company is a couple’s go-to source for wedding stationery, offering a full suite of printed materials, from invitations and reception materials to thank-you cards. Brides and grooms can choose from tons of templates or commission a Minted artist to create personalized stationery. The company also provides free samples, so you can see how the paper looks and feels before placing an order. Minted rounds out its wedding services by offering website customization so that your wedding website will match your invitations.

Minted isn’t just for the betrothed, though. The company scores points for working with independent artists to create and produce all sorts of photo cards. Minted crowdsources card designs from creators, which are then offered as templates on its platform. Anyone can create a personalized photo card with its tools. Simply choose your template, customize the text, and order. Minted has cards for graduations, baby announcements, thank-yous, and more. It also has a printing and framing service that will turn your images into works of art. It does not, however, offer basic photo prints.

Best for Unique Items: Printique

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

Even among the many companies that let you print an image on a huge range of products, Printique stands out with its unique offerings. Notably, the company can print photos on glass, wood, or metal, and can even produce giclée fine art prints. Depending on the surface, you can print your image as small as 2.5" x 1.75", perfect for tucking in a wallet, or as large as 40" x 60" to mount on your wall. You can use Printique’s in-app editing tool to crop and filter photos if needed.

Printique also offers an augmented reality video card. To make one, you simply create a traditional photo card and pair it with a video. After downloading an app, your recipient can point their phone at the card, and the video you created will appear, making the card come to life.

Best for Budget Shoppers: Snapfish

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

Snapfish is our pick for a great budget photo printing option. Its prints start at 10 cents per print, whereas other companies charge upward of 20 cents.

To use Snapfish, simply upload photos from your computer, Google Photos, Facebook, or Instagram. Once you’ve done that, you can use Snapfish’s photo editing tools to correct red eyes, fix a photo’s orientation, and edit the coloring. The company also has free unlimited photo storage for customers who make at least one purchase every year.

Where Snapfish loses a few points is in the quality of its prints, which isn’t as good as that of other services on this list. The packaging, too, is just a standard cardboard envelope, which increases the likelihood of damage during transit.

Most Sustainable: Artifact Uprising

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

For a meaningful photo gift, look no further than Artifact Uprising. The company specializes in books, prints, frames, and calendars, and all products are customizable, giving you options on everything from paper finishes to book cover materials. The company also distinguishes itself with its commitment to using recycled and reclaimed materials. For example, hardcover photo books are made with recycled fibers, and wooden calendars are crafted from reclaimed fallen pine. All items are made in the U.S. 

The company supports uploads from your computer and Google Photos and will warn you if you’re about to upload a photo with a low resolution. Although everything that it produces is high quality, it comes at a higher cost than other options on this list. For example, the Layflat Photo Album starts at $165 for 20 pages. Compare that to the most basic version of Mixbook’s 20-page photo books, which start at $14.99. Artifact Uprising does occasionally run sales, however. In addition to photo books, the company offers options for framing, including gallery frames, metal frames, wall tiles, tabletop frames, and floating frames.

Best for Prints: Nations Photo Lab

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

Nations Photo Lab offers the perfect combo of quality prints and reasonable (but not super low) prices. Colors are bright and sharp, and even large prints have a level of detail that competitors can’t match. The high quality does come at a cost, as 4" x 6" prints from Nations Photo Lab start at 36 cents, whereas most other services charge closer to 20 cents.

Prints come in a variety of finishes, including linen, glossy, and pearl, and sizes—as small as mini wallet size and as large as 30" x 45". To print photos, simply upload your images via computer or the company’s app and then make adjustments with the service’s built-in editing software if you want.

In addition to prints, Nations Photo Lab can reproduce your images on a variety of home decor items and can mount and frame your pictures. Gifts include blankets, USB drives, coasters, phone cases, pillows, and mugs. Frames come in eight different sizes, from 8" x 10" to 24" x 36", and Nations Photo Lab can mount your images on canvas or metal.

Best for Photo Books: Mixbook

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

Photos are meant to be displayed, and if you want a beautifully assembled photo book, Mixbook is one of the best services in the biz. Offering thousands of fully customizable designs, templates, and layouts, it can turn your memories into the perfect coffee table book. Unlike its competitors, Mixbook puts the power of editing images and adding effects into your hands. You can move, resize, and add text to images at your leisure.

Mixbooks are available in softcover, hardcover, and lay-flat options, and you can choose between matte, glossy, and luster paper in a variety of sizes. All these options and extras mean that the company’s books can be among the most expensive on the market. While a 20-page, 6" x 6" softcover book can cost as little as $14.99, a 20-page, 12" x 12" lay-flat book in premium matte will run upward of $169.99.

Though the company is best known for its books, it also offers cards and calendars and prints photos on a variety of surfaces, including canvas, metal, and acrylic. Where it lacks is in the variety of photo products that are available. Other services on this list offer home decor items like pillows and blankets, but Mixbook does not.

Best for Same-Day Pickup: Walgreens Photo

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

Need your pics, pronto? Walgreens Photo is your last-minute answer. Many stores offer same-day printing services. As long as you order your photos at least three hours before closing time, you’ll be able to grab them that day. Items available for same-day service include posters, collages, magnets, and banners.

Of course, you can also opt to have your items shipped. Walgreens offers three-day express local delivery for a flat fee of $5.99. For shipping longer distances, the price depends on the specific product.

Uploading and printing photos is easy via the Walgreens website or app, which offers unlimited cloud storage. If you want to share photos with loved ones who live far away, you can opt to have your photos printed at the Walgreens that’s closest to them, and they’ll be able to pick them up in no time.

Best for Sports Memorabilia: Mpix

Pros & Cons

Why We Chose It

Mpix offers a wide variety of photo items, but it really distinguishes itself from other companies on this list with its sports collection. The company can create sports-themed products for two dozen sports, like bowling, hockey, baseball, and basically anything else. These are available in three formats: magazine covers, memory mates, and trading cards.

You can upload photos via computer or the Mpix app. In addition to sports-themed items, the company creates regular prints, wall art, and photo books. The range of photo gifts that Mpix offers is a bit limited compared to some companies, but you’ll still find things like photo blankets, towels, luggage tags, mugs, keychains, and coasters.

Lastly, Mpix stands out because of its ability to process film. For $11.95, the company will upload your film images to a secure online album and mail you back your negatives. Physical prints will cost extra, but there’s no cost to download your images once they’ve been scanned.