Whenever I want a print of one of my digital photos, I order from Shutterfly. But after discovering Snapfish, I think I’ll only continue using Shutterfly until my pre-paid prints run out. Snapfish has significantly better prices per photo than Shutterfly, not to mention the fact that their shipping costs are lower. And even better yet, they offer matte finish on their photos whereas Shutterfly does not. I ordered some prints from both places last week and they were delivered yesterday. When I did a comparison (I ordered a few identical shots), I didn’t see any difference in quality from the Kodak paper (Snapfish) vs the Fugi one (Shutterfly). I preferred the matte finish, however, but then again, I always have.
The only complaint I have about Snapfish is the way they ship photos. Shutterfly uses those cardboard photo envelopes so there’s no chance of your photos getting ruined whereas Snapfish does not. Had there been a lot of mail the day my photos were delivered, I could easily see the mail carrier bending my photos in order to stuff them into my mailbox. I would gladly pay extra for the added insurance against bent photos.
Oh wait, and I have one more complaint – I hate how time consuming and tedious “fixing” the crop on the photos are for each size before ordering. Shutterfly offers a much more streamlined process for cropping. I wish Snapfish could utilize Shutterfly’s cropping tool and shipping materials but retain their great prices. Then they’d be perfect.
Other than that, I highly recommend Snapfish. You’ll save a ton of money, plus you can get matte finish which is classier than glossy.
Do you ever use Ofoto? Thus far, I’ve used both Ofoto and Shutterfly, and I like Ofoto a bit better.
Last I checked Ofoto was much more expensive than Shutterfly.
Well, I’m not sure about the prepaid plans, but Ofoto is now $.29 a print, and I think Shutterfly is $.25 per print. That’s not exactly a *huge* difference.
Actually Shutterfly is the most expensive. Here are the regular prices for a 4×6 print –
Shutterfly – $.39 (although I could have sworn this used to be $.49)
Ofoto – $.29
Snapfish – $.25
And with the prepaid plans, you get can a 4×6 the cheapest at Snapfish for only $.19/ea, not to mention the fact that they are the only service of the three who offers matte finish for all sizes.
I get my photos in a cardboard envelope with DO NOT BEND stamped on it in red ink and more often than not, there is a giant crease right through the stamp. I am not a giant fan of post office irony.
Hi Nicole – me again :-)
One last question – why do you choose a matte finish?
It has a more professional look and light doesn’t bounce off the photo like it does with a glossy finish. Matte finish is what they use at the studios like when people go to get pictures of their kids at Sears, JC Penny, The Picture Place, etc. It just looks better, in my opinion.
I forgot that the last time I looked at Ofoto was for 8×10’s. That was about a year ago. Dunno what it’s like now. But, I found an even better place to order 8×10’s for cheeeeeeap: http://www.whcc.com
Highly recommend.