Developing: The Digital Dish

So you bought that new digital camera and you've enjoyed the perks…a clean and no- hassle way to store your pictures—no running out of film at inconvenient times and no worries about keeping photos you don't want. There's just one problem: now that it's all digital, you don't have any real prints to send to friends and family.

This is why the Internet is still one of your best friends. Not only does the web allow you the capabilities to post and share your pictures, but there are endless options for getting your digital pictures printed as well.

Those same sites that give you the capabilities of uploading your pictures to share with friends and family also give you the option of ordering prints with a variety of preferences. From standard 4”x6” to 12”x12”, color to black and white, glossy to matte, most sites give you the opportunity to select exactly what you want.

We've read reviews, looked at the sites and gathered comments on some of the most common digital developing options available. Read on for some valuable insight into these websites as well as some information on other developing options!

35mm: The Web Still Gives Advantages

Though according to an article in USA Today, the Photo Marketing Association International estimates that 9.3 million digital cameras were sold last year, some of us still prefer the standby 35mm method.

A majority of the websites that do online developing also provide services for prints from regular film. The great feature about these sites is that you can choose which images you want printed and edit them, an option that isn't available through most retail store one-hour or send-out developing. In order to get this feature through the online sites, though, you do have to mail your film in—a risk many of us may not be willing to take.

Scrapbook Specialist Shauna Berglund-Immel found a solution to this problem. Shauna takes her film to a local mom-and-pop photo processor called Quickstop Photo. Quickstop takes Shauna's 35mm film, develops her negatives, then scans and uploads them to their web site. Here Shauna can look at her photos before they are printed and choose only the shots she wants. “It saves me money in the long run because I'm not paying for the bad photos and I'm saving space and paper, as I won't feel like I need to store the less desirable photos that were not quality enough to scrapbook,” she explains.

Shauna can crop her photos before printing, change them to black and white and order multiples or enlargements of prints. “It saves me the step of choosing the photos I want enlarged after they are developed—I don't have to take an extra trip back to bring in the negatives and have enlargements made.?/p>

Shauna also likes that Quickstop offers a frequent developer card where she gets punches for each roll developed and a free roll developed once her card is full. Quickstop also stores and organized the photos online for Shauna, so she can go back later and order more prints. “I can't say enough good things about this place! It's made my life so much easier!?she exclaimed.

While the cost of the developing is a bit spendier and Quickstop isn't as close to her home as other photo developers, she's pleased and says that the quality more than makes up for that fact. She also loves that the turn around is quick and that the photos are the best she's been able to find at any developer.

As for the regular online services, Shauna has ordered prints from friends who have accounts on both Ofoto and Snapfish and was less than pleased with the quality, as the images were grainy and blurry. She also doesn't like the idea of sending her film out for processing. “Quickstop does it in-house so the chance of a roll getting lost en route is drastically reduced.?/p>

If you're interested in finding a quality developer that offers services such as these, Shauna recommends asking for suggestions from your online message boards and groups like TwoPeas. She learned about Quickstop from someone on her local online group called Metroscrappers. This will save you the time and leg work of doing all the research yourself. “Word of mouth is the best information,” Shauna says.

While Ofoto is one of the more popular sites, offering low pricing (regular pricing is 43¢ per print for a 4”x6”), quick service and a unique manual zoom/trim option. However, a portion of its users seem to have some qualms about the colors. Several reviewers sited complaints about skin tones being an orangey color and also problems with green tones. These are likely an effect of the auto-correction function that Ofoto has, which while some customers seem to appreciate, the more serious photographers may not. In addition, comments on Ofoto's customer service were also not favorable.

Snapfish has been praised by American Photo Magazine and Yahoo! Internet Life for great color and sharpness in their prints from negatives, but many consumers don't seem to share that opinion of the service's digital photos. One reviewer commented on his prints being a strange pink hue, while others have posted about the lack of editing tools. The site also does not permit customers to check their order status online like many other sites do. Print prices are also a bit higher at Snapfish, running around 59¢ per print, and prints are only available to U.S. based customers. Where this site does come in strong, though, is in the customer service area. Snapfish offers a 110% quality guarantee, either reprinting your order or refunding you the charge, plus giving a 10% discount on your next. One consumer also boasted about the site's quick telephone support.

Though not all praise Snapfish and Ofoto, reviewer Rebecca Doerr appreciates both sites and uses them both. Rebecca is a busy New Yorker who is always on the lookout for ways to make her life simpler and relies a lot on the web to find shortcuts for basic errands like photo developing. “I am really so convenience based that I personally don't find much of a difference in the two services. I like them both,”she says. Friends of Rebecca don't necessarily agree that the sites are equal in quality. One friend in particular was displeased with the flexibility of Snapfish's service after he uploaded his images, and had his browser crash while he was uploading to Ofoto.

There is one site that seems to come in with a top ranking among consumers. Several Shutterfly customers boast that the quality of their pictures are brilliant and the editing tools of the site are also great. Shutterfly offers fast service, with a one-day shipping time for wallet up to 4”x6” prints, and a two-day turnaround for larger format images. This site offers free reprints or money back within 30 days for unsatisfied customers and allows you to check on your order status on the site. Prices for 4”x6” prints start at 39¢ and can drop as low as 25¢ if you pre-pay for 400 prints or 29¢ for 135 prints. Shutterfly also gives options that other services don't—you can select to have your prints done in sepia or soft tones and you can personalize the print with a message on the back—perfect for labeling the event or occasion!

Another site to consider is ApplePrints which offers low prices of 19¢ per 4”x6” print when you pre-pay for 100 or more. The site also allows a lot of editing and enhancing to images, and the option to send in your images on a CD. However, members are disappointed with lack of free storage space ApplePrints offers in comparison to other services.

Retail stores are also beginning to offer a means for getting your digital images printed. Wal-Mart is just one—in 1,800 of their 2,700 stores, they now offer the option of dropping off your media storage card from your digital camera and having your prints processed in one hour, just like with 35mm film. In addition, you can upload your pictures to their site and select the store you'd like to have them printed at, then just go in and pick them up. The prints are only 26¢ each, too! Target, K-Mart, Safeway and Sears stores are also offering this option, giving the choice for customers to pick up their orders at a store or have them shipped to their homes.

One more alternative is to utilize one of the many self-standing kiosks to print your pictures. These simply allow you to insert your media card, crop, edit and print your images. These are quickly becoming more and more popular. Kodak is currently testing 500 kiosks in the Atlanta area before beginning a nation-wide launch. Fuji also has the Aladdin Kiosk where you can edit, choose the printing options you want, then come back and pick up your prints, as well as the Fujifilm Printpix DigiCam Picture Center kiosk which allows you to get prints right away. For more information on Fuji's kiosks, check out their informational page.

With so many choices, it's hard to decide where to get your prints made! We suggest trying out several so you can choose the service that's perfect for you—try having the same image printed in the same size (maybe an 8”x10”) with several different services and compare the speed, quality, convenience and cost—that way you'll find what's right for you!