The best place to print your photos? Print lab review!

Want to print your photos? Not sure where to print them? I compared 3 print labs and see which one offers the best quality and value. I printed 20 4×6″ photos at my professional lab, Shutterfly, London Drugs, and Walmart.

Professional Print Labs offers the best quality

Most photographers will offer some packages that include prints, or have a professional print lab that they send your photos to. This is always the best option, but it is only accessible if you have a photography business. Professional print labs use high quality photo paper that are typically archival quality so it can withstand the test of time! Their printers are also calibrated to print true to colour. We will use my professional lab’s photo prints as a control and compare the 3 other print labs against it. * I took photos of the 4 different labs as best as I could! I realize it would be more accurate if I used a scanner, but this will do for the time being!

Best paper quality: London Drugs

London Drugs had the heaviest/thickest photo paper! I weighed 20 4×6″ from each lab and did a touch test.
Paper Weight Test
Professional Lab: Pearl Prints @73 grams/20 sheets of 4×6″
London Drugs: Pearl Prints @78 grams/20 sheets of 4×6″
Shutterfly: Glossy Print @64 grams/20 sheets of 4×6″
Walmart: Glossy Prints @60 grams/20 sheets of 4×6″

Touch Test
Professional Lab: Pearl Prints, slight sheen, smooth and thick
London Drugs: Pearl Prints. slight sheen, smooth and thick
Shutterfly: Glossy Print, paper thin, fingerprints visible, shiny
Walmart: Glossy Prints, paper thin, fingerprints visible, shiny

Glossy vs Pearl
You will get sharper definition with glossy paper, and it comes with a shiny finish. I personally prefer pearl prints that are fingerprint resistant and a minimal sheen. Pearl prints are slightly softer in detail than glossy finishes.

Best colour quality: London Drugs

All 3 labs did not print true to the original image, some slightly warmer, some slightly cooler. Professional Lab has the best colour profile and closes to original image.

London Drugs: Slightly warmer, slightly more vibrant with higher contrast
Shutterfly: Some images warmer, some cooler, inconsistent colours, darker in some images
Walmart: Slightly cooler, brighter images, whites blown out in some images

Best Value: Walmart

The cheapest option was the next day print at Walmart with pick up in store option! All three labs have ship to home option for a fee.

London Drugs: (20)4×6″ @ $10.98 pick up in store
Shutterfly: (20)4×6″ @ $10.78 (includes shipping to home)
Walmart: (20)4×6″ @ $5.80 pick up in store

Quickest Turnaround: London Drugs

For those that order and print online, all three labs have easy upload and ordering systems. London Drugs prints are usually ready within a few hours. Walmart was a close second, it was ready the next day. Both London Drugs and Walmart have print kiosks in store that you could get photos printed instantly. These turnaround are based on 4×6″ prints, other print products may take longer.

Professional Lab: 1-2 day turnaround, 1-2 shipping
London Drugs: 24 hours (usually ready within a few hours)
Shutterfly: 1 day turnaround, 7 days shipping
Walmart: 24 hours ready next day

Sharpest Image: Walmart

There is an advantage when printing with a glossy finish, you get sharper images than pearl or matte prints. If you like to see all the details, then I would recommend glossy. Walmart had the sharpest details in the hair and eyes. I find that pearl prints have sufficient details and I prefer no shine.

Professional Lab: Pearl finish, soft details
London Drugs: Pearl finish, soft details
Shutterfly: Glossy finish, soft details
Walmart: Glossy finish, sharp details

Overall Review: Where to print your photos?

I still liked my professional lab’s quality, paper, and colour over the other labs. If I had to print photos in a pinch, I would pick London Drugs. A few things to note when you are printing your photos online, please choose no colour correction, or add it as a note before check out. Colour correction is often the default option, and this will likely mess up the saturation and contrast in your image. All your images delivered from your photographer should already be properly calibrated to proper printing colour profiles, so opt out of colour correction when printing online.

I would stay away from Shutterfly’s printing service for the time being, as it delivered inconsistent colours, it had the lengthiest turnaround, and it wasn’t even the cheapest option.

A quick note that my London Drugs prints were done at the Guildford location, I am not sure if other locations’ printers would vary in its colour profile. Do your own research and print 1-2 photos before committing a large print order!

Why print photos with your photographer?

Your photographers that offer print products can take the guess work out of it! They handle all the printing and delivery, so all you have to do is pick your favourite images and the rest is taken care of. You know your photo quality will be great when printing with your photographer!

Print your photos!

I hope this blog post has helped you understand the difference in print quality and colour. If you just need cheap prints, Walmart is your best bet. If you prefer to have photographs that print true to its colours and printed on quality paper, professional print lab is your go to. There are also other options like Henry’s and local print labs that offer quality prints. I may do another print review for boutique print shops available to us in Vancouver, B.C.