About "pharmacy" photo sites: Walgreens, CVS, etc.

08/04/2009 12:25:06 PM · #1

Does anyone have any experience with using the online print services from pharmacies and similar businesses? Several distant family members have asked me to post some recent wedding candids to the Walgreens website so they can print the ones they want.

One website gives minimum size (resolution) recommendations:

Wallet Prints 270x180 pixels
4 x 6 Prints 540x360 pixels
5 x 7 Prints 630x450 pixels
5 x 7 Postcards 840x600 pixels
8 x 10 Prints 900x720 pixels
11 x 14 Posters 1260x990 pixels
etc.

How good are these sites at resizing? If I submit a larger size, e.g. 1260x990 pixels, will it make a good 4x6 as well as an 8x10? Or should I tailor each upload for the size of the intended print? Any other tips?

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/04/2009 01:03:00 PM · #2

The main reason for "tailoring" a print is to make it fit the paper's aspect ratio without unwanted cropping. The most common sizes all take a different aspect ratio -- personally, I crop the photo the way I want and then just fill out the space to the paper size with a border (and usually a caption), poster-style.

The resolutions are for the bare minimum size to get any sort of decent print -- I try to make my print images either 300 or 150dpi at the final print size. There are a couple of tutorials (under the Learn menu) regarding print preparation and resampling if you're unfamiliar ...

ETA: If you're only going to submit one file, just submit the largest size -- the printing equipment should handle making it smaller without a problem. For example, I usually prepare a file at 8x12 inches @300dpi, but use the same file to print a 4x6 and 12x18, one half the original size and the other double (i.e. 150dpi) with no problems ...

Message edited by author 2009-08-04 13:06:30.

MattO

Nikon D4

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II

08/04/2009 01:15:52 PM · #3

To give you an idea, I print all of my 4x6 prints from an 1800X1200 @300DPI file, I have done them for proofs at Wal-Mart and a couple of other places. One word of warning. Walgreens uses the cheapest flimsiest paper they can find. I'll never have another 4x6 printed there so beware of that. Wal-Mart one hour are as cheap as .15 for one hour for min of 100 ordered at a time. I print all my proofs there rather then run them through my printer, I can't do them that cheap and they are high quality.

Matt

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/04/2009 01:26:45 PM · #4

If you have a Costco membership, I've found their photo service is excellent; substantial Fuji Crystal Archive paper, printer profiles available, usually 1-hour turnaround on 4x6's ($0.13), a bit longer for enlargements (e.g. 8x10 for $1.49, 12x18 for $2.99). I upload the photos to the website and place the order from there, then pick them up later; I think they will mail them free/inexpensively if you are too far from the store. I recently found out that, if you bring the files into the store on CD, that they can print panoramic images 12x24 and 12x36 -- for under $5.00!

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100

Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM

08/04/2009 01:28:58 PM · #5

I printed up some photos for my family through Walgreens and I was POSITIVE that the photos were cropped to the correct aspect ratio. Numerous photos had pieces cut, altering the composition and in some cases chopping off small parts of closely cropped subjects.

karmat

Apple iPhone 7

08/04/2009 01:44:45 PM · #6

we recently got a new walmart, and i was very disappointed at the quality dive their prints took. :( at the old one, I could get them, and with the exception of a couple of very minor things, was very pleased. not so much, now.

i advise anyone i know to stay away from eckerd's/rite-aid. they're prints here are just nasty.

there are a couple of places in asheville (about 45 minutes from me) that do okay, even though they still do mostly film stuff.

not a lot of help i know, but something you could do is submit the same file to each place around you and get one print of each from each place to determine how well they resize, etc.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/04/2009 01:47:36 PM · #7

Originally posted by spiritualspatula:

If you check near the bottom of this page on using printer profiles from Dry Creek Photo (Costco uses their profiles) you'll see that some printers slightly enlarge the image before printing to make sure it bleeds off the paper -- important elements near the edge risk being cropped. That's one reason I usually print with borders.

I've taken to increasing the canvas size 102-103% before submitting for print -- the tables on that page give the exact number of pixels to add for each printer model/print size.

citymars

Nikon D700

08/04/2009 01:52:44 PM · #8

Thanks for all the good info, everyone. Because the groom's mom requested Walgreens, I think I'll stick with them for this lot. I'll submit a large-size (e.g., 1800 x 1200) @ 300 dpi, not cropped too precisely, and let the prints fall where they may.

DPI is another confusing factor, since my paint shop pro defaults to PPI, but I think I can figure it out.

Canon 12x IS USM (S3 IS built-in Lens) -- 36-432mm (35mm EQ)

08/04/2009 01:58:43 PM · #9

Within a file, PPI and DPI are the same thing (Pixels-Per-Inch or Dots-Per-Inch); PPI is the specific and more correct term when referring to a file.

DPI can mean several different things depending on whether you're talking about a file, a halftone screen, or a printing device (laser/ink-jet).

spiritualspatula

Panasonic LUMIX DMC-LX100