Better print-on-demand options than Cafepress?

November 11, 2006 5:21 PM

I'd like to offer visitors to my website the option of buying prints, cards, calendars, etc. of my photographs. (Just paper goods for now.) Are there any better print-on-demand options for this than Cafepress? What other factors haven't I thought of?
posted by gottabefunky to media & arts (11 comments total)

I've been researching this also and haven't found one good place to have it all.

There are rumors that one of these outlets can take your copyright. In other words, you upload a photo, sign their agreement to sell, decide to take down all your images, then find out they can keep selling your images on cards or calendars and keep all the profit. This is just a rumor and I haven't heard of it actually happening. But it's made me more cautious. So read the fine print of any agreement you sign.
posted by cda at 5:30 PM on November 11, 2006

You might also look at Lulu.
posted by RichardP at 5:31 PM on November 11, 2006

www.zazzle.com is a good alternative.
posted by RoseovSharon at 5:33 PM on November 11, 2006

I have used Smugmug (link to their list of prices for prints etc) for my personal photos. You can have public or password-protected galleries. The service is not free, but in my review of the terms of service agreements of various photo websites, theirs seemed to be best.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:42 PM on November 11, 2006

I've never heard a web site name for an otherwise-promising service that turned me off more than "Smugmug". Ugh. I'm sure they're nice people, but it just conjures up in my mind an image of an annoying person with a revolting expression on his face. When I first saw that on someone's business card, I couldn't believe that it was a legitimate operation.

Instant, visceral reaction. I occasionally try to get over it, but thought that you should know in case other people feel the same way.
posted by amtho at 5:46 PM on November 11, 2006

fwiw, I feel the same way as amtho. If I had found another service that would do what I wanted, I would have used them to avoid the embarrassment of telling people my site name (myname.smugmug.com). Sigh.
posted by LobsterMitten at 5:48 PM on November 11, 2006

I use Printroom and couldn't be happier with the quality of their service. Also cool is that I can set my own prices.
posted by xo at 5:57 PM on November 11, 2006

Does printroom sell cards? Cards sell just as well as prints for me but I haven't found a place to have both from the same interface.

... And one that doesn't have a stupid name or unprofessional looking website. Aargh.
posted by cda at 6:11 PM on November 11, 2006

How about DeviantArt?
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 6:20 PM on November 11, 2006

Make sure you read and understand the terms of these sites. With Zazzle, you are giving them a perpetual licence to produce items with the photos you upload to them. (second paragraph of section 15 in their user agreement. This could be a problem if you later want to licence them to someone who wants exclusivity.
posted by winston at 6:41 PM on November 11, 2006

I use cafe press and am OK with the service...though their tools are occasionally flaky and their clothing quality is meh. They do everything acceptably, and nothing superbly. I guess that is the price paid for convenience.
posted by maxwelton at 8:00 PM on November 11, 2006