Cheap, low-quality photo printing

June 22, 2024 1:05 AM

Where is it??

Shutterfly, mpix, some flickr-adjacent service…all want to sell me high-res glossy prints for premium prices. But I don’t need great images to frame—I’m just interested in scientific illustration reference and don’t care a whit about paper quality, or even image quality, that much.

Where do you order color prints in the 8.5” x 11” neighborhood, with decent clarity but not necessarily high resolutions, that will arrive in the mail within a few business days?

posted by knotty knots to Media & Arts (13 answers total)

Why not a cheap color laser printer? There's a nice hp for $250 on Amazon. Obviously the cost for the first one is high but with continual use your cost per print will end up in the pennies.
posted by chasles at 2:35 AM on June 22 [2 favorites]

Fedex document printing, if you live in the US? If you're looking for something beyond regular printing, they have a confusing range of other services.
posted by trig at 4:31 AM on June 22

With the caveat I have not used them in ages, Vistaprint used to be my go-to for inexpensive but decent prints. Looks like $3.99 for one 8.5" x 11" print, but there may be a minimum and/or shipping fees that make ordering just one too pricey.

I think you can walk into an office supply store like Staples or Kinkos for a few copies, if you have that option.
posted by Glinn at 5:45 AM on June 22 [1 favorite]

$3 at WalMart.
posted by metasarah at 6:32 AM on June 22 [1 favorite]

I’ve been happy with the inexpensive prints I’ve gotten from my local CVS.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:46 AM on June 22

Do you care how long the prints last? If you want them to useful for years, that’s another factor to consider.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 6:50 AM on June 22

Walgreens has sub-$3 prints when you use the mobile app to order and combine it with a discount code. There's always a code.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:56 AM on June 22 [1 favorite]

If you just want a colour print on 8.5 x 11 paper, then you don't want a photo printing service, you just want a print service. Depending on how many you want at a time, it might be cheaper just to get it done locally. My local print shop would charge somewhere between $0.50 and $1 for pretty good quality, but Staples also does this worse for the same price.
posted by ssg at 8:18 AM on June 22

My library has color printers, ten cents a copy.
posted by Marky at 9:52 AM on June 22

Response by poster: Why not a cheap color laser printer?

If anyone knows of one that’s reliable and doesn’t ask for new ink cartridges at random intervals or fail because of a Bluetooth issue or jam up a perfectly good piece of paper or require software installment…I’m open to it! The last time I looked around, there was an option like this, but it wasn’t compatible with any Apple products. A home printer is also just bulky, and I don’t have a lot of space.

And I’m very into the convenience of having the prints (usually around 10-15) mailed to me.
posted by knotty knots at 10:04 AM on June 22

Seconding the library suggestion; I was stunned to realize my library actually has a weekly free printing allowance ($7, with prints of b/w being 10 cents and color 50 cents).
posted by The otter lady at 11:58 AM on June 22 [1 favorite]

If you're in the US, try Staples. Not sure how much it bumps up the cost, but they'll for sure deliver/ship.
posted by Bigfoot Mandala at 2:17 PM on June 22

If you want to bring it in-house, forget HP. Their build quality continues to decline, and their operating cost is high. The Brother HL-L3220CDW is compact, has automatic 2-sided printing, easy connectivity including wireless, and will print from phones/tablets. Especially at your relatively low print volume, laser/LED (using dry toner) is absolutely the way to go. You won't have to worry about ink drying up or getting wasted in cleaning cycles from disuse. It's best to keep a set of toners on-hand so you're never left high and dry, and they'll keep for years in storage. But if that's not an option, the printer will also give you a "X color low" warning in plenty of time to get a replacement toner ordered and ready before you run out. (As long as you get right on that and don't put it off for several print jobs!) Don't subscribe to any brand's "auto supplies delivery" stuff, you don't need it, especially at your low volume. Those odds (and costs) are absolutely stacked to favor the manufacturer. Just buy toner as you need it. At your low volume, you'll probably never need to replace a drum unit, waste toner box, or anything else for years and years.
posted by xedrik at 6:16 PM on June 24 [1 favorite]