Photo products and gifts

Professional printing vs. retail chains printers

Professional Photo Printing

Pros

• Quality: Professional labs use high-quality inks and papers, resulting in superior color accuracy, detail, and longevity.
• Expertise: Ttheir technicians are trained to handle various formats and can provide advice on color correction, exposure, and print settings.
• Customization: They offer customizable options for prints and finishes, allowing for unique presentations and tailored to your needs.
• Consistency: Professional labs maintain consistent color calibration and printing techniques, resulting in uniformity across prints.
• Variety of Services: They offer a wide range of products, from prints and enlargements to specialty items like canvases and photo books.
• Priority service: As a professional photographer, I also offer limited professional printing services. I own a high-end printer and can provide expert advice on print quality. This service is for people who need a last minute photo print.

Cons

• Cost: Professional printing is expected to be more expensive than drugstore options.
• Turnaround Time: Processing times can be longer, especially for custom orders or other products than regular size prints.

Retail chains Photo Printing

pros

• Convenience: Drugstores often have quick turnaround times, with same-day service available.
• Cost-Effective: Generally, drugstore printing is less expensive, making it a budget-friendly option for casual prints.
• Accessibility: Most people have a drugstore nearby, making it easy to print photos without a long wait.

Cons

• Quality Variability: The quality of prints can vary significantly, especially if the store uses lower-grade equipment or materials.
• Limited Options: Drugstores often have fewer customization options in terms of paper types and finishes.
• Less Attention to Detail: Staff may not have the expertise to provide the same level of color correction and enhancement as professional labs.

So, if quality and longevity are your important to you, especially for special sessions or memories, professional printing is likely the better choice. On the other hand, if you're looking for a quick, budget-friendly solution for casual prints, drugstore printing can work for you as well.

Most important, don't try to print screenshot photos, because the quality is usually not meant for printed products.

Alternative options for printing

If you're looking for options for semi-professional photo printing, here are some great choices:

• Local Print Shops: Like your local camera store. They often have knowledgeable staff who can help with paper choices and finishes.
• Online Printing Services: Websites like Mpix or Printique provide a range of printing options, including various sizes, finishes, and even photo books.
• Office or Print Stores: Stores like Staples and Fedex offer printservices on a variety of papers. Most of them are pressprint options.

High volume products

For the Dance costume and sports media day sessions, I offer a service with Photoday that helps me provide a fast service that gives clients the option to select their favorite photo and order specialty products. There is the option for regular size prints, but also wallets, calendars, photo gifts like key chains, mugs, stickers, magnets as well as memory mates, where you will have a team photo and an individual photo in one 8x10 size print.

While these products are professional quality products, you as the costomer crop and size the photo and there is no customization or any variety in paper type and quality.

Wall, Album or gift prints

These are the most sold products in my business.

Albums

Photo albums are very important in preserving our memories and telling our stories. Photo albums can become very special items in our lives, especially because each album is filled with unique, individual photos that tell a story and reflect a moment we would like to remember.

Every step of the abum construction process is done by a proferssional lab. They are handcrafting a quality product to be shared for a lifetime.

Fabrics, leathers or leather-like materials are all included in the album price. The binding allows the pages to lay flat, so photos can be enjoyed uninterrupted.

Albums are printed on your choice of paper. Albums can be designed in any length between 5 and 40 spreads with thick pages, in sizes varying from 8x8 to 12x12.

Wall art

See your memories at its very best with modern, hand-crafted wall displays.

We offer a variety of Canvas, Metal or framed wall displays. There are multiple custom options to create a beautiful wall piece.

You can pick one big wall portrait of your favorite photo or if you can’t decide which photo you like best, select one of the canvas wall art sets.

Gift prints

Printed photos bring your digital memories to life. They are the most precious gift to give to lovedones, family and friends.

Photo prints can be mounted or matted, which gives your photos a sturdy backing, making them easy to frame.

Use an acrylic block to showcase the mounted or matted photos. We offer special gift or memory boxes to keep your photos in.

How do I know what photo size is the best for my walls?

First, there is no right size, the best answer is, what is the right size FOR YOU!

A photo of your extended family can be beautiful in a 20x30 size, but you have to stand very close to see everyone in the 5x7 wall print. Maybe you don't like to see yourself in a 30x40 canvas on your wall, but you do like to see your (grand-)children or your pets as an eye catcher in your livingroom.

If you don't like one big wall portrait, maybe you like a combination of a few smaller prints. Anything is possible!

There is the option to use your photos in a special software that can show you exactly what your photos will look like on your wall in a certain size or in a certain combination of sizes. I am here to help you selecting the best product in the best size for you!

Thank you cards, Announcements and business cards

Using your photos in thank you cards, announcements, and for your business cards can add a personal touch to your cards. My lab offers a card design option to create beautiful cards directly from your photo gallery store. These are some examples how you can use them:

Thank You Cards

There are many occasions to send a personalized photo thank you card to your guests. A beautiful wedding photo, a group photo of your bachelorette party or babyshower or a formal photo of your quinceañera or Mitzvah. When you are not sure what type of photo to use, select a photo that shows an emotion or special moment at the party and make sure everyone in the photo looks their best. When you place a photo on the front of the card you can use the back of the card for a handwritten personalized thank you note. I promise you, the card will be cherished for years to come!

Announcements

A high school or college graduation, your engagement or wedding, a new baby, all are great occasions to share with your family and friends. When a photo is included, you will see that people love to keep the card on their fridge or a corkboard. I even heard that people framed the card, because they loved having a photo of this special event.

Business Cards

People buy from people they know. They also will remember you much easier when they see your photo on a business card after a network meeting than when it is a card with just a name and a phone number. Use a professional headshot on your business card to represents your business. Keep the design clean. Your photo should enhance the card without overwhelming the contact information.

When you use a company like MOO that offers special and luxurious papers, your cards will stand out compared to others and future clients will know who they call when they see your photo on that card as well.