Why you should print your family photos
Chances are, if you have siblings you fall into one of these categories:
- is the first born and has a baby album, or
- is not the first born and does not have a baby album.
I happen to fall into the first category (thanks mom!).
No judgements to the parents at all. Keeping up on printing photos is hard. I mean, I only have one kid & I’m not great at it.
But, I had a friend send me a post that said kids who see their photos around the house have higher self esteem and more sense of belonging. Have I seen those studies? No. But did it still feel like a punch to the gut? Yes.
I thought back to all the times my kid looked at photos of herself and got so excited (even when it was a stock photo of a baby I never removed from the frame & she just assumed it was her).
This reason helped me start printing my photos, but it was still hard. So here are some tips to get you started.
How to print photos
First I want to talk about how to print your photos. It might seem straightforward, but the options out there are likely one of the things contributing to your procrastination. There’s different prices, quality of photos, what size, do you need to buy a frame, a photo album, etc etc.
Thinking of all the options will really stop a person in their tracks. It does for me.
So here’s a breakdown…
Step one:
Decide WHY you are printing your photos.
Is it to hang on them on the wall, to put them in an album, to leave them in an envelope never to be looked at again? Maybe the TikTok ban has you thinking about the future of the invisible cloud in the sky that houses all of your most cherished memories in digital form. Whatever it is, your “why” will help you with step two.
Step two:
What quality of photos do you want?
The photos you get at Walmart are not the same as the ones you get from a print shop. I’ve always known there was a difference, but I didn’t know what the difference was, so I asked at Atlantic Photo Supply in Dartmouth (they have a Halifax location as well).
They told me that it has to do with the paper that the photos are printed on. Photos printed at places like Walmart or Costco (which now prints through Shutterfly but you get a discount) are printed on paper that is not the same quality. It has to do with the colour of the photos.
Atlantic Photo Supply prints on “continuous tone” paper which allows for the true colours of the images to print and it lasts for 100 years.
I am not saying you shouldn’t get your photos printed at Walmart, I am saying think of “why” you are printing them and what is important to you.
Step three:
Make a decision.
- If you are printing photos you want to hang on your wall, you want to go high quality.
- If you are printing photos to never look at them again, Walmart is fine.
- If you are printing photos to keep in an album because you don’t trust the cloud, you can do either - but I’d suggest the high quality.
- If you are printing out a bunch of pics for your friends & family to put on their fridge, I guess it just depends how much you love them (haha jk).
Okay, now you are ready to pick a spot to print them.
Where to print your photos
Think back to why you are printing your photos to choose the right spot. A local print shop is not less convenient than Walmart or Costco, but it will likely cost you more. But the quality is better.
ATLANTIC PHOTO SUPPLY
For high quality photos, you can order from Atlantic Photo Supply online or stop in and drop off a USB. I usually place my order online and then pick them up in Dartmouth (you can get them mailed to you). I find they are a lot faster than the big box stores.
Price for 4x6: between .50 - .64 cents each
HENRYS
Henrys also offers high quality printing services and has a store in Bayer’s Lake. They have a kiosk inside you can use to print photos or you can order them online.
Price for a 4x6: .36 cents each.
Full price sheet here (scroll to bottom)
Costco
Costco doesn’t have a print shop anymore, but you can login to Shutterfly with your Costco membership to get a discount.
Price for 4x6: Costco members price is .34 cents, regular Shutterfly price is .48 cents.
Walmart
You can order online or go into the store and they usually have kiosks at the back of the electronics department.
Price for 4x6: between .14 - .29 cents each
Still need more motivation to print your photos?
Sign up for my monthly reminder to print your photos. At the end of each month you’ll receive a reminder to print your photos along with an idea, tip, or prompt for capturing photos you’ll want to print!
