To exist in the modern world is to collect digital memories. On your smartphone. From your camera. From a gadget you wear on your forehead. The images are piling up, and most of them are doomed to live out their existence in simple digital formats and ever-changing social platforms. You should print them.
Not all of them, of course — in fact, not even one percent. But if there are even a hundred photos that you value, then you should print them out — nicely! — and put them on a wall. Or your desk.
There are four key ways to do this: Order Out, DIY, Pro-Grade, or DIY-Simple. I’ve experimented with all four, and in the process have learned a great deal about printing photos. So when you get the urge to have people oooh and aaah over your art in real-life person, consider these options.
ProDPI.com or AdoramaPix.com
Order Out. You can order prints from any number of sites online, including Walmart, Walgreens, Snapfish or Shutterfly. In general, the consumer-oriented sites are fine for people who want 4×6 prints from vacations or graduation parties. But that’s not what we’re talking about here. We’re talking about proper prints suitable for your wall or desk frame.
If that’s what you’re after, two sites rise to the top: ProDPI.com or AdoramaPix.com. They both offer a wide variety of options, including mounted and framed wall hangings, fully printed books, and, of course, straight prints on paper, which you can mount yourself or place in an album. The prices are reasonable, they both work very promptly, and in my experience the prints have been excellent reproductions of the digital files.
