Printing photos? Options, fees vary

December 05, 2005|Associated Press

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Point. Shoot. Print. Getting a hard copy of your memories has never been easier. Picture this: More than two-thirds of the estimated 17 billion prints from digital cameras made this year were created from the comfort of snap-happy homes.

Another 27 percent came from the photofinishing services of retailers, where people either use the self-serve computer terminals or place their orders online for pickup later at the store. The remainder, according to market researcher IDC, were delivered straight to consumers via online services that nowadays charge as low as a dime a print, not counting shipping. In fact, while prices vary, market researchers say the retail route is generally cheaper than do-it-yourself inkjet printing.

Beyond these main options are countless variations. In Pennsylvania, parents can order pictures of newborns at a kiosk before at the hospital. In Maine, customers can go to Cafe Click, a digital printing lounge that offers gourmet coffee.

With so many printing choices -- not to mention price cuts and promotions -- shutterbugs often find choosing how to get a print in hand is the hardest part. The method of printing will usually depend on how quickly you want to see the results, how many you want, how far you're willing to travel to get them, and how much you want to pay.

But this much is clear: ''You have a lot more flexibility now than what you used to have with film," said Chris Chute, digital imaging analyst at IDC.

What's less obvious is what each of these options really costs.

The average price of printing a 4-by-6 at home is 27 cents, if you include the costs of photo paper and ink but not the printer, according to IDC. The retail segment, stores like Walgreen or Costco, has an average price of 21 cents a print. For online photo services like Kodakgallery.com, Shutterfly.com or Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Snapfish.com, the average price is 30 cents, including shipping.

Still, printing at home has a key advantage: get prints anytime you want as long as you're willing to wait up to a minute for each print.