Prices Plummet at Photo Processing Web Sites

A picture may be worth a thousand words -- but when it comes to online photo printing, a picture is worth as little as 5 cents a print.

In case you didn't notice, an online photo processing price war has broken out, with sites such as Snapfish, Shutterfly, and SmugMug dropping the cost of having your digital images turned into prints by as much as 30 percent compared to two years ago. Competition is also fierce from entrants you may have never heard of, such as PhotoFun -- which is offering photo processing of 4x6 images for as little as $0.05 a pop.

Two years ago, a PC World review of the leading online photo companies found an average cost of about 15 cents for a 4x6 print, with the low-end bottoming out at 12 cents. Today, you can snag a snapshot from those same services for less than a dime.

Snapfish has dropped prices for photo processing an average of 25 percent over the past two years. A 4x6 print will run you $0.09, compared to $0.12 two years ago at Snapfish. Two years ago, SmugMug was charging $2.99 for 8x10 prints. Today, it charges $1.99. Prices for 5x7 prints have also dipped over the past two years, from $0.99 to $0.79.

Where to Find the Cheapest Prints

Kodak EasyShare Gallery is the only online photo processing site PC World looked at that did not drop its prices on standard sized prints. It has charged consistently over the past two years for prints: $0.15 for 4x6, $0.99 for 5x7, and $3.99 for 8x10.

"One of them goes down in price, the other ones are forced to respond," Dimitrios Delis with the Photo Marketing Association International explained to me.

So how do they keep making money? It's simple: They're not profiting on your pictures. Instead, Delis says the sites pull in their bank by upselling you on stuff like scrapbooks, or custom calendars.

The Real Price

One important thing to remember: The listed price isn't what you actually pay. Factor in shipping charges and what seemed like a bargain might not be such a steal. The average post-shipping cost comes out to about a quarter right now. You can find cheaper rates, though... if you know where to look.

I found prices vary from site to site depending on whether you want 4x6, 5x7, or 8x10 prints. The bottom line: It will definitely pay to shop around.

The Official Breakdown

All right, so here's the breakdown for 4x6 prints, all factors considered. It's by no means a comprehensive list, but it'll show you how some of the most known companies stack up with some noteworthy up-and-comers. As you'll see, the services with the smallest prices aren't the ones with the biggest names. Take a mental snapshot and save yourself some hard-earned dough.

Winkflash
Price-Per-Print: $0.08 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.49
Actual cost per print: $0.13

PhotoFun
Price-Per-Print: $0.05 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.76
Actual cost per print: $0.14

Ritzpix
Price-Per-Print: $0.09 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.99
Actual cost per print: $0.14

Sam's Club (store membership required)
Price-Per-Print: $0.08 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.50
Actual cost per print: $0.16

Costco (store membership required)
Price-Per-Print: $0.17 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: Free
Actual cost per print: $0.17

Clark Color Labs
Price-Per-Print: $0.08 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.97
Actual cost per print: $0.18

Wal-Mart
Price-Per-Print: $0.09 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.80
Actual cost per print: $0.18

York Photo
Price-Per-Print: $0.08 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.97
Actual cost per print: $0.18

Fotki
Price-Per-Print: $0.09 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.95
Actual cost per print: $0.19

Snapfish
Price-Per-Print: $0.09 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.97
Actual cost per print: $0.19

Flickr (via QOOP)
Price-Per-Print: $0.15 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $2.09
Actual cost per print: $0.25

Shutterfly
Price-Per-Print: $0.15 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.99
Actual cost per print: $0.25

AOL Pictures
Price-Per-Print:$0.15 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $2.25
Actual cost per print: $0.26

Kodak EasyShare Gallery
Price-Per-Print:$0.15 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $2.15
Actual cost per print: $0.26

CVS Photo Center
Price-Per-Print: $0.19 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.99
Actual cost per print: $0.29

Walgreens
Price-Per-Print:$0.19 cents for a 4x6 print
Shipping: $1.97
Actual cost per print: $0.29

(Note: For consistency's sake, these prices are all assuming you order a total of 20 prints.)

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