Digital cameras are perhaps one of the best inventions ever . . . Instant photo gratification! We don’t have to go to the photo lab and wait an hour, or more, to actually see the pictures we took. I can’t even remember what it was like to wonder if the picture you took was any good. We can immediately distribute our photos via a variety of online methods and share them with others. But, and this is a big BUT, it is still difficult to print your photos for display on your walls without going to the photo lab.

The best way to avoid your local photo lab and do the printing at home is to use your existing inkjet printer. Of course, the quality of your prints will vary considerably depending on the type of inkjet printer you own. Some printers are built for photo quality prints, some are not. Regardless you can still print some fairly decent images on just about any inkjet printer as long as you stick to printing smaller images. Stick with the 4×6 inch pictures and save the 5×7′s and larger for the photo lab. You can also make a huge difference in the quality of your prints by getting your hands on some glossy or matte photo paper.

If you find yourself getting more serious about printing photos at home then head out and pick up a photo inkjet printer. These will be more expensive than your typical inkjet printer but are far more capable of producing higher quality prints than your non-photo inkjet printer. Photo printers also allow you to print directly from your camera or memory card. This will save you the time of having to upload the pictures to your computer before printing.

For those than can wait a few days to get their photos in the mail, online services like Shutterfly and Snapfish are really good. Personally, I am a big fan of doing my photo printing at CostCo. Upload the photos and pick them up at your local store an hour later for as low as $0.13 per print. Some instant photo gratification!

Let me know how you print your photos. If you have any tricks or tips to share let me know about them too.

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