Digital photo
print services review (part 1)
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-- [review part 2 - June 2004]
Introduction -- Test photos -- Cost -- Ease of use -- Delivery time -- Image quality -- Compare scans -- Cropping -- Final results
Total score
The marks awarded for image quality, ease of use, cropping and delivery time were combined to give a total test score. Marks out of 100 are shown in the table below. As image quality is the most important aspect this was given the highest weight of 60% of the total.
| Weight |
Bonusprint |
Boots |
Canon i850 |
Colab |
digi-prints |
Peak Imaging |
Photobox* |
Photodeal |
Pixum |
|
| Image Quality |
60% |
2.80 |
2.75 |
3.43 |
2.95 |
3.10 |
4.40 |
3.80* |
3.95 |
2.50 |
| Ease of use |
15% |
4 |
4 |
3 |
4 |
4 |
3 |
5 |
4.5 |
3 |
| Cropping |
15% |
3.5 |
2.5 |
3 |
4.25 |
5 |
4.75 |
4.75 |
3.5 |
4.25 |
| Delivery time |
10% |
4.5 |
3.5 |
5 |
4.5 |
4.5 |
5 |
5 |
4.5 |
3 |
| Total/100 |
|
65 |
60 |
69 |
69 |
73 |
86 |
85* |
80 |
58 |
* Update (May 2004): I have been disappointed by the quality of recent prints from Photobox. The prints are now comparable to those from Boots, Colab and digi-prints. If the Photobox quality score is replaced with the highest mark of the other three (3.1) then the total test score for Photobox based on recent prints becomes 76/100 - about halfway between digi-prints and Photodeal.
The graph below plots total score against cost per print when ordering 50 6x4s in a single order. Points towards the upper left corner show better value for money than points towards the bottom right.
While Peak Imaging received the highest test score it is also the most expensive service. Photobox and Photodeal offer a good compromise between quality and price with digi-prints offering the best value for money. The rather disappointing quality of the 6x4 "Park" print from digi-prints discourages me from considering using them for standard 6x4 prints although I will seriously consider using them for enlargements. Photodeal looses out slightly to Photobox as they cropped the images more tightly and their software was slightly less convenient to use than the web-based service from Photobox.
The inkjet prints from the Canon i850 were remarkably good for a non-photo printer, although they are expensive if you use Canon ink and photo paper, as recommended by the manufacturer for maximum print quality. For small numbers of prints the Canon is probably the best value as there is no p&p to pay, although there is the question of image stability. Dye-based inks used in inkjet printers are prone to fading if not kept behind glass or in a photo album whereas the prints from the online print services use a real photographic process which is much more fade-resistant.
Finally, the following graph plots price per print for 5, 20 and 50 6x4 and 7x5 photos against total test score for each printing service.
Bonusprint -- Boots -- Canon i850 inkjet -- Colab -- Digi-prints -- Peak Imaging -- Photobox -- Photodeal -- Pixum
© David Griffin, November 2003