After a recent trip to Wal-Mart to use one of their Kodak Kiosks for a last minute print job, I vowed to never go there again. I was not happy with the quality of the photos nor the prices. Now I have used the online services of Kodak Gallery and Snapfish but I wanted a service that catered to photographers. So I took to the Internet to find something better.
I think I have finally found one. My Photo Pipe.
I found their website very easy to navigate and was able to review their prices without having to register or sign up for an account. My Photo Pipe offers prints in a variety of sizes from wallets on up to 32 x 96 prints, multi-photo prints, gallery wraps and panoramic prints.
They also offer 4 different paper options, bordered prints, and even Print to fit for those photos you want exactly as you took it. They also offer color correction services for a nominal fee.
My Photo Pipe also offers Print How-To’s on cropping your photos to fit the print choices, print quality and choosing the right dpi (dots per inches) and color space. And for professionals, they even offer a Printer Profile download so that what I see on my computer will be what I see in my prints.
My Photo Pipe has partnered with Pro Photo Gifts so that you can gets your pictures printed on items such as playing cards, coffee mugs, wine boxes, and clothing to name a few. By looking at their list of over 300 items you can personalize, it appears they offer way more than Kodak or Snapfish.
The true test of any product is actually using it. So the Friday before Christmas I placed my order for some 8 x 10 prints of our recent family photos. My Photo Pipe has two options for ordering online. You can use their photopipe xpress which is a web based system or you can download their Java based application and use their remote order entry system (ROES). I used ROES to place my order. First I had to upload my photos from my external hard drive. This was time consuming because I have over 5,000 photos on this drive and ROES had to bring up the entire drive. If there is a way to specify which folder to look in, I was not able to find it. So I took a stretch break while it was doing its thing.
Once the photos were accessible I was able to quickly select the print size I wanted and then simply drag the photo into the editor. I had to do a little cropping and adjustment to get the picture perfect. Once I was all done placing prints into my shopping cart I was able to review my order, add my Copyright info and select whether or not I wanted them to color correct my photos. I opted for no color correction because I wanted to see how well my color management skills are.
My Photo Pipe has three shipping options: USPS, UPS and FedEx. I know they ship to Canada via UPS and I am waiting to hear about International Shipping for those of you located outside of North America. I opted for FedEx since it was only two dollars more than USPS and the service is more reliable. I have major issues with mail delivery via USPS here in the desert. My Photo Pipe also offers Drop Shipping for a small additional fee. For professionals this is perfect for having client photos delivered directly. A service I will likely use in the future as my Photography business grows. I see that they also offer a way for me to sell my photos. Something I will have to check out. For now I am using Cafe Press.
UPDATE: My Photo Pipe is no longer shipping to Canada and they do not ship Internationally.
My Photo Pipe exceeded my expectations on the delivery. I figured this close to Christmas they would have plenty of orders to process but they were true to their word of a 24 hour turn-a-round on prints and I received my photos on Wednesday, two days before Christmas. The photos were sent in a think envelop and protected from bend damage by placement between two pieces of cardboard. And I was also quite pleased with the quality of the prints and the coloring of my photos. Next time I will try out their color correct services to I can see the difference. They also sent me a coupon for $5 off my next order which I will gladly use.
Overall I would give My Photo Pipe a 4 star rating. My only issue was not being able to select which folder to upload for ordering use. Otherwise I would definitely recommend using My Photo Pipe for your photo print needs.
Wishing you a picture perfect day from the desert.
Patty, The Digital Mom
*Note – I was not compensated in any way for this review nor was I asked by My Photo Pipe for a review of their services. These opinions are my own based on my personal experience with My Photo Pipe.