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Don’t lose photos you took on your phone – now it’s easier than ever to have them printed and sent by post (what will they think of next!)
HOLIDAY snaps used to be treasured possessions to be stored in photo albums – but these days rather than having film turned into glossy prints, digital snaps are left stored on mobiles and computers.
One of the problems with this digital age is that if your smartphone or camera is broken or stolen, there is the potential for a huge catalogue of cherished photos to be lost.
Yet there is no need to risk such valuable memories going missing because there is a wide range of competitive printing options available. You can get paper-printed photos from as little as 5p each – in ways that include using a phone app to plugging a camera into a high-tech box in a high street shop.
Laura Rettie, 33, from Cirencester, Gloucestershire, is a keen photographer. She says: ‘I have always loved taking photos – even developing my own black-and-white prints. But as digital photography took over I started to just leave my pictures on my camera or computer, never to be looked at again.’
She adds: ‘But this year I went on a holiday to the Philippines and took some stunning photos that I just had to get developed into prints. It was a revelation being able to see photos in this way again – and because you are able to pick and choose which snaps you wish to print it is easyasy to be discerning.’
Laura, a campaign manager for a public relations company, used phone app Lalalab to get photos uploaded from her mobile after seeing the service recommended by others on the e internet. She paid £20 for more e than 50 photos to be printed andnd was delighted with the results, ts, posted to her within three days. s.
She says: ‘It is so convenientt to order photos online – and if you use a payment method such as PayPal it is almost too easy y to spend money.
‘I ordered more photos than an I wanted and next time I will be more selective and also order duplicates cates for friends.’
LAURA put the photos into frames and on noticeboards. But a benefit of digital photography is that you can do whatever you like with the images – using them as prints for everything from cushions and mugs to calendars, canvasses and jigsaw puzzles. Although she ordered prints, Laura still e enjoys sharing many of the same p photos with millions of others online. At least 1.8billion photos are upload uploaded worldwide on to social media websites each day and shared with others via Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp.
For summer holidays, a handy and economic way to remember the trip is to order a photo book.
Boots offers a hardback book (20x20cm) for 20 photos at £24.99 and £1.99 postage. Both Truprint and Snapfish charge £24.99 for a book of the same size and number of photos, plus £3.99 postal charge.
Bonusprint charges £18.99 for a 21x21cm hardback book of 24 photos – plus £4.99 postage.
Meanwhile, PhotoBox offers a 30page 22x22cm hardcover book for £30, plus £4.29 postage.
The free Lalalab app allows smartphone users to print pictures from a mobile or social medial website. You can order 26 photos in a hardback 21x21cm book for £19.90 with postage costing £3.90.
Supermarkets are also getting in on the digital developing act, with Aldi and Tesco offering competitive deals. Tesco charges £22 for a 20x20cm hardcover book of photos plus £3.50 postage – or free if you pick up from the store eight days later.
Aldi demands £14.99 for a 24-page 20x20cm hardback photobook plus £3.50 postage.
Hannah Maundrell, of consumer website money.co.uk, says: ‘Do not feel daunted about using apps or websites to get some of your favour- ite photos printed. These companies are keen for your business so there are lots of special deals around for new customers and it is worth taking advantage of them.
‘Do not be afraid to try out a few different providers so as to compare the quality of photos they provide.’
Snapfish is offering a 40 per cent discount off the price of photo books, while Tesco has a 50 per cent discount deal running on acrylic photo blocks.
Truprint has a special offer of 100 free prints if you buy 50 – this runs until the end of the month. PhotoBox is currently offering up to 50 per cent off.
You may also be tempted to get your favourite snaps printed from your home computer – but despite its convenience the costs rarely stack up.
Even at the budget end of the market a handy photo printer such as the Polaroid Zip can cost you £100 while a pack of 30 photo sheets will set you back £18.