Can I Have a Double?

Remember back in the day (left) when you had to ask your friends to get double prints of pictures made so that you could have a copy? Or the person taking your picture had to guess if you blinked your eyes or not? Or how about getting a roll of pictures developed only to realize you took 20 of 24 prints of your purse?

Well friends, all of these problems have been solved by digital cameras.

Today, the only problems we face are begging our friends to upload pictures to the World Wide Web and making sure we order them.

I’m a huge fan of the Kodak Gallery, but there are a number of other sites out there for you to pick…

· Shutterfly: The winner of a number of awards from places like Good Housekeeping and Cookie Magazine, Shutterfly has a number of ways for you to personalize your photographs. Browsing the site, I can see why moms’ like it so much. It’s easy to use and the themes are family-friendly. The fundraising tool is pretty neat too.

o Cost to join: Free storage, photo sharing, software, festive boarders and back-of-print messaging.
o Cost of photos: 15 cents
o Gift options: Photo books, cards, mugs, invitations, calendars, etc.

· Snapfish: Owned by Hewlett-Packard, Snapfish offers people free membership with unlimited photo storage. Snapfish is just okay - nothing really stood out to me to make this service unique or special.
o Cost to join: Free to join and share pictures
o Cost of photos: 9 cents
o Gift options: Flipbooks, stationary, jewelry, posters, aprons, etc.


· WinkFlash: If you are looking for inexpensive prints, WinkFlash just may be your site. The sharing capibilites aren’t as attractive as other sites and it isn’t as user friendly.
o Cost to join: Free photo storage and sharing.
o Cost of photos: 8 cents
o Gift options: Poster prints, calendars, mugs, mousepads, t-shirts and photo books.

· Photoworks: With simple instructions, Photoworks specializes in photo books and gifts. To keep your account active, Photoworks requires that you place an order once per year.
o Cost to join: Free and there is unlimited photo storage.
o Cost of photos: 15 cents
o Gift options: Greeting cards, sticky notepads, key chains, puzzles, etc.

· MPix: This service touts itself as a “favorite site of serious shooters,” this may be the best site for professional prints. Of the photos sites, I must say that I was most impressed with Mpix’s gift gallery. If you are a parent of an athlete, or a dodgeball player that wants to make trading cards for your team, this is the site for you!
o Cost to join: I don’t believe there is a cost to join, but that isn’t clearly outlined on the Web site.
o Cost of photos: Prices start at 29 cents
o Gift options: Greeting cards, books, wall clings, magazine covers, statuettes, buttons, memory mates, magnets and key chains.