i just received my first orders from an online photo printing service called Winkflash.com, and i must say, i'm impressed. iactually received 2 orders, one for some 5x7 prints, and the other for a 16x20 "poster" enlargement of one of my photos for my living room wall.

the "poster" isn't really a poster at all... it's a realenlargement,done onactual photo paper, not flimsy poster paper like the first one i had done at another online lab. the image quality was very good, limited only by the resolution of the file i sent them; the print was justa teeny bit darker and more contrasty than it looked on my screen, butthe clarity and color rendition were spot on. they left about a 1/4" white border on the top and bottom, anda bit moreon each end; the actual print size is about 15.75" x 19.5", but once it's matted and framed, the border won't even show. the print was very carefully packaged - rolled with a protective tissue sheet over the image and placed in a cardboard mailing tube, which was in turn put inside a USPS mailing carton... much better handling and packaging than the last place i dealt with! the price for this very nice 16x20 enlargement was only $7.95, plus a very reasonable (espcially for the care they took!) $2.99 S&H!

the 5x7's came in a stiff cardboard envelope, along with a proof sheet with thumbnails of the pics and barcoded order information. print quality was on a par with any other commercial lab i've used. they use Fuji Crystal Archive photo paper, which appears about identical in finish and weight to the Kodak Royal brand. i prefer a matte paper, and these came with a soft, satin finish that is very pleasing to the eye, with minimal reflection, yet is smooth enough to permit even fine detail to show clearly.

service was excellent. i placed my orders last Saturday, the 31st. Even with the New Year's holiday on Monday, i still received my orders the following Thursday, and these guys are on the other side of the country (Rhode Island)! perhaps the best thing about these guys though, is their prices. the5x7's cost only $0.29 each; 8x10's are just $1.99, and 11x14's are only $4.99! small prints - 3x5 or 4x6 - are just $0.12 apiece, though i never print anything that small... and there's no minimum order.perhaps the best part of the price bargain, though, is shipping - they charge a flat $0.99 per order for prints (posters, calendars, and other goodies cost more), regardless of how many prints, or what sizes you order!those prices - especially for larger sizes - are tough to beat even printing at home, by the time you factor in the cost of ink cartridges and paper!

if you've been considering getting prints done by an online shop, but didn't know which one to use,or even if you routinely send orders to online photo labs already, give these guys a try! here's the link... http://www.winkflash.com/. i think you will be very pleased with their work. i know they will be my first choice for photo printing from now on! :G

This, looks really good...thanks

Just checked them out; signed up. I have used Mpix in the past and have had good luck with them. However, Winkflash is cheaper and you can mix color and BW on the same order. Thank You for sharing. :-)

Squirl033 -Thanks for the link - they seem to meet every criteria for digital photography needs. And best of all, they're right next door! Thanks again for this and ALL your posts - I've learned alot.kriellian

Thanks for the tip. I've heard of winkflash but hadn't checked them out. I'll take a look. :dude:

I just joined and ordered 38 5x7's. Can't wait til they get here. So glad to see they ship to APO addresses with no extra charge.

Thanks for sharing! :cool:

I joined, downloaded about 10 pics. Went back in to download more and I keep getting a disconnect. Could be on my end (DSL connection), but it also seems slow in downloading. I'll try again tomorrow, as I do like the setup. I normally use Sam's Club photo as they're cheap, use Fuji, and colors seem right to me (admittedly I'm an amateur).

Charlie46227 wrote: most online photo labs are a bit slow to upload photos. a lot depends on their server, how many folks are using it, and how large the files are that you're trying to upload. it took me several minuts to upload the images i ordered. but it was worth it...

It seems like a good offer - thanks for the tip. I have dialup and would have to use the CD mailer program

But I have not yet decided on using the services. I don't like the idea of giving my CC number to some site that I know nothing of thier security for its protection. Even big corporations have been hacked. So far I have only given it out over the net just once; to an antivirus corporation for software use.

I know -I may beparanoid but that doesn't mean they are not out to get me!

m.achure wrote: Regarding using your credit card to purchase online, I have a second, separate credit card that I use for online purchases only. It has a much lower limit than my regular card, fraud protection guarantee from the issuing vendor, and I can check the balance / purchases online at any time. Although this isn't 100% protection by any means, it at least minimizes the impact should something go amiss. I also try to research / get recommendations on the companiesI purchase from. No bad experiences to date - I think I shop more online than I do in the shops these days!

On the subject of recommendations, does anyone have some for online photo labs in the UK? I have rarely printed my pics up til now but think it's time to start :-)