Now that you’ve taken – or will be taking – great fun in the summer photos (check out me in the water above!), how about planning to use them for something other than Facebook and Twitter? I’m thinking customized photo cards. It’s a little early for holiday planning, but how fun to just drop a note to the in-laws on your family’s vaca pics?
You know, cards get a bad wrap these days: old, tired, out of date. Who uses snail mail anymore?!?
But how awesome would it be to get a real card in the mail? Something that grandma can hold in her hands (and, incidentally, not have to ask you to come over to print the thing off the computer for her!)
NextAdvisor, a leading consumer research company, did a test of all (well, most anyway) the customized photo card sites out there and ranked them. Let’s see who won…
Tiny Prints (No wonder; they rock! I’ve used them many times for Christmas cards) takes the overall prize for great quality and attractive designs. These guys are modern and playful, without being cutesy. A hard balance, actually. They are a tad expensive for bulk orders, but seriously great photo quality.
Best bargain site is one I’ve never heard before: Pear Tree. Apparently their prices are better but there isn’t as much design choice.
Best High end printer is Minted. I’ll concur. Minted is the Bentley of cards. I’ve held one, once, and the paper was sooooo money (you remember that scene with the dudes and the business cards – what was that movie?!?)
Best for large orders is Mixbook, another site I’ve never used. I hear the print quality is less than the big boys, but the price point is great. Depends on if you’re a photo-snob like myself. I think I’d choose quality over price…up to a point. Then price rules.
As a counter point, some of the sites that score the lowest: Snapfish, CafePress and Zazzle.
Also worth mentioning: eco conscious cards from Paper Culture score very well. Good to know. If you want to see the full comparison chart, follow this on over to NextAdvisor.
photo credit: MHMB
