| al cameras are so popular in recent years due to its | | | | business day. Another is a bit cheaper, but takes a |
| convenience and capacity. Every event or celebration | | | | week. |
| you go to now has at least several people snapping | | | | - Drop Off. Can you upload your digital pictures to |
| away. Once you pay for the camera and memory | | | | them via the internet (very convenient) or do you have |
| cards, your costs are zero, until you actually have a | | | | to deliver them on a floppy or CD? |
| picture you want to print. You can take 40 pictures of | | | | - Quality. You may have to talk to relatives, friends, |
| your new child, niece, nephew, grandchild, etc, and if | | | | and co-workers about this one. Find others who have |
| only two good shots came out of that, then you only | | | | already tried various printers. One photo lab's web site |
| pay for those two. | | | | states that they will not print a picture with too low a |
| In fact, owning your own photo quality printer is | | | | resolution (nothing under 150 DPI allowed). This can be |
| definitely faster. There are even people who take a | | | | inconvenient, but assures you of a quality print. |
| small printer with them and make prints for other | | | | Speaking of resolution, a 4x6 printed at 200 DPI |
| guests right away. It is almost as easy as a traditional | | | | requires a digital print that is 800 by 1200 pixels. An |
| Polaroid camera. The large chains have jumped into | | | | older model 1.0 megapixel camera can do this easily. If |
| this fray in a BIG way. Wal-Mart, Blacks, Business | | | | you have a more modern 3.3 megapixel camera you |
| Depot, and many others. With all this competition | | | | can create a 200 DPI print that is 8x10. One of the |
| comes low, low pricing. A typical 4x6 print from a big | | | | advantages of a better camera, say a 5 mp, is that |
| chain is cheaper than the retail cost of the | | | | you can "crop" part of the picture away and still have |
| do-it-yourself paper that the same chain sells in their | | | | the 3.3 megapixels required for an 8x10. |
| photography center. And at home you still have to pay | | | | - A standard "snapshot" for a photo album is 4x6 in |
| for the ink! | | | | size. That is a ratio of 1.5. Most new cameras have a |
| Here are 6 things to consider when getting a photo lab | | | | photo ratio of 1.33! What happens if you send a 1.33 |
| to print your digital pictures. | | | | picture to a photo lab and ask for a 4x6? They cut off |
| - Price. All the major players have priced their 4x6 size | | | | ("crop") part of the picture you took, making it shorter |
| very competitively. The larger sizes though, like 5x7 or | | | | on its longest side. You may not like the part they cut |
| 8x10, are usually higher in cost than what you can do it | | | | off! The best internet upload systems for photo labs |
| for at home. | | | | allow you to indicate what can be cut off. Alternatively, |
| - Delivery. Does your photo lab let you pick them up in | | | | use a program on your computer to make the digital |
| the store, or do you have to wait for the post office or | | | | picture the correct size and ratio before uploading. |
| a courier? Picking them up at the store should be a | | | | Since you have to pay nothing for the digital camera |
| no-cost option. If you can pick them up, is the location | | | | unless you want to print it out, it is advised that you |
| easy to get in and out of? | | | | take as many pictures as possible and choose the |
| - Timing. How fast do they work? One photo lab has | | | | best picture later when you want to print them. |
| a reputation of having most orders ready in one | | | | |