Raise your hand if you have thousands (tens of thousands?) of phone photos that you’ve never printed. Basically, my entire children’s lives are documented on my iPhone and I’ve literally spent hours awake in bed at night concerned about the fate of all of those images. I decided enough was enough and went on the lookout for quick and easy ways to start turning digital images into hard copies. By doing this, not only will you be able to clear memory on your phone for new images, but I guarantee your family will thoroughly enjoy flipping through the prints. As a mom, time is one of our most precious resources so here are three fast and simple photo printing solutions to get those snaps off your phone and into your hands.
CHATBOOKS
How it works: Connect a photo source from your phone (Instagram, Facebook or Favorites) to begin your Chatbooks photo series. Each time you post a photo on social media or favorite a photo in your camera roll, it automatically loads into your book. The book creates itself with each photo in chronological order and adds the date and caption from the original post. As you approach the 60 photo capacity, you’ll receive a notification that your book is nearing completion and will print once it’s full. You can edit, change the layout and remove photos, or let it print as is.
Cost: $8 for soft cover $12 for hardcover + free shipping (small fee to expedite)
Recommended uses: I love using Chatbooks to document trips and events. I created several books from our recent cross-country trip to Grandma’s house and had an extra copy sent to her as a thank you. I also created a series of Chatbooks to capture monthly moments from my baby’s first year. And since the images populate into the book chronologically, Chatbooks took the guesswork out of placing all of my son’s photos in the correct order (take that mom brain!).
Bonus: For an extra $2 you can add to your order 5 photos from the book printed on 5×5 card stock. These are great to use for note cards or send as postcards.
FREE PRINTS
How it works: Download the app and choose photos from various sources on your phone. Select up to 85 photos and check out by the final day of the month. Once you’ve completed your order the pictures go to print. The individual 4×6 photos arrive at your doorstep ready to share. No subscription required and the printing period resets on the first of the month to start building your next set of prints.
Cost: Pay only for shipping which ranges from $1.99 to $9.99. Small fee to print duplicate photos or enlargements.
Recommended uses: This is my go-to option for printing everyday photos. Being silly at the dinner table or playing in the dirt in the backyard, I love having prints of our daily lives. Having these photos at my fingertips are perfect for including in birthday cards and notes we send to our family and friends across the country for a peek into how we spend our days.
Bonus: You can also use Free Prints to print photos from your computer.
GROOVEBOOK
How it works: Each month choose 40-100 phone images (photos will be duplicated to reach 100 if not selected) to be displayed in your Groovebook. Once you reach your monthly print date (determined by the date you initially sign up for your subscription) your photos will be bound into a 4×6 photo flip book with a colorful and unique cover and spine design. The photos are perforated to easily remove from the book to share or display or stay intact in the booklet.
Cost: Monthly subscription starts at $2.99 a month plus tax. Free shipping.
Recommended uses: Groovebook is great for compiling monthly highlights. Trips to the zoo, school functions, playdates, park outings, birthday parties and more all organized nicely into a bound book. Kids love to flip through the colorful album and see themselves in action. The best part is that you can easily tear out individual photos to share copies with others.
Bonus: For the same price as your first book ($2.99 + tax) you can order additional copies to share with loved ones.
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Hi, as a busy new mom looking for ways to organize and keep track of the hundreds of photos I take per month of my family, this is SUPER helpful. Thanks!
Do you have any idea of the “catch” to Free Prints? Seems like a great, no-brainer service but I don’t see how the prints are completely free.
Hi Whitney!
I thought the same thing – what’s the catch here? – but really haven’t found one! If standard 4×6 prints are what you’re looking for (up to 85 per month) this is a great deal! You do pay for shipping and handling (ranging from $1.99-9.99) and duplicates or enlargements. And if you have the app on your phone, it sends a reminder when your monthly photo allotment is nearing expiration. I like that you have to actually click to submit the order each month rather than printing automatically so I’m sure to hand select my print worthy pics.
I’m glad you found this post helpful! Best wishes in your photo printing! 🙂
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