Be careful when getting digital prints from Target...

[amp]

This isn't truly an angry bitch because I used a coupon to get mostly free digital pics (we paid about $5, so no biggie. And, I love shopping Target, so this isn't going to change that. I just thought someone who was planning to spend more money might want to be aware of this.

We used 2 different Target stores so we could use 2 coupons, and the final product was not good at either store. From one Target the pics look okay but the color is just a slight bit off. Nothing major there, but there is a grainly, kind of lined look to the background of many of the photos. It's not really obvious, but certainly not great, and not as good as our experience from Shutterfly. The 2nd Target was worse. The pictures actually have a great deal of pixelation on them, which looks the worst on faces and eyes. My poor baby looks like his eyes are very funky! It is enough to distort the actual facial features! It's pretty bad, and the more you look, the more obvious it is and the more terribly you realize the digital printing was.

Now, I have some of these exact same photos from Shutterfly that I have framed, but these were going to be used for scrapbooking, so I ordered them even though I already have 1 copy. The pics are vastly different, so I know the problem is not with us or the camera.

Again, we don't want to follow up with this since we really didn't take any loss over it, but wanted to forewarn others to try ordering a minimal amount of pics before ordering a bunch of them. That way, you can see if your store does a better job. I would not have paid for these.

[jbowman]

Thanks for the heads up--we have a bunch to print and thought about taking them to Target (I'm always looking for an excuse to shop at Target--I love that place!), but we'll take them somewhere else!

[llcoddington]

I also had a 25 free coupon and will not use Target for digital printing again. They chopped off the top of Lauren's head in most of the pictures! (And, her head wasn't near the top!) Oh well, I don't have time to go back, so I'm not going to worry about it. Just won't use them again.

Lana
mommy to Lauren 12/5/03

[houseof3boys]

So ironic that you posted this. I took my coupon for the 25 free ones to 2 different Targets and one looked like crap and one was good. The one that came out good had just been serviced (it was down the day I was in there to drop off the CD) so that explains the quality. I am going to upload the same pics to Shutterfly to compare them as well as go to Sam's (fuji instead of Target's Kodak).

It really depends on the machine they are printed on. I'm sure that Shutterfly, Ofoto, et cetera have much higher standards than a Target does though!

[youngmommy]

I have tried so many places to get digital prints, and the best by far has been Best Buy. I always do in-store pickup to save on shipping costs, and their prices are relatively inexpensive. I usually upload my pix online, and they'll send an e-mail when they're ready to be picked up. Some stores offer in-store photo processing, so the turn around time is usually within the day, while others have the photos printed off site and then are shipped in, which takes longer, but is still worth it. Pro-Ex also has great prints, but they're also quite a bit more expensive. HTH!!

[cstack]

I've had really great luck with Sam's photos - both having them printed by the photo people and using the photo maker and doing it myself. I got pics from CVS, though (again, having them do it and using the photo maker)and they were horrible.

[KrisM]

For scrapbooking, I'm always running behind and always go to Target. I use the kiosk and do them myself, but have never had a photo I didn't like! I did do a comparison between them, Shutterfly, and SnapFish. The Fuji processing is nicer than Kodak. But, the Target ones were nothing like you described.

How frustrating though. I had a similar experience with photos I did at a Meijer and I ended up taking them back. They were for Christmas cards, so about 50 of them, and the color was bad.

[sarahsthreads]

I had the same experience at our local Target. I was trying to save a few cents per print - I guess you get what you pay for! One of the pictures was so strangely off that it looked like DD - who was only a couple of months old at the time - was wearing makeup or something.

The really funny thing was that (as usual) I tore the envelope open and looked through them right there and the woman behind the counter was gushing over how beautiful the prints were. Uhhh...beautiful? My newborn looks like a clown! :P

I haven't been there since. Honestly, I love how my Ofoto prints come out, even if they're slightly more expensive. Plus, any time I've *ever* had a problem with them they've made it right.

Sarah :)

[KBecks]

Thanks for sharing.

Side note: We were very pleased with our holiday cards from Shutterfly this year.

[squimp]

I agree with the suggestions to test a few prints first. We ordered a bunch of prints from Shutterfly for our holiday cards, and DD's face was green in the pics! I printed them on my printer at home instead, and they were much better so I went with that. Who knew!

ETA - Ack! I just noticed this thread is 3 years old.

[new_mommy25]

I haven't developed pictures from Target in 3 years. They majorly messed up DS's birth photos and they were on film so it's not like it is easy to get them reprinted. I was so mad! Plus, at the time, the woman at the photo center was ridiculously rude. I also don't develop at Walmart for the same reasons. They screwed me on my Christmas cards one year when I was in a big time crunch. I love Target but I stick to Costco for photos. Not only do they do a good job, but they will redo or refund you for any photos you are unhappy with.