The square, filtered-looking photos that I've been posting on twitter and on my Friday Links come from the iPhone app Instagram, a camera application that I've become obsessed with. In the past few months I've taken several really great pictures on my phone using Instagram but their square shape made them impossible to print at Costco or Walmart.
A couple of weeks ago I tweeted something to the effect of, "What do you do with your Instagram pictures? You can't print them like normal but I'd love to have them somewhere besides my phone."
Almost right away (this is why I love the internet) a reader tipped me off to Postal Pix, an iPhone app that allows you to select photos on your phone and they mail you the prints. The actual app is free, and you can print any photos stored on your phone, but it's especially nice for the oddly-sized Instagram prints. You select your prints and pay with a credit card all from your phone, and the app is easy to use and self-explanatory.
Yesterday I received my Postal Pix order in the mail and I squealed with delight over the results. They look so much better than I was anticipating, since I wasn't sure how great photos taken with an phone would actually print. Some look better than others, and I chalk that up to my (lack of) photography skills and the fact that certain Instagram filters affect the picture more than others. But they're all frame-worthy.
The app says that 4x4 prints are $.21 - $.99, and I'm not sure what determines the price. I ordered 23 prints and the total was $6.69, which means that my pictures were about $.34 each. (Postal Pix provided me with a $5 coupon, and I paid the additional $1.69 myself.)
A few things to note:
- I only ordered square photos, so it was easy for me to select the 4'x4' option and be done with it. I'm not sure if you were ordering different sizes if you would do it in separate orders or not.
- You have to leave the app open while it uploads the pictures you've selected. I left the app open, but my phone automatically locks after a certain period. I got an email from customer service the next day that my order hadn't gone all the way through. I simply opened the app again and the order completed, but you might want to watch that when ordering.
I'm so happy to have these pictures printed and framed, and Postal Pix makes it so easy. I will definitely be using them again, and the process just makes me want to take more pictures.
That's always a good thing.
