Best Overall : Vistaprint
- Low prices
- Wide range of products
- Free sample kits
- Limited free shipping options
- Orders take at least three days to arrive with the fastest shipping option
Vistaprint was the first business, having opened in 1995, to widely offer customers desktop publishing online. It is probably the most famous company in the space as well. It’s able to offer low prices and fast turnaround due to an efficient and largely automated bulk printing process.
While Vistaprint is mainly known as a place to get business cards, the company has branched into just about every type of product imaginable, including brochures, postcards, flyers, mugs, coasters, magnets, posters, signs, banners, clothing, and even websites. Vistaprint’s huge selection of products, affordable prices, and easy design tools are why we choose it as the best overall. Vistaprint has made its mark in the online printing space by keeping its products easy-to-design and affordable. A batch of 500 business cards printed on standard 14pt cardstock costs $26, and 250 tri-fold brochures on standard glossy paper cost $139.99. The company does not offer free shipping and the fastest shipping time available is three to four days. Vistaprint lets customers start with premade templates and walks them through selecting or uploading artwork, then choosing the sizes, materials, and any special add-ons or finishes. Customers can also work with a designer for an additional charge and order free product samples for most printed products.Most Affordable : GotPrint
- Very affordable
- Rush orders option
- Money-back guarantee
- Some products have limited templates
- Standard turnaround time is slower
In addition to business cards, GotPrint offers printing for marketing materials like stationery, brochures, flyers, signs, and more as well as gifts and apparel like mugs, mousepads, hats, and t-shirts. Like many other providers, the company also offers free product sample kits.
Although GotPrint’s production times are a bit on the slow side, customers have the option to pay extra for a two-day rush. Most orders ship within two to four days, but the company doesn’t offer overnight shipping.Best for Business Cards : MOO
- More professional look and feel
- Free samples
- Next-day delivery on some products
- Higher prices
- No free shipping
Best for Photo Printing : Snapfish
- Easy photo import options
- Huge selection of photo products
- Same-day pickup in selected stores
- A bit pricey for the quality
- Customers complain about quality
Snapfish makes it easy to upload photos through Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos, or directly from a computer. An intuitive web interface lets users make simple color and brightness adjustments and offers a limited set of filters. All photos are printed on high-quality photo paper for bright, clear, and colorful results. The combination of beautiful prints and easy design tools is why we chose Snapfish as the best for photos.
Shipping times to receive your items for Snapfish’s photo products range from four to eight days depending on how much a customer wants to spend. Photo, card, and calendar orders can also be picked up at local CVS and Walgreens.Best for Canvas Prints : Canvaspop
- Great photo quality
- Hand-crafted canvas prints
- Money-back guarantee
- Review process slows delivery
Best for Weddings : Minted
- Unique artist designs
- Matching sets available
- Websites and evites available
- Minimally customizable templates
- Limited personalization options
Minted was founded as a crowdsourcing platform for independent artists to share their stationery designs. Today the company offers designs for stationery, art, gifts, and home decor from graphic artists in all 50 states as well as over 100 countries.
Customers start by choosing from a selection of designs created by Minted’s community of independent artists. Most designs can be customized to a certain extent, and customers can request a personalized sample invite with their photo and wedding details before ordering. Minted also provides custom wedding designs with a dedicated designer starting at $300. Minted offers a wide range of designs and styles, including foil press, letterpress, floral, and watercolor with matching save-the-date and thank-you cards as well as day-of paper goods, seating charts, and welcome posters. Pricing is a bit over $2 per invitation for standard invites and can go up to around $10 for some options. Invites with letterpress or metallic foil details tend to cost more. In addition to printed invitations and cards, Minted also offers matching wedding electronic invites and websites with a personalized look and feel and the option to customize the URL, display photo galleries, and more. Its range of professional designs and customization options makes Minted our top choice for weddings.Best for Custom Licensed Merchandise : Zazzle
- Licensed products
- Wide selection of templates
- Easy personalization options
- Pricey
What Are Online Printing Services?
How Does Online Printing Work?
Most online printing services make it easy for complete beginners to design and order just about any print product. Professionals needing business cards, for instance, can start with predesigned templates and customize them by uploading a logo or even an entire premade design to the website.
From there, users can preview the final design and adjust as needed and select the size, paper, type of finish, and any other special effects. Most services let the customer preview the final design online and some will even ship a free sample before completing the order.Every service can walk users through the process of uploading images that will print well and also offer professional design assistance and support as needed. Users can upload images from their phones, computers, or even social media accounts and have them print out in crisp, rich colors.How Long Does Online Printing Take?
What Are the Expected Costs of Online Printing Services?
Most services try to stay cheaper than brick-and-mortar printers since they have to add shipping costs into every order. Snapfish, for instance, charges just $0.09 for one 4x6.
Shipping prices also vary widely by provider. Vistaprint, for instance, charges $8.99 for eight-day shipping on orders between $0.00 and $35.00, while MOO charges $16.75 for six-day shipping on orders up to $21. While none of the services we reviewed offers free shipping as a standard, most run regular specials and deals that include free shipping.