Does Shutterfly use archival paper?
From our premium cardstock to our metallic prints, Shutterfly's art prints are customizable with our art print template. Every print is produced on acid-free archival paper, with many options you can add at the end.
This sustainable forested 120lbs cardstock paper is printed digitally with a textured matte finish that creates a unique way to have your photo stand apart. Photos printed on high-quality card stock allows a smoother look.
Cards are printed on heavy, 140 lb. signature smooth cardstock or 110 lb. pearl shimmer cardstock for a more refined, textured feel.
Archival grade is a cotton rag paper made from cotton pulp. It is also sometimes known as museum grade or museum quality. It is the most archival option in terms of stability for preservation and long-term storage.
When you're printing photos with Shutterfly, you'll receive high-quality prints that you'll cherish for years to come. For the best deals on photo prints, check out our Special Offers page for promo codes and discounts. You have so many options when you order photo prints with Shutterfly.
Pros: Free unlimited storage, automatic photo uploading, photo printing service. Cons: Limited download resolution, no in-app photo editing. Quick take: While Shutterfly is best known as a photo-printing service, it also offers free, unlimited storage for photos. (Sorry, no videos, spreadsheet documents, etc.)
To build Shutterfly for the future and to celebrate even more of life's most unforgettable moments with our customers, we made the tough decision to sunset the Share Sites service effective March 27, 2023.
Choose from our Signature Cardstock or Pearl Shimmer Cardstock or even our luxe, double-thick cardstock—twice the thickness of our standard photo cards. The combination of high-quality paper, exceptional designs, and your personalized touch come together to create cards as unique as you are.
Glossy. Glossy is probably the most common types of paper finish for printing photos. You can choose different levels of gloss from standard to high gloss.
Kirkland Signature 8.5" x 11" Professional Glossy Inkjet Photo Paper | Costco.
What is considered archival paper?
Archival paper is an especially permanent, durable acid-free paper. Archival paper is meant to be used for publications of high legal, historical, or significant value. In the USA, such paper must also be approved in accordance with the ANSI standards.
Acid free archival paper can last more than 1000 years and is used in situations where art or documents require a longer life without becoming yellow or breaking down. It's also used commonly in the long term archival storage of art, documents and textiles.

Shutterfly now offers a separate Canada website available to Canadian residents.
Low-Resolution Warnings
Pixelated photos occur when the resolution is too low. Photos with a low-resolution simply have fewer pixels (picture elements) per inch. The higher the resolution, the less fuzzy the photo will look.
The image in the preview window looks blurry. Will my card turn out that way, too? Our cards preview is a low resolution image in order to save download time for the user - the final image will print as a high resolution and will be much sharper.
WHAT HAPPENED? On December 13, 2021, Shutterfly discovered that it experienced a data breach in which the sensitive personal identifiable information of individuals in its system was accessed. During the breach, some of Shutterfly's systems were locked up and data on those systems was accessed.
We recommend going with Amazon prints if you're on a budget, or pay a little more for the superior print quality of Shutterfly.
Shutterfly, LLC. Founded in 1999, the company is currently led by Hilary Schneider as the President and CEO, and owned by Apollo Global Management (majority) and District Photo (minority).
Costco is no longer taking orders through its online photo center. The company is now linking customers over to Shutterfly. Costco members can still get discounted pricing, but will no longer be dealing with Costco directly.
31, 2024. A year ago, Costco said the rising use of digital photos on social media had led to declining demand for photo reprints. Sales at Costco have been solidly rising. On Thursday, the retailer reported net sales of $23.8 billion for December, a 7% increase from $22.24 billion in 2021.
What are the changes in Shutterfly 2023?
In January 2023, Shutterfly's photo storage policy was updated, offering unlimited photo storage to active customers who make a purchase every 18 months. As part of the policy update, any photos stored in a customer's inactive account would be permanently removed from our servers.
A pearl finish, sometimes referred to as luster, is a good balance of both matte and semi-shine. Known for having an almost iridescent quality, pearl finishes allow for some shine and contrast but don't show blemishes as easily as glossier options.
About our printing process: We run a fully-automated Silver Halide and Digital Offset printing facility with multiple machines of either kind.
Do you share the photos that I upload to Shutterfly? At Shutterfly, we value the trust you place in us when you store Your Content on our platform, and we can assure you that we treat Your Content as private information that belongs to you. We share your photos only in the following circumstances: If you ask us to.
The answer to the question, “Does paper quality affect printing?” is yes. Paper does indeed affect print quality since all paper is not created equal, and that's a good thing! The chemistry inherent on the surface of the paper has a direct effect on the paper's printability, its gloss, and its waterproofing qualities.
Epson Natural Hot Press, a non-coated matte paper, and Palo Duro Baryta Fiber 300 are excellent choices for older prints as they tend to mimic papers from the past.
- Start with the right size and shape. ...
- Understand DPI and PPI. ...
- Get a 300 DPI file. ...
- Apply some Sharpening. ...
- Download as a PNG + print. ...
- Check the DPI before you print.
For our Costco Photo Center review, we awarded it 3.5 stars overall because of the premium we put on top quality. But depending on your budget, you may rate it even higher.
Bad news, Costco shoppers: the Costco Photo Center online portal shut down permanently on Jan. 28, 2023. Costco announced the closure to customers in an email stating that all products and services from CostcoPhotoCenter.com, CostcoDVD.com, and CostcoBusinessPrinting.com will no longer be offered.
How Good Are Walmart Photo's Prints? Like many online photo printing services, Walmart uses Fuji Crystal Archive paper, which delivers good image quality.
How do I know if paper is archival?
How to Tell If Paper is Archival Quality. To tell if your paper is archival quality, I'd simply use the following formula: Acid and lignin free + 100% pure cotton fiber/rag + watermark = true archival quality paper.
One way you can check to be sure your paper is acid free is to use a special pH test pen. Simply make a mark on this paper with the pen. The mark will change color–from blue to green to yellow–to indicate how much acid is in your paper.
An archival digital print is printed onto paper using a high-quality inkjet printer and pigment-based ink. This process achieves a clear and durable finished print with excellent resolution. The flexibility presented by the process means you can get creative with your archival prints.
All Papers are archival, acid free and manufactured with cotton fiber for enhanced surface durability and exceptional results. Perfect for professional artists.
Although most places equate the two terms, “Archival” is equal OR better than “Acid-free” basically… 'archival' implies pH neutral (or less) and 'acid free', in addition to whatever other characteristics intended for the long term life of the artwork.
The 17" x 50' roll of Canson Rag Photographique 210 gsm Archival Inkjet Paper is a 100% cotton rag museum-grade white Fine Art and photo paper. The exceptional smooth white tone is achieved during manufacturing by introducing natural minerals to the process.
Due to its low surface weight and minimal thickness of approx. 0,05 mm it is inconspicuous and yet offers the necessary stability and firmness – an ideal combination of the advantages provided by the opaque paper qualities and the (semi-) transparent paper without an alkaline buffer.
If the material printed on these certified grades is subject to normal use in climate-controlled conditions that would be typical of libraries or archives, the products could be expected to last several hundred years without significant deterioration.
Enduro / 100% Cotton Paper – This paper is a high quality archival paper for record keeping supplies that will be just as easy to read in 200 years as it is today.
Shutterfly shipping is expensive because of the package size, shipping distance, chosen delivery method, carrier fees, customs and taxes, fuel and surcharges, handling fees, and insurance costs. Peak season demand and remote locations may also add to the cost.
Is Shutterfly cheaper than free prints?
Pricing, shipping, paper quality, and other juicy details
FreePrints is a solid-quailty photo printer. Be mindful of the shipping costs, though. We found their upsells to be a bit pushy. While Shutterfly's prints are cheaper than many others, be careful to check their shipping costs.
Preserve Memories With Our Unlimited Online Photo Storage
You can upload an unlimited number of photos, so you can watch your online photo collection grow as you take more pictures. Shutterfly will keep them safe so you can use them whenever you're ready to create something new.
Scan traditionally processed prints using 300 dpi or greater and save them as jpeg files, keeping the jpeg quality at 80% or better and add them to your Shutterfly account.
Help Center Content. Yes, they are private, and can not be viewed by anyone who has not received an email sharing notification from you. Please see our Privacy Policy for complete details.
Shutterfly provides high-quality photos that can be cherished or displayed by many. Our photo printing options range from a modest 4x4 to a more sizable 20x30.
Make sure to use a flash or have good lighting. It is best to always minimize any motion in a photo, as motion captured on camera will often appear and print blurry. Low contrast photos are usually the result of there being either too much or too little light, which does not create enough depth.
Photos can be downloaded from a Shutterfly account to a mobile device one at a time via the Shutterfly app. App downloads are a high resolution file (1600x1200), suitable for viewing, sharing, or printing up to 8x10. Full resolution downloads can be obtained through the website.
After your film is developed, your pictures are scanned and sent to your Shutterfly account. Your negatives are mailed back to you. View your photos online.
Your item is printed right here in the USA by a dedicated team of professionals who ensure your item is exceptional.
The most common types of paper for printing photos are glossy, luster, and baryta paper. An inkjet printer uses a printer cartridge that creates an image that is 300 x 300 dpi (dots per inch).
What kind of paper is used for photo books?
Classic paper is the most versatile of paper types as it will suit photo books of all sizes and can be used for both hardback and paperback covers. It's a satin finish paper, which means it's a bit more subtle than gloss-coated paper and also provides a higher level of readability.
Photo cards are single-surface cards available in 4 x 8 and 5 x 7 sizes, and printed on photographic paper with a matte or glossy finish.
We ship orders to Canada using a delivery expediting service that delivers directly to the Canadian postal service. This service is as fast or faster than airmail. Estimated delivery times are 8 to 16 business days from when the order is placed.
Canvas is an excellent choice for beginners because of its relative affordability compared to other options. Many artists also swear by canvas because of the classic look and texture of the material.
Matte. This paper is one of the most frequently used, as it is suitable for all everyday printing tasks. Matte paper is finished with a white coating which helps the ink to dry faster than on other paper types and means it is suitable for a document that is needed quickly.
Luster Paper
It's the recommended selection for traditional photo books to showcase every memory. It has a soft reflective sheen and subtle texture.
After hands-on testing, Shutterfly (available at Shutterfly) wowed us overall and is the best photo book service for its unlimited customization options and high quality. For something less expensive, check out Mixbook (available at Mixbook), which offers plenty of customizable layouts and text options.
Photo Album photos are printed on Kodak Endura Professional Lustre photo paper, just like a traditional Photo Print. Lustre paper (the industry standard for photo printing) has a slight sheen, and is protected by a UV coating.
Kodak Shop
For the best photo printing results, use KODAK Photo Papers, which are optimized to work with KODAK All-in-One Printers. For the best document printing results, use KODAK Papers or a paper with the COLORLOK Technology logo on the package. IMPORTANT: Use only paper that is designed for inkjet printers.
Historically, postcards are generally printed on a standard 16 pt “ultra thick” semi-gloss paper stock because of the luxurious feel, quality, and durability. Since this is the thickest paper type, it will last the longest.
What kind of paper do you use for flash cards?
Paper type
For standard and laminated flashcards, you can choose between 3 paper types and a wide selection of paper thicknesses. We recommend 300 or 350 gsm card for flashcards, as it will offer the best durability.