photobox.co.uk

I have used many different online photo printing services with five children three cats and myself and my wife I tend to take one hell of a lot of photographs and the big problem I have is choosing which ones to actually get printed and which to stick on disc and of course which ones can be deleted.(I tend to have quite a few as although I have nice expensive equipment unfortunately I am not the greatest user of the said equipment lol.(Bad workman ...
...year ago I came across a great website called Photobox and have not used another company for my printing needs since.

THE COMPANY

Launched in 2000 Photobox has received consecutive top end awards every year from 2001 - 2007 and is purely internet based company which allows them to keep prices low and customer satisfaction high I have never had to complain or contact the company once since I have been using them. Dealing ... more

I have used many different online photo printing services with five children three cats and myself and my wife I tend to take one hell of a lot of photographs and the big problem I have is choosing which ones to actually get printed and which to stick on disc and of course which ones can be deleted.(I tend to have quite a few as although I have nice expensive equipment unfortunately I am not the greatest user of the said equipment lol.(Bad workman blaming his tools comments spring to mind)
About a year ago I came across a great website called Photobox and have not used another company for my printing needs since.

THE COMPANY

Launched in 2000 Photobox has received consecutive top end awards every year from 2001 - 2007 and is purely internet based company which allows them to keep prices low and customer satisfaction high I have never had to complain or contact the company once since I have been using them. Dealing with over a million prints a day I am surprised I have not had any problems and it just goes to show how many repeat customers they must receive on a regular basis. Set up by Graham Hobson a normal father and husband who was fed up with not having pictures in print because they just don't feel the same and lets face it they don't he set up Photobox and is now one of the most successful online Photo companies in the UK not bad in just over 7 years.

WEBSITE

The website itself is very easy to navigate and has many different options all of which I will cover under separate headings later on in the review. The site is very well laid out with easy to follow register and set up features allowing you to upload and store your pictures on the site for an unlimited time but you do have a storage limit. The site uses active X controls so please don't forget to click the prompt box at the top of your browser should you not be prompted.(Had me baffled for a few minutes lol) Once you have opened your account you are free to create online photo albums and carry out a variety of task's again I will try to review each section later on in the review. Photobox also work in conjunction with the Internet Watch Foundation which is great as it means files are monitored for offensive or nasty images.

UPLOADING

As with all online photo services you need to upload your photos onto the site first this process seems extremely quick I uploaded 40 photos in about 5 minutes and they were in my Photobox album ready for me to view. It costs nothing to upload and store your pictures on Photobox and you can even send pictures from you Photobox to mobile phones.

ALBUMS

Once you have uploaded your photos you can the organize them into albums that you name yourself for easy locating of the photos you may wish to print or send. You can also make these albums available to friends and relatives through the site so they can see them before they have even been developed onto paper great for weddings in particular. To share these files all you have to do is access the album you want to share and insert the email address of your intended recipient and click send they will then be able to view the files online in seconds. This is a great free way to store your digital images but also please bear in mind that I always back up my photos on disc just in case.

PRINTING

There are so many different products available so I will deal with each in turn below under sub headings for ease of reading.

Paper Photos

You have a massive range of choices for photo size and the site will tell you when you place an order whether or not you photo is of good enough quality to print in such size also your images will be automatically adjusted by Photobox free of charge to give the best possible print result. Photo's are easily ordered by going to the selected album you have stored in your album section and clicking order this then allows you to rotate and choose the size you require giving you a price before adding to your shopping basket. There are many different sizes as I have said and to list all the prices would be ridiculous but I will list a few as a guide to their prices for exact sizes and prices you may require please check out the website.

6" x 4½" or 6"x4" or 5"x 3¾" Gloss or Matt 1-149 copies 10p going down in stages to 5p when ordering 500+ not that I can use that many prints unless I was wallpapering with them lol.

If you like large photos or poster photos then the prices below will be of more interest to you.

7"x5" 20p per print no matter how many you require in Matt or Gloss or for those who want to go very big you can have
30" x 20" for £18.99 in Gloss or Matt the price deceases with every 5 you order. There are many other sizes in between these but as I said can't list them all would make the review a real bore.

Photo Book

They do a fantastic range of photo books just like a real book hard back or soft back with the pictures actually making up the pages again you design how you want it great idea instead of an album and costs so much less than an album. The Hardback is 20 pages of photos for £19.99 and the Soft back is only £17.99 and has 30 pages. Great for gifts and avid photo lovers very professional looking and great and easy to keep.

Canvas Prints

There are 6 different sizes of canvas print great for hanging around the house or as a centre piece in your living room we have had one done of the kids and it looks great your picture on canvas stretched around a frame will impress anyone who sees it providing the picture you want to use is of high enough quality.
These range from £59.99 to £129.99 but as a one of special occasion picture or gift for a loved one they are priceless.

Photo Frames

I have not personally ordered any photo frames but they include a print of your choice and a variety of different frames to choose from including silver plate these range from £3.99 to £18.50 dependant on size and style. All can be seen online before you buy.

Calendars

The calendars are great you just choose the pictures for each month and the template you want and you have the ideal present for the Grandparents and in our case the Great Grandparents. They range from £3.15 to £14.99 depending on what style and size you require.

Other Items

There are hundreds of different ways you can print with Photobox so instead of listing every single one I will group the rest together and for prices you can just check out the website. I have not seen many sites if any that have such a huge varied range. These are the rest -

Tote Bag, Faux Suede Tote Bag, Mini Shopping Bag, PVC Mini shopping Bag ,Wash Bag, Faux Suede Wash Bag, Makeup Bag, Faux Suede Makeup Bag, Glass keyring with light in many different designs, Mouse mat / Mouse pad , Photo ceramic mug , Photo t-shirt, adult , Ladies v-neck sizes, Photo t-shirt, child size , Laminated wallet cards , Photo key rings , Placemats , Coasters , Photo movie DVD ,Archive CD

PROMOTIONS

As well as the discounts for multiple buying you can also get 10 free prints and only pay the £1.50 P&P these are 6"x4.5" and give you a great sample of their work whilst being usable as well. You can also earn a further 20 free prints if you get friends to sign up for the site.

E-Cards are available to send free from Photobox just log in and select and drag your picture into your E-Card add your message along with the recipients email address and off it goes great fun especially if you have some funny pic's to put smiles on peoples faces on a Monday morning.

Mobile Pictures yes just choose your photos enter a mobile number and you can send your photos to any mobile you like free of charge however people receiving I believe have to pay at their end through their service provider.

Also there are 50% of deals on certain products and deals are updated on what seems to be a weekly basis so keep your eyes peeled you don't want to miss that product you want but was to much to justify after all 50% could make that decision much easier.

POSTAGE AND PACKAGING

I have always been very impressed with the speed of delivery most times only taking 2 days at most to arrive. All items under £30 they send by 1st Class Royal Mail however when I purchased my Canvas it was sent by courier. The prices vary depending on what you have ordered and what it weighs but most times if ordering photos you will pay £1.50 per order. The most you can possibly pay within the UK is £9.99 and that is courier next day service by 1pm next day. Check out the website for exact pricing as it is all there in great detail including prices for European and Worldwide delivery.

All items I have received have come in very strong packaging the photos normally in hard cardboard envelopes and everything else especially the canvas in super protective wrapping. Of course if any items turn up damaged they will sort it out through their customer services.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

I must confess I have never had the need to deal with customer services at Photobox which has got to be a good sign anyway seeing as I have been using them for year now but should you need to they have the following methods available Telephone (Always a good thing) Email or Post I have just tried calling for this reviews sake and got an immediate answer so quick answering as well lol poor girl on the other end.

OVERALL

I can't praise Photobox enough and NO I don't work for them just believe that any company that provides such a great service deserves to be shouted about. Great quick and cheap service yet not lacking in quality and attention to detail what more can you ask for these day's it is becoming a rarity. If you are like me and looking for the ideal photo service you can't go wrong with Photobox. I hope this review has been informative and I always read and appreciate all comments so feel free and thanks for taking the time to read my views.

Barry

 

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