Is Walgreens photo or CVS photo better?
Despite this premium, the quality of our CVS test prints is less consistent than what we got from Walgreens, which is our Editors' Choice winner for local-pickup one-hour photo printing. If you don't need same-day printing, our top pick for photo printing quality is Nations Photo Lab.
Pricing, shipping, paper quality, and other juicy details
For online ordering, we suggest Walgreens over CVS. While Walgreens pick up is consistently reliable, we recommend ordering online for higher quality prints. Walgreens local labs use DNP Photo Paper and what's known in the industry as "Dye-sublimation" printing.
Walgreens Photo offers a good selection of print sizes, and its print quality bests the other pharmacy photo provider, CVS Photo. You do pay more for the convenience, however. Regardless, for same-day photos, Walgreens Photo is our Editors' Choice winner for same-day delivery.
If we think the photo isn't large enough to meet the CVS Photo standard, you'll see a warning telling you that the image resolution is too low and so the printed image may appear blurry or pixelated. Facebook and Instagram are much smaller than photos from most digital cameras.
A photo may be flagged as low-resolution when downloaded from a website, taken on a phone or camera with the photo size set too small, or it's a proof photo from a professional photographer. If you choose to continue placing an order with a low-resolution image, your final printed product may be pixelated or blurry.
CVS is slightly more popular in the United States than Walgreens. According to data published by Statista in 2021, CVS has 24.5% of the market share, making it the most popular pharmacy in the United States. Walgreens comes in second with a market share of 18%.
In many cases, the best resolution for printing is 300 PPI. At 300 pixels per inch (which roughly translates to 300 DPI, or dots per inch, on a printing press), an image will appear sharp and crisp. These are considered to be high resolution, or high-res, images.
According to our in-house printing expert, Rich Sulin, “there were clear differences.” The prints from Walgreens, AdoramaPix, Walmart, Amazon, CVS, Shutterfly, and Snapfish were rated Excellent. Those from Costco and Nations Photo Lab were Very Good.
It says my photo has low resolution. How do I fix it? To make sure your photos print beautifully, shrink your photo by the corner handles or scale it down with the slide tool. You can choose a new layout that uses smaller photos, too.
Large photos with a very high resolution will become compressed when printed, causing some blurriness because printing resolution is much more limited than camera resolution. This is generally only a problem when printing on a small sized print or product but is not a problem for large products.
Does it matter where you get your photos printed?
Most photographers have done major research into the professional printing company that works best for their prints. Not all printing companies are equal in quality. Because they often have different color profiles, some work better for light & airy photographers while others work better for dark & moody photographers.
Walgreens Photo
If you are ever dissatisfied with your digital prints or products for any reason, we will provide you with a full replacement or a full refund. This guarantee is subject to approval of the return verification process. For more photo return and refund information, follow Photo Help.
Print Size/Product | Minimum Image Resolution |
---|---|
4x6 Prints | 540x360 pixels |
5x7 Prints | 630x450 Pixels |
8x10 Prints | 900x720 pixels |
11x14 Posters | 1008x792 pixels |
To avoid receiving a low-quality print, we recommend against ordering sizes marked with an orange triangle. Please note that we recommend that a photo be 200-300 DPI when uploading it to our site.
Walgreens and CVS have similar business models, as they are both full-service pharmacies offering a variety of services beyond just filling prescriptions. Both stores offer immunizations, over-the-counter medications, health screenings, and more.
CVS Health competitors include Express Scripts, Avella Specialty Pharmacy, Rite Aid and Walgreens. CVS Health ranks 1st in Overall Culture Score on Comparably vs its competitors.
CVS and Walgreens are so large that they can – and do – demand high reimbursem*nt rates. Certain other chain pharmacies – like Walmart, Costco, Winn-Dixie and Publix – could demand high reimbursem*nts too, but don't. As a result, those chains provide drugs at far lower costs than CVS or Walgreens.
How long will my prints take to develop at CVS Pharmacy? 1 Hour is the typical time it takes to get your pictures developed. Depending on how busy the specific store is, it sometimes can take longer.
The 365 day period will restart with each purchase you make from the website. If you do not make at least one (1) purchase every 365 days, CVS Photo may delete the photos stored in your account.
CVS, started in Lowell, Massachusetts by brothers Stanley and Sidney Goldstein and their partner Ralph Hoagland, later had to sell to the Melville Corporation, formerly based in Rye, New York. The name stood for Consumer Value Stores.
Is glossy or matte better for photos?
Overall, glossy finish prints are a good option if you want bright, vivid colors and don't mind glare or fingerprints. Choose a matte finish print if you prefer more neutral tones and a finish that is less reflecting and more resistant to fingerprints.
In our tests, other print labs like Walgreens offered much cheaper shipping, whereas Shutterfly charged $4.30 to ship 10 photos. In addition, Shutterfly scored among the lowest in quality for classic photo prints. While Walgreens pick up is consistently reliable, we recommend ordering online for higher quality prints.
However, black and white prints are vastly more stable according to Wilhelm Imaging Research. Studies by Wilhelm found that color prints using Epson's newest HD pigment inks on Epson brand paper will last between 62 years and 108 years under normal glass, depending on the type of paper used.
Anything 300 PPI or over is usually considered to be high resolution. DPI –Dots Per Inch, is a measurement to determine the resolution of an image for printing. High resolution values for DPI are also generally considered to be 300 DPI or over.
Giclee printing is a well-known method that's best for printing professional images on canvases that will later become part of galleries or displays in art museums. The giclee printing method uses archival ink to produce deep, rich colors and detail that bring standard prints to life.
References
- https://cvsphoto.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/226531528-Photo-resolution-tips
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/personal-finance/articles/walgreens-vs-cvs-where-should-you-get-your-prescriptions/
- https://www.comparably.com/companies/cvs-health/competitors
- https://www.walgreens.com/topic/help/shophelp/returns_help_main.jsp
- https://www.gelato.com/uk/blog/matte-vs-glossy-photos
- https://dravetfoundation.org/how-to-check-if-your-photo-is-high-resolution/
- https://www.helpadvisor.com/prescription-drug-coverage/cvs-vs-walgreens-experience
- https://custhelp2.walgreens.com/articles/en_US/Information/Image-Resolution-Requirements/?l=en_US&fs=Search&pn=1
- https://keithdotson.com/blogs/news/how-long-will-your-photograph-last
- https://naturalintuitionphoto.com/where-to-print-your-photos/
- https://nationalprescriptioncoveragecoalition.com/does-your-health-plan-actually-need-the-large-chain-pharmacies-in-your-retail-pharmacy-network-the-short-answer-is-no/
- https://help2.minted.com/articles/General/Low-Resolution-Photos
- https://support.snapfish.com/hc/en-us/articles/360038998533-Blurry-and-grainy-photos-in-your-products-and-how-to-avoid-them-
- https://www.psprint.com/resources/how-to-check-your-image-resolution/
- https://cvsphoto.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/226531488-Editing-photos
- https://www.photoprintsnow.com/photo-printing-help/
- https://latercam.com/photoprintingnearme/review/shutterfly/walgreens_online
- https://developer.walgreens.com/support/image-requirements
- https://www.consumerreports.org/electronics-computers/choose-the-best-photo-printing-services-a1125902541/
- https://thestackhouse.com/how-do-professional-photographers-print-their-photos/
- https://cvsphoto.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/226531688-How-long-are-my-photos-stored-by-CVS-Photo-
- https://latercam.com/photoprintingnearme/review/cvs_online/walgreens_online
- https://www.pcmag.com/reviews/walgreens-photo