2013′s Best Printing Services

For being such a large site, VistaPrint.com was surprisingly easy to navigate. Featuring an easy-to-use online card design tool and a simple file uploading process, we had no major problems and were able to view the artwork before ordering. Slight frustration came during checkout, where we were bombarded with tons of cross-sell pages and flashing offers.

The VistaPrint.com order took seven business days for production and shipping, an average delivery time compared to other sites we ordered business cards from. The package included a simple, rectangular VistaPrint.com postal box, with the cards contained tightly in an additional cardboard case.

The business cards from VistaPrint.com were some of the better cards we received when looking at quality. The clarity of the design elements was excellent, with most of the different features being cleanly printed, and the cut around the card was extremely precise and neatly trimmed. However, the base card stock felt somewhat flimsy and the colors were not very accurate.

VistaPrint.com’s business cards were fantastic when looking at value. The quality of the cards themselves was very respectable, and the starting price was one of the cheapest we reviewed. These two aspects combined to make this order one of the best overall values.

InkGarden.com offered a few features that improved our ordering experience, such as the ability to quickly access and upload Facebook photos to the online T-shirt design tool. But, even with a simple and easy-to-navigate through site, the design tool gave us more than a couple frustrations. InkGarden.com wasn’t the worst ordering experience, but certainly wasn’t the best.

InkGarden.com's standard production and shipping order took six business days, which was the second fastest delivery time compared to other sites we ordered t-shirts from. The package included a large postal bag with each shirt individually folded around a sheet of cardboard and plastic-wrapped. InkGarden does offer a two day production and shipping option for a quicker turnaround.

Almost all aspects of the T-shirts from InkGarden.com were exceptional, highlighted by the printed colors very closely matching the specific Pantone colors included in our design. The clarity of the design elements, such as text, lines, and gradients, was one of the best we reviewed, and the 100% cotton, Fruit of the Loom T-shirt felt great, making for some of the highest quality T-shirts.

Featuring a fantastic quality rating, the T-shirts from InkGarden.com were a great value. The starting price was one of the cheapest orders, both in total cost and cost per shirt and the price scaled down after orders of twelve shirts or more. Both of these aspects combined to make fantastic T-shirts in terms of value.

VistaPrint.com’s ordering process was actually very simple and straightforward when the size and popularity of the site is taken into account. We were able to view all artwork before placing an order and paying, and uploading our artwork files was very easy. The online poser design tool was very basic, but got the job done quickly. During checkout, there was an annoying amount of “special offers” to click past.

The VistaPrint.com order took nine business days for production and shipping, which was slightly slower than the average delivery time of all sites we ordered posters from. The package included a flat, durable box, with the posters held secure inside by protective cardboard flaps.

When looking at quality, the posters from VistaPrint.com were among the best. The clarity of the design elements, especially the printed color accuracy to the Pantone colors included in our design, as well as the text and line crispness, were all very impressive. The slightly inconsistent cut along with border was the only issue, but overall, the posters were very satisfactory.

We were very impressed with the overall value of the posters from VistaPrint.com. The great minimum order and starting price, a cost that drastically scaled down as quantity increased, combined wonderfully with the fantastic quality of the print to create one of the best poster values we reviewed.

Ordering flyers should be NextDayFlyers.com’s bread and butter, but we found them to be just above average in terms of ordering. Most aspects of the process were fairly good--we were able to upload our files without any issues, view our artwork before paying, and use the online flyer design tool effectively. However, the site’s navigation isn't the best and lacks and other helpful features.

Our NextDayFlyers.com order took eight business days for production and shipping, which, funny enough, was one of the slowest delivery times compared to other sites we ordered flyers from. The package included a postal box encased in tape, while the flyers were overly secured with many layers of cardboard.

As you might expect from a printer named NextDayFlyers.com, we were really impressed with the print quality of the flyers we received. Highlights included: the most precise cut around the border we reviewed and an incredible clarity of the design elements, such as text, lines, and gradients. The color was slightly off, but still very close, earning our second highest quality ranking.

When looking at overall value, the flyers from NextDayFlyers.com were awesome. The starting price was the major boost for this order, as the cost per print was fairly inexpensive. After looking at the great combination of quality and cost, it was obvious that value was king of this order.

UPrinting.com was our best experience when ordering stickers. We were able to navigate the site quickly and start the order without any hassle. We were also able to view all artwork before placing and paying for the order, and uploading our files was beyond simple. The online sticker design tool was one of the best we used, leaving us with a great overall experience.

Although UPrinting.com's standard production and shipping order time is 3 business days, our order took 27, which, believe it or not, was only the second slowest delivery time compared to other sites we ordered stickers from. The delivery package included a durable postal box with the stickers stacked together and held tight with paper cushioning. UPrinting does offer same day production and shipping options for a quicker turnaround.

The stickers from UPrinting.com were some of the best we reviewed when looking at overall quality. The clarity of design element details, such as text, lines, and gradients was excellent across the board, the cut around trim was precise, and the stickability factor was very high. The only notable problem was the slight inaccuracy of the printed colors compared to the Pantone colors in our design.

Low prices and good quality make for great value, and that’s exactly what we got with UPrinting.com’s stickers. The cost per print was among the lowest out of all orders we reviewed, and the stickers were boasted fantastic quality, rounding the order out as tone of the best overall values that we reviews.

Snapfish.com was an altogether good ordering experience, but certainly not the best. The site was not very easy to navigate, and we had to sift through different options to start our order. The uploading process, album selection, and editing tools got the job done quickly, but weren’t quite up to the level of some other sites.

SnapFish.com's standard production and shipping order took eight business days, which tied for the slowest delivery time out of all sites we ordered photos from. The package included a durable, cardboard postal envelope, with the photos somewhat secured inside multiple paper sleeves. SnapFish does offer overnight delivery for a quicker turnaround.

The photos from SnapFish.com received the highest quality rating for a few reasons. Across all four photo types, the images were the most accurate compared to the files we sent, with colors, shades, tints, and tones all spot-on. The image consistency and clarity between both photo sizes was fantastic, and easily made this order the best out of all the sites we reviewed.

Featuring some of the highest print quality, as well as one of the lowest starting prices, it was obvious that SnapFish.com takes offering great overall value very seriously. Prices scaled down even more as the number of prints ordered increased, as well, making the order value even better.

PrintPlace.com would have been given a higher ordering ranking if they did not make us place an order and pay before we were able to view any artwork or upload files. The site is easy enough to navigate, and all other ordering aspects after payment went smoothly and quickly. Overall, the process was mostly okay, and if they only had payment during the checkout phase, would be one of the best.

PrintPlace.com's standard production and shipping order took ten business days, which was the slowest time out of all sites we ordered postcards from. The package included a large postal box with the postcards stacked, but loosely packed, in the middle of paper cushioning and thin cardboard. PrintPlace does offer same day production and delivery options for a quicker turnaround.

Featuring the clearest details of text, lines, and gradients, the most accurate printed colors to the specific Pantone colors included in our design, and the most precise cut around the border, the order from PrintPlace.com was unquestionably the best set of postcards when looking at overall quality.

The postcards from PrintPlace.com were the best of both worlds. Not only did these postcards feature some of the highest print quality, but they were also some of the cheapest per print. With the fantastic price and awesome quality, these postcards were easily placed among the top in the value charts.

We found UPrinting.com to be the best when it came to ordering brochures. Throughout the ordering process, we didn’t encounter any problems or confusion, and every step was obvious and easy. Navigating through the site, uploading artwork files, and using the online brochure design tool were all simple enough for any user, and elaborate enough for any type of order.

UPrinting.com's standard production and shipping order took seven business days, which was an average delivery time compared to other sites we ordered brochures from. The package included a sturdy postal box that held and protected the brochures with a sheet of thick cardboard and paper cushioning. UPrinting does offer same day production and shipping options for a quicker turnaround.

The brochures from UPrinting.com were some of the best when looking at overall quality. The printed colors were a very close match to the specific Pantone colors included in our design, and both the folds and the cut around the border were clean and precise. However, clarity was slightly lacking in more than one design element, especially the small text and lines.

The brochures from UPrinting.com were some of the best in terms of value. The actual prints featured great quality and the cost per print was one of the cheapest. With the great quality and low price tag, we found the order’s value to be among the best.