Ofoto-Ofoto -- Print Out Thy Photo
Written: Oct 16 '01 (Updated Nov 02 '01)
| Site Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Customer Service: |
 |
|
The Bottom Line
No more sticky finger prints on your good photos! Let your friends and family view your pictures at this site and buy their own prints!
|
| Full Review |
I have been using several photo sites for the past year because they all offer something different or better. I will review this one first since it was the first one I tried. As long as I'm writing I don't have to clean the bathroom so this is going to be pretty lengthy!
How I Found Ofoto
If found the website through the search engine when I was trying to find somewhere to have my digital images printed. I didn't know that the whole online album thing existed at the time, I just wanted some prints. Digital printing wasn't available at the local stores at the time. To tell you the truth, I picked it because the prints were FREE! After seeing the prices of all of the other sites, I really came running back. I was very hesitant because free stuff usually has a negative outcome but I'm happy to report this didn't happen. They have been running specials to join since day one so you can expect to get a few free photos when you join. (It doesn't cost anything to sign up) and you can earn up to 100 free prints for people you refer. They are a Kodak company and Ofoto has been in business online since December 1999. They have done good for themselves.
Coming up with 25-50 photos
I have a digital so I have PLENTY of pictures, just not that many that I need printed out. I was getting pretty nervous because I banked 75 free photos into my account that was about to expire. You have to pay for shipping and of course I always want to save a buck. You could have 10 printed and mailed to you then you can wait a month and use your other 15 free and pay shipping again. Shipping is inexpensive -- but I'm cheap :)
Mailing Film In
Your can mail your film in with a pre-paid envelope and they will develop your pictures. You'll be able to see them online immediately when Ofoto is done which will save you the time of scanning them in yourself. It will take them 2-5 days after they receive the film. I haven't used this method so I don't know much more about it.
Uploading photos
They have an upload program that you download from their website and install on your computer. Then you take your pictures, drag and drop. It doesn't get any easier nor should it. They offer this for the following users: Windows 95/98/2000/NT; Mac OS 8.6 and above.
Linux Users
They do not offer uploading service for Linux users. So if you're a Linux user you can't use this site to upload photos. I just sent them an e-mail last week about this and they said that they didn't plan on offering it anytime soon. If you're a Linux user send them an e-mail ... if they get enough requests maybe they will.
Figuring Out Their Website
What I don't like is trying to figure out how to use a website. This one is very simple. There's not very many places to get lost on this website and if you make a mistake it always lets you correct it immediately. If you don't feel like figuring it out the website yourself, you can watch the slide show tour on their opening page. In fact, I'm going to recommend it because it's fast and informative.
Also check out their taking photo tips that I found helpful and quite insightful -- after all, they are photo professionals!
http://www.ofoto.com/PhotoTipsPortrait.jsp?UV=168482811507_25612563203&US=0
Why I (and maybe you?) Needed an Online Photo Album
We got a digital camera a couple years ago and haven't touched a traditional camera since then. We have fast computers and cable modem so we don't have any problem at all accessing our photos. Our relatives are still in occasional-user status. I tired showing them our pictures that we burned to CD and it just took forever for them to open. It took about an hour just to show them 12 photos. That was the point that I started looking for something they could use. Now they can view my pictures on this site in a matter of seconds.
Buy Your Own Photos Grandma!
Have you ever had one of those relatives or friends that always wants a copy of every picture you take? Well they can pay for their own now! You send them an email from the Ofoto site and they can buy the pictures they want. This site is really set up for buying so there's a little button under each picture--just add it to your cart. They can also put their own comments on the pictures which is nice if they live out-of-town.
Storage
You can store your uploaded .jpgs on Ofoto for free -- even if you never buy anything. If you mailed film in Ofoto stores your .jpgs on their site for you. If you ever need/or want a copy of your jpgs you can buy an archival CD with your full-size jpgs for $9.99.
Bells and Whistles for Your Photos
The offer some features to enhance your photos, like removing red from the eyes, cropping, tinting, borders, frames ($), Greeting cards (10-pack) ($), and note cards ($)
Enhancing Photos
They have a feature for black and white photos. I tried that and a lot of my family got really excited over it. If you chose the right picture, it can really add a lot of pizzazz to the photo. (Last time I looked, black and white film was expensive -- an you'd have to take a whole roll of it)
Gatherround.com joining Ofoto
I had used Gatherround.com this summer to show others my photos because I liked it better for online viewing. They joined with Ofoto and blew that out of the water. I transferred all of my photos to Ofoto which was actually a very smooth transfer.
Prices
After seeing the prices, you'll see why everyone is trying to get free pictures.
(Prices subject to change of course)
4 x 6" prints $0.49 each
5 x 7" prints $0.99 each
8 x 10" prints $3.99 each
16 x 20" prints $14.99 each
20 x 30" prints $19.99 each
Wallet prints $1.79 (4 per sheet)
+ Postage (about $1.50-$4.00 depending on how many pictures you order)+ any add on features you chose.
These printing prices are very competitive to other sites on the web!
Wallets weren't an option when I ordered -- I think I'll check that out now!
E-mail Lists
I have signed up with their e-mail newsletter service and they only send you a few. You won't get your typical 25 a day from this company. If you don't want them you don't have to miss out! They have a newsletter archive.
http://www.ofoto.com/NewsletterArchive.jsp?UV=168482811507_25612563203&US=0
How My Photos Came Out
My pictures came out as good or better than I expected. I think it will be as good as you take. The site tells your the printability--if they think it's going to turn out good. I did get a couple 5 x 7 and they didn't look as good as the same picture in a 4 x 6. They still looked ok and this doesn't have anything to do with ofoto, but with the pictures I took. They shipped my prints very quickly and I was very happy with the service. I don't remember now how long it took now to receive but I wasn't looking for them yet. I ordered prints from Shutterfly the same day and got them 1 day apart. Putting the prints next to each other, you probably wouldn't know which came from where.
Save yourself some trouble when saving your photos. Save your photos dated with description.
For example: 10_31_01_AmberHalloweenCostume.jpg
then your pictures will be in the order they were taken and you won't have to type the title into the websites and they archive nicely.
Bottom Line
This is a site one of the easiest sites to use that I will recommend primarily for buying photos from. I've seen better sites for sharing photos. You can trust these people with your money.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
About the Author
Location: Nashville, TN
Reviews written: 704
Trusted by: 188 members
About Me: DNT TXT & DRV
|
