In 2020 alone, people captured about 1.4 trillion photos from digital cameras, including smartphone cameras, DSLRs, and other commonly used cameras in the world. 

If you’re reading this blog, you’re among those few people who know the importance of physically printed images. 

However, getting a print of a photograph is a bit difficult nowadays unless you know the Walgreens picture printing service.

Essentially, there are two methods to print photos at Walgreens:

1. Through the 1 Hour Photo App 
2. Through the Walgreens Website

We’ve written an in-depth guide on how to use both to get your printed photos at your Walgreens store. 

Let’s dive in!

The Difference Between 1 Hour Photo and Walgreens 

1 Hour Photo isn’t an official application from Walgreens, but belongs to an entirely different company, “MailPix Incorporation.” 

However, it works in collaboration with Walgreens. Just like you order a print from Walgreens through their website, you can order your desired print from this application and choose the pick-up at your nearest Walgreen store. So basically, the companies are different, but you’ll get the same service and same pick-up station.

Even their prices are the same. There's no such price difference between them. 

Furthermore, both services work on the 1-hour delivery concept.

How to Order Photos Through the 1 Hour Photo App

The first method is ordering through the 1 Hour Photo app. Here’s how to do it.

1. The first thing is to install the 1 Hour Photo app. The app is available for Android and IOS.
2. Then, you need to create your account to use the Walgreens printing service. Enter your current active email address, active phone number, and postal code. We’ll suggest you submit your address as well. So, the app will automatically detect the nearest Walgreens’ store for you according to your location.
3. Now, from the homepage, select your desired photo, of which you want to get the desired print. You can choose any image. However, the company recommends selecting a photo that has a 9:16 or 16:9 aspect ratio. In this way, you’ll not face any distortion, size adjustment, or cropping of the picture in your intricate print. 
4. The system will land you at the checkout page. From there, you can see the total cost of your order and choose the size of your photograph. 1 Hour Photo offers two sizes, 8×6 and 6×4. 
5. On the next page, you can select your nearest Walgreens shop as a pick-up station.
6. You’ll receive an email, and once your order is delivered, you’ll get the confirmation email. Go to the store and pick up your order!

That’s it!

How to Order Photos Through Walgreens’ Website

The second method is straightforward and doesn’t involve any third party. Yes, you can directly order your photograph from Walgreens’ service. 

The process is suitable for Android, IOS, and PC (web version): 

1. All you need to do is first install the Walgreens app or visit the official website of Walgreens if using a PC. 
2. Sign up for Walgreens and enter your correct email address, password, and active phone number. Dare to fill in accurate details. Otherwise, you’ll face future trouble with ordering and managing your account.
3. Hover over the “Photo” section to use the Walgreens picture printing service. Upload your desired image of which you want the hard copy and proceed to the next. 
4. The system will redirect you towards the checkout menu. From there, you can select the size and order cost. Proceed next. When it comes to the cost of the Walgreens photo printing service, this service is the complete winner. 
5. Choose your payment options, such as credit/debit card or COD. In the last stage, you need to select your desired Walgreens shop as your pick-up station. You can pick up your order in the next one hour from the time of order. That’s it!

Please note: the system will send you an email once your order is ready to pick up. Make sure to receive it within two days from the email.

How Much Does It Cost to Print at Walgreens?

The pricing depends on the size and quantity of the prints. Walgreens offers more than ten different printing sizes of photographs. If you order up to 74 products, the prices will stay the same.

However, if you place a bulk order – more than 74 prints in each order – the company might give you some discounts!

For precise information, please have a look at the price table of Walgreens:

Can Walgreens Make Prints From Prints?

Now, we know, in some cases, you might have stumbled on the situation where you need the printed copy of the photograph that you’ve captured from your smartphone or DSLR camera. 

We dug deep into the Walgreens website to find out the answer to this situation. Unfortunately, Walgreen’s website doesn’t offer any service through which you can upload the camera’s scanned picture on the website and get a pure printed copy of that scanned image. 

However, the company does offer a Photo Kiosk feature. To use this service, you’ll need to visit your nearest Walgreen store. Place your hard copy photograph on the kiosk and let the machine scan it. After that, you can get a dedicated printed copy of that photograph quickly.

Please note: the result of the photograph copy canned from the Photo Kiosk will never have the same quality as the original image. 

Therefore, it’s better to use the Walgreens picture printing service for soft copy images.

Is Walgreens the Best Printing Service?

There might be some reasons why Walgreens would be better than similar services in the market. Below, we’ve mentioned a few ones:

• The very first reason is the price. Compared to Walmart and CVS, Walgreens is the most affordable online printing service. If we talk precisely, their pricing is at least 2x cheaper than the competitors’. 
• Another thing that makes it the best is the delivery system. Compared to other services, which take 24-36 hours to deliver your order, Walgreens does this in only 1 hour. Walgreens’ delivery time is 24–36x faster than its competitors.
• Walgreen uses high-quality industrial-grade plotters to print your image on printing paper. At the same time, other companies use regular inkjet printers to do the printing. That’s the reason why Walgreen can deliver your order in 1 hour.

We might value other aspects before saying if it’s the best overall or not. We will investigate further in the following article.

Conclusion

A printed hard copy of an image has a taste that a soft copy can’t provide. However, nowadays, getting a printed or complex version of your desired shot is pretty tricky due to the lack of interest in printed hard copies.

But not if you have read this article!

We've put together a comprehensive guide on ordering your photo online and having it delivered within an hour, possible through the Walgreens printing service! 

So what are you waiting for?

Get your printed copy today at Walgreens!