Tell you the truth I have NEVER had an issue with Walgreens for personal pics. You can order online and go pick them up at the store in a few minutes if you want hard copies! I also create their calendar with my familiy pics each Christmas and they come out great! I also use Photobucket with no problems.
Since I think that eventually some of the online companies will "disappear" I think it's a good idea to back up your photos to CD, DVD or portable media device. I wonder what the shelf life of digital photos is----wouldn't you hate to wake up 50 years from now and have all your photos gone....I've read over the years that their were issues with the stability of the ink. Finished rambling.
I wonder if there is a different if the photos are processed professionally vs. off the old HP printer ...and of course there is the paper....? I know nothing about this but I'm glad I have my 37 year old wedding pictures on Kodak paper! haha!
The stability of the ink is when you print on a "cheap" printer at home. Those inks are not archival. There's no difference between an image from film and an image from digital file printed at walgreens.
That's what I thought. I'm old--OK not that old, but I really struggle with the organization of digital pics. Back in the day, you'd pick up your photos from the drug store and put them in a shoebox. Eventually you would sort them, throw out the duplicates and bad ones and put them in albums. Then the albums would go on a book shelf.
Now, I take them, upload them and there they sit. I'm always wondering whether I should get prints? The whole thing makes me sad! I like taking them, I like the idea of having them but don't like not doing anything with them. What do you do to organize your photos of trips, weddings, get togethers etc? (*sigh*)