Multi-Photo Templates from MyPhotoPipe

It's been a few months since I've ordered prints, so tonight I decided to scratch that itch in a big way.

First, I ordered one of my own canvas prints from Imagekind - I'll be donating it to my kids' school for an upcoming auction. This will be the second time I've donated a canvas for a school auction - the first auction went well, and I'm hoping this one has similar results.

Second, I decided to try out MyPhotoPipe.com - they're an Atlanta-based outfit that positions themselves as "The online print lab for serious digital photographers nationwide." No mouse pads. No mugs. No t-shirts. Just prints - high-quality prints.

Intrigued by their singular strategy (falling revenues have forced so many other photo labs down the path of the 'trinket') and positive reviews, I downloaded their ROES software to give them a shot.

In spite of the fact that "ROES" as a product name has to be right up there with some of the all-time stinkers, the software itself seemed powerful and worked well. That is not to say that the software was particularly intuitive. The beginner may find this software a bit challenging to install (it's written in Java and there's no guarantee your computer will support Java without a separate download); unfortunately, it's also not tremendously easy to use. Nevertheless, MyPhotoPipe provides several pointers and even a video on their web site to help you through the process.

Once I got the hang of the software and managed to locate the right template in the product catalog, I laid out a 12x36 (3-up) print of my kids in fairly short order.

With a 20% off coupon that MyPhotoPipe provides to new users, the price for this print came to just under $50 - including shipping. Not bad considering that the print is on high-quality paper (Hahnemuhle Photo Rag). I might have preferred a pearl over the photo rag, but it did not appear that the multi-photo templates offered that option. I plan to dry mount the print when it arrives.

I'm now anxiously awaiting the arrival of both projects - I'll post my thoughts on MyPhotoPipe once I receive the shipment. If you have experience with them and would like to weigh in, please feel free to post a comment!