Top 5 Places to Print Your Photos, Reviewed – And How to Print Gifts from the Best Christmas Mini Shoots in the UK

The holiday season is perfect for capturing precious memories with the best Christmas mini photoshoots. Whether you've booked a session or are considering one, this guide shows how to print your mini session photos and choose shots from the best Christmas mini shoots in the UK. A professional photographer preserves these special festive moments - if you've booked a Christmas Mini Shoot in Berwick upon Tweed or elsewhere, it's time to print those stunning photos.

Lots of our clients buy digital files from the Christmas shoots to print themselves and I really care about how my photographs look when they are out and about in the world and on granny’s mantlepiece.

I put a bit of research into the printing options available, and after running a poll on Instagram, I’ve compared the most popular places people said that they usually go to print their digital files.

Why Print Matters for Your Christmas Photo Session

As a professional photographer, I always emphasise the importance of quality when it comes to printing your photos. While digital files are convenient, nothing beats holding a tangible photo in your hands. Whether it's for creating festive cards, gifts for family, or displaying your family’s Christmas portraits in your home, a professional print brings the image to life.

When you book a Christmas mini shoot in Berwick upon Tweed with me, I ensure that you either receive prints, gifts or high-quality, print ready digital files. The printing process is really important if you choose to print professional photos, so I’ve tested various consumer print labs to see which ones produce the best results. Below I discuss the top five options based on my personal experience.

Why You Should Book The Best Christmas Mini Session with a UK Professional Photographer

When you're planning to capture the essence of Christmas with your family, booking a professional Christmas Mini Shoot makes a huge difference. As someone who specialises in Christmas mini sessions in my studio in Berwick upon Tweed, I understand the importance of vibrant, warm colours, genuine expressions, and stunning backdrops that bring your festive photos to life.

A professional photographer will capture the natural interactions between different family members - from playful moments between siblings to tender embraces between generations. While you could attempt family photos yourself, you'd miss being in the precious memories you're creating. When I'm behind the camera, every family member gets to be present in the photos, creating complete family portraits you'll treasure for years to come.

My carefully designed Christmas backdrops provide the perfect festive setting, while professional lighting ensures rich colour vibrancy that makes your holiday outfits and decorations pop. I focus on capturing authentic expressions and genuine emotions, ensuring each family member's personality shines through.

I take care to provide you with not just stunning digital files but also helpful advice on how to print them, so the colours and beautiful expressions translate perfectly to your chosen prints. If you haven't yet booked your Christmas Mini Session, don't wait – there are limited spots available, and it's the perfect way to create lasting memories for you and your loved ones this festive season!

Ready to Book Your Christmas Mini Session?

Choosing the best Christmas mini shoots isn’t just about getting your photos taken – it’s about creating lasting memories that will be cherished for years. As a Christmas mini shoot photographer in Berwick upon Tweed, I focus on delivering exceptional photos that are perfect for prints and holiday gifts. When you book with me, you’re guaranteed a fun, stress-free experience that captures the true spirit of the season.

If you're looking for a Christmas Mini Shoot photographer in Berwick upon Tweed (or nearby areas), I would love to work with you. My studio sessions are designed to capture authentic, joyful moments of your family, and I offer a variety of print and digital packages to suit your needs.

Click below to learn more about my Christmas Mini Sessions and book your spot!

Top 5 Places to Print Your Christmas Mini Session Photos

I chose 3 photos from different sets and used exactly the same file to print from at each ‘consumer printing lab’.

I knew there would be slight differences in the printing quality and prices but I was quite shocked at HOW different the colour of the prints came out, below I will go through them all alongside our own ‘control’ (Pictorial Photography) lab print for comparison one by one.

I chose a common size of 5x7” and a paper stock of matt rather than gloss where the option was available. I personally prefer matt; it is easier to judge the print quality and has less reflection or glare when photographing the prints for the purposes of this blog.

I photographed the prints under controlled studio lighting so what you see on the screen is as accurate as I can get it (your own screen calibration may affect the colours but you will still see the differences)

Firstly, Freeprints, this is an app which seems to be used by a lot of people. The app offers a certain amount of free prints to each customer every month at 6x4”, hence why this print is smaller than the control print. They only charge for postage and any prints or upgrades above what is offered for free. I felt that because the prints being free is Freeprints main selling point, it would be fairer to use the free option as we also have a price comparison for each consumer lab.

This print looks quite washed out and has lines in the darker areas, like the sky and the girl’s trousers. Below is a closer photo so that you can see the lines.

I took a USB to Boots to print these but found that I could have printed from my phone, an iPad or even the cloud by logging into a source like Dropbox from the machine which is rather handy. The first Boots I went to was at Kinnaird Park in Edinburgh but all 6 of the machines were out of order! I went to Berwick the next day and their machines were working.

I thought the Boots print was okay but a little more yellow than I would have liked and it has cropped a bit off the bottom of the image so overall it is a passable 3/5.

The colour was very off in the Photobox prints; the girls have a rather yellow complexion, and although the paper quality (fujicolour professional) and thickness was good, I am very unhappy with the colour of this print. See below for another Photobox print that is also extremely yellow.

The Max Spielmann print was from Asda Tweedmouth, although I tried Asda Dunbar first and after going through the whole process it turned out that there was no paper left in the machine which was very annoying!

There is also a Max Spielmann in Timpsons on Hide Hill in Berwick and it looks like the same kind of machine. I would *presume* that the same company calibrates and looks after these machines and if that is the case then it is great as these prints came out best for colour and print quality. The print is glossy, there was no option for matt, and it has to be printed with a white border which is slightly annoying if you don’t have a steady hand for cutting, or a paper trimmer.

The Snapfish prints arrived quickly but the paper is thin, the printing looks faded and has been cropped top and bottom which has chopped off the girls feet in this photo.

Below is a price comparison chart for the photo printing places listed, I printed 10 photographs at each place and if postage was required it has been included in the price shown as total cost.

In conclusion: The two local printing machines I used in Berwick surprisingly had the best results for colour quality, with Asda (Max Spielmann) coming out top in colour quality even though it has a white border and is a glossy print. The Asda (Max Spielmann) price was middle of the range so this is where I would advise printing this year*

Out of the three online labs Snapfish came out best but I would not recommend them based on these results.

*Please note, consumer printing machines / photographic lab colour and quality can change depending on many factors, i.e. whether they have been calibrated recently, paper type used etc. This blog is meant as a helpful guide and information as to what to look out for when choosing where to print your photographs.

If you are looking for beautiful, vibrant images of the very best quality - as your photographer intended them to look, skip buying the digital files and order professional prints directly from your photographer. This way your images will be checked by a highly experienced colour technician as they are printed. Our professional photography lab does not use any machine auto-correction or print your files without them being visually checked by the trained eyes of lab staff. We guarantee this care and attention on every single order.

I hope this has helpful and that everyone is delighted with the prints they receive on Christmas Day.

P.S. I’d love to know what you have done with your digital files, have you created any bespoke printed gifts? Let us know in the comments, you never know, you might inspire someone looking for gift ideas!

Don’t settle for anything less than the best Christmas mini shoots this year! Book your session with me now and make this festive season unforgettable.