Freeprints app review – Is it safe to use?

In the digital world we now live in, a lot of people are happy to catalogue all their photographs on platforms such as Instagram, iCloud and Facebook. It doesn’t cost anything, they’re easy to access and you don’t need to have find space in your house to keep them.

However, that doesn’t mean to say there isn’t still a market for printed photographs. What if you’re creating a scrapbook with your partner with photographs from all the trips you’ve been on together? Or if you’re making a photo album to commemorate a landmark birthday for a loved one?

Maybe you just wanted a printed picture of your new-born baby for your wallet or desk at work. Regardless of what you want printed photographs for, the fact remains – there is still a need for them and Freeprints is here to provide this service.

In this review, we will take an in-depth look into the Freeprints app, looking at its best and worst features as well as everything in between. Let’s get into it.

Freeprints app review – Opening thoughts

Freeprints is a free photo prints app where users can order printed versions of their own photographs and have them delivered to their doorstep.

It gives users up to 500 free 6×4 prints per year, and allows them to purchase more in a variety of different sizes as per their requirements.

The sheer number of free prints they offer their customers is very generous, making this a worthwhile download for anyone who is looking to produce a large-scale photo album.

The quality of the images can’t be disputed either, with each photograph being printed on either Kodak or Fuji paper.

One thing I would question about the app is its name. The name ‘Freeprints’ does suggest that they provide a free service for all prints which isn’t true.

In addition to the extra charges for other sized photographs, each order does come with a fee for delivery meaning that even the ‘free’ orders aren’t entirely without cost.

In terms of navigation, the app was very to use and was simple enough to reach the page where you select your images and their respective sizes.

You are able to either take images from your camera roll or sync the app with your Facebook or Instagram if you want prints from images that are stored on either of those apps.

Pros

  • The app allows you to order up to 500 printed photographs each year for no cost.
  • No subscription costs so you’re not committing to anything when you sign up.
  • High quality photographs, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
  • Can sync your social media accounts to the app, allowing you to use images stored on these accounts for prints.

Cons

  • The name of the app is misleading, as not all the prints on the app come free of charge, and postage always costs.
  • Editing in terms of colours and tagging is only available on one type of print.
  • Have to download another app if you want to turn your prints into a photobook – perhaps they should/could integrate this into this app.

The Free prints app definitely has a lot to offer for those looking for free or cheap photos. Let’s take a look at some of the app’s best features in greater detail.

Size varieties

Although the free prints on the app come in the 6×4 variety, there are multiple other sizing options for your photographs. The sizes available and their prices are as follow:

  • 5×5 – £0.19 per print
  • 7×5 – £0.17 per print
  • 8×6 – £0.39 per print
  • 10×8 – £0.96 per print
  • 12×8 – £1.19 per print
  • 15×10 – £2.99 per print
  • 18×12 – £5.59 per print
  • 36×24 – £16.99 per print
  • 40×30 – £19.59 per print

In addition to these sized prints, they also offer three other options for customers – these are Retro, Wallet and Panel prints. Retro prints are sized at 4×3.5 and print like a polaroid.

They are unique in the fact that they are the only print on the app which allows users to add tags and colours to the existing image.

You can choose to add a location or date tag to the polaroid and select which font you would like to use for this tag. Users are also able to select from a variety of colours to add to the background of the image.

Wallet prints are exactly what they say on the tin – they are prints that will sit in your wallet! They come sized 3×2 and you get four pictures for £0.48, giving off a photo booth effect.

Finally, panel prints come in a variety of different sizes depending on the image in question. These panel prints come with a back to them, meaning they can be put up on a desk at work or on your windowsill at home.

Sync the app with your social media accounts

One cool feature of the Freeprints app is the option to sync social media accounts such as Facebook and Instagram to the app. This will give you the ability to add any photographs that sit on your Facebook/Instagram account on to your order.

To sync a social media account to your Freeprints app select ‘begin’ on the app’s home screen and then select one of the social media icons which will appear in a row at the top of the screen.

Once selected, you will be prompted to add in your login details for that particular app and once you’ve done that you will have access to all of your images from that respective social media account.

Combine these images with those from your camera roll to pick out the photographs you wish to order.

Bonus prints

Another cool feature of the freeprints app is the bonus system they use which allows users to earn extra free prints each month. To earn bonus points you can do a variety of tasks including sharing the app on social media platforms and directly inviting friends.

If you invite a friend and they place an order then you will receive five bonus prints, while they will receive the same amount of bonus prints just by signing up.

Freeprints photobooks

Freeprints photobooks is an entirely different app altogether, but is made by the same company. As mentioned earlier, it would make more sense just to merge the two apps together instead of making people download two apps but nonetheless, the photobook service that Freeprints offer is fantastic.

Through this service, customers are entitled to a free softcover photobook, up to 20 pages in length, every single month. The size of these free photobooks are either 7×5 or 6×6 depending on your requirements.

If you are happy to pay a fee then you can increase the size of your photobook, both in terms of dimensions and the number of pages in the book, and make it a hardcover.

Common questions about the Freeprints app

Do you pay a monthly fee to Freeprints?

The Freeprints app doesn’t come with any hidden costs or subscriptions – they’re very up front about the fact that their service isn’t subscription based, allowing customers to dip in and out of the app whenever they feel like it.

What happens if my prints arrive blurred or damaged?

When you select which images you want, from either your camera roll or social media accounts, the freeprints app will notify you if any of the images that you’ve selected will print out blurred. If they don’t notify you of this and the images still arrive blurred then you will be entitled to a full refund within 30 days of delivery. This is the same policy for if they arrive damaged.

Do I need pre-crop my images before uploading them to the app?

Although the editing features of the app are very limited, one thing you can do on all pictures is crop to size. This means that if you select an image from your camera roll that is 15×15, but you want a 10×8 print, then the app will let you select which 10×8 area you want. If you want better photo editing, you may want to check out Photoshop or a free alternative.

How long does it take for the prints to arrive?

Standard delivery times are between 4-6 days but you can pay extra for a first class mail service which will speed the process up by a couple of days.

Are my photos protected on the app?

This is an understandable concern, especially if you are dealing with pictures of children. Freeprints use a ‘best-of-breed’ security solution to ensure that your photos are always protected. More specifics are available in their Privacy Policy.

Conclusion

After a thorough look through the Freeprints app, I have to conclude that the app is 100% worth downloading if you someone who still likes to collect printed photographs.

There’s no pressure on you to commit to any kind of subscription so you can come and go whenever you need more prints and the number of free photographs you get each month make it a no brainer. Though, keep in mind that the apps end goal is to eventually turn you into a paying customer.

If you have found this review useful, then you might want to read some of our other app reviews. We are currently analysing and reviewing some of the most popular apps on the market today.

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Author

Andy

Andy is a Professional Content Editor with expertise in a whole host of areas (or so he tells us anyway). His main interests are sports, tv/film and social media. He has reviewed over 100 apps so far for Apps UK.

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