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  #1  
Old 10-18-2010, 01:02 AM
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Default 2011 Calendar Printing

In the past I've printed at Shutterfly because with their October promotion, I paid half price on 8 of the 9 calendars I order each year. They don't seem to be running it this year, and before I spend $20/calendar I want to look at my options.

I've spent all night searching forums and didn't come up with much. I saw mixed reviews about Artscow's calendars and positive reviews about Shutterfly's, very little about other sites. Anyone used Mpix or MPT? Someplace else? For $20 I think I'd prefer to use the nice bottoms, but I'd go with a standard white grid for a good price. Thanks!
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Old 10-18-2010, 01:08 AM
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I've used Mpix. & their big sisters'

Can't say enough good about them & customer service is wonderful as well.
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Old 10-18-2010, 02:47 AM
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I used MPT last year and was pretty happy with how it turned out. I had ordered a photo book from them a long time ago and wasn't that impressed, but the calendar turned out great. The paper was nice and thick and I couldn't see any problems with the printing. I also liked that you can upload your own calendar bottoms instead of just using the plain white grids.

I was hoping they would have another calendar sale like last year, since I remember getting them pretty cheap. (I just looked up their ad from last year, and their 8.5x11 calendars were priced at $12 from Oct 1 - Nov 30). I just checked their site and their usual price for a 8.5x11 calendar is now $26, and I don't see anything other than their usual 15% off.

I liked their calendar and wouldn't have any issues with ordering from them again, but at that price, I'll probably look around at other options too.
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Old 10-18-2010, 07:07 AM
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I had free codes for calendars on Artscow, and my daughter was home sick with strep Thursday, so I spent the whole day getting my calendars ready. Uploaded them, entered my code and discovered the codes didn't include free shipping.... which was $30. No thanks. Artscow is generally cheap, but they're not fast and the quality isn't always the best. Honestly, I'd rather have a store calendar than spend $30 for 3 calendars. I make them mostly for my in-laws, who get disappointed if they don't get one every year, but I'm sort of done.
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Old 10-18-2010, 08:54 AM
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I did mine at Office Depot last year. It was less than $20 and I was able to use my own calendar bottoms and the quality was good. They also put clear plastic covers on the front and back for protection. I just put my pages on a thumb drive, took them up there, and 2 days later I had my calendars. No shipping either, lol.
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Old 10-18-2010, 09:25 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by apphotos View Post
I've used Mpix. & their big sisters'

Can't say enough good about them & customer service is wonderful as well.
Ditto! I used Artscow to save some money but the quality difference was huge!
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Old 10-18-2010, 12:14 PM
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I have an Arts Cow calendar at my desk at work and you know what? Every day I look at it and ask myself why I didn't just pay for the Shutterfly calendar for myself because the colors suck. I used the same files I used for Shutterfly but the quality just isn't the same. I don't care about the white bottoms (I barely have time to make the tops) so I'll be either sucking it up and paying for Shutterfly this year or trying one of the other sites. So...more input would be great on this thread!!!

Who has easy to use loading software? Who doesn't have the white boarder around the top picture? Who has cheap shipping or no shipping?
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Old 10-18-2010, 05:24 PM
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I like to print my own calendars on my wide-format printer because I want 12x12 calendars and I don't know anyone who prints them at a reasonable price and good quality.

I know, that probably wasn't helpful for you, though.

Good luck!
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Old 10-18-2010, 05:29 PM
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Vistaprint has a deal right now where you can get 1 calendar for free, and just pay shipping.. I chose the slowest shipping method and paid around $6 and got my calendar a week later, when they say 21 days.

However... it's very thin paper, pretty flimsy and i'm not super thrilled with it. It's fine.. the colors are great.. I just wish it was on thicker paper.
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Old 10-18-2010, 05:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Beth Swann View Post
I like to print my own calendars on my wide-format printer because I want 12x12 calendars and I don't know anyone who prints them at a reasonable price and good quality.

I know, that probably wasn't helpful for you, though.

Good luck!
Snapfish has a sale on 12x12 calendars right now but I don't know if you can do a full bleed image w/ them.
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Old 10-18-2010, 11:45 PM
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DO NOT USE ARTSCOW.

I wanted to cry when my calendars arrived last year. The quality was HORRIBLE but it was too late to have them re-printed though. And I print my pages all the time so I know exactly how to save print-quality files in case anyone is wondering!

I'm on the lookout for a new print site too, but I haven't even STARTED my calendars yet! Gotta get going!!
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Old 10-19-2010, 12:06 AM
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I've thought of doing calendars but can never stomach the price. I do love Mpix prints though, if their calendars are like their prints they are much worth the price! (and customer service is excellent!)
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Old 10-19-2010, 05:43 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by g8rbeckie View Post
DO NOT USE ARTSCOW.

I wanted to cry when my calendars arrived last year. The quality was HORRIBLE but it was too late to have them re-printed though. And I print my pages all the time so I know exactly how to save print-quality files in case anyone is wondering!

I'm on the lookout for a new print site too, but I haven't even STARTED my calendars yet! Gotta get going!!
I'm so with you! I didn't want to cry when my Artscow printed calendars arrived last year. I CRIED. They cut them by 1 cm at each side - their bleed area instructions were anything but clear. Everybody love the calendars, but OMG they even cut TEXT. It's clear they just put it in a machine and never looked at it. And they printed their barcode OVER my text. Thank you, never again. This year I'm printing with a non-online service in my home country, a regular graphics studio / print / copy shop, they're more expensive but hopefully they're professional.
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Old 10-26-2010, 11:30 AM
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I print my own ... maybe you need a wide format printer & a new camera ... and read the thread posted about the discounts??
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Old 10-30-2010, 05:00 PM
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I wanted to check out MTP for printing my calendars, but I can't seem to get past the home page. I keep getting an error. Does anyone know if their site is down or something?
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  #16  
Old 10-30-2010, 06:16 PM
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I just ordered mine and didn't have any issues, but a week or so ago I kept having issues with the calendar page just freezing. It finally just worked, but was a little weird.
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Old 10-30-2010, 08:49 PM
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I normally use the MSN browser, but MPT only works when I switch to Internet Explorer. Does switching browsers make a difference?
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