Costco Metal Print Review
- About Costco Photo Center
- Costco Photo Center Hours
- Costco Photo Center Products
- Costco Photo Center Promo Code
- Costco Photo Center Return Policy
- Costco Photo Center Reviews
- Costco Metal Print Review
- Print: $63.99
- Taxes: $4.96
- Shipping: $5.99
- Total: $74.95
Just this morning, I unboxed a metal print that I ordered from Costco.
The print is part of a metal print shootout I'm doing in which I'm comparing the quality of metal prints from various companies.
In the next few weeks, I'll present a head-to-head summary of how each of the more than half-dozen prints stack up against one another. But for now, I want to focus on this print from Costco.
Before I get to my Costco metal print review, let's go over a few details about Costco's photo printing service.
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Table of Contents
About Costco Photo Center
We all know about Costco, the wholesale club where you can buy just about anything you need in bulk.
But Costco also has a photo center that offers tons of photo printing options. And the Costco Photo Center isn't just in their brick-and-mortar stores.
Instead, the Costco Photo Center is fully online. You can upload your images on the website and order a wide range of products without having to step foot in a Costco.
In that regard, the Costco Photo Center is a true full-service online printing company.
Costco Photo Center Hours
You can peruse the Costco Photo Center's collection of products and services online 24/7. You can also place your order at any time of day.
If you need assistance, the Costco Photo Center's customer service is open Monday-Sunday, 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, Pacific Time.
If you're looking for updates on your order, you can access that information online 24/7.
Costco Photo Center Products
Like many other online printing centers, Costco has a variety of photo products you can purchase.
Of course, metal prints are just one of the types of prints you can order...
Costco Photo Center also has canvas prints, acrylic prints, photo prints, and photo books. You can order cards, wall decor, and any number of business printing items as well.
There is a large selection of photo gifts too. This includes photo blankets, mugs, plaques, calendars, and more. You can also gift custom canvas prints for your photoshoots.
Costco Photo Center Promo Code
Costco Photo Center does not have any current promo codes listed on their website. However, you can find third-party promo codes on other sites that offer discounts on your orders.
For example, RetailMeNot currently has a 20 percent off coupon for your entire order at Costco Photo Center. There are dozens of other promo codes on that site, though most are for discounts on specific products rather than your entire order.
Costco Photo Center Return Policy
Costco Photo Center guarantees customer satisfaction. As such, any item can be returned for a full refund.
There is a caveat, though.
Returned photo items have to be brought into a Costco warehouse. They cannot be shipped back to the Costco Photo Center.
You just have to have your order confirmation email and the items you want to return, and Costco will refund the purchase price. Typically, refunds take 3-5 business days to complete.
Costco Photo Center Reviews
There is no getting around the fact that the online Costco Photo Center reviews are not particularly good...
An in-depth review by Tom's Guide gives Costco Photo Center a 2.5 out of 5 star review. That review notes that while prices are good, quality is not.
Another online review site, Top Ten Reviews, gives Costco a little better rating - 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Again, good prices are noted, but the quality seems to not be all it can be.
Costco Photo Center Metal Print Review
As I mentioned earlier, this is the latest metal print I've gotten in the mail in a string of metal prints I ordered for comparison's sake.
When I unboxed this metal print from Costco Photo Center, my first impression was that the colors seem a little muddy. They're just lacking some of the crispness and vibrancy that the original image had. Read more about photography tips and techniques on our website PhotographyTalk.com.
Another thing I immediately noticed is that the image looks a little grainy. You can really see it in the sky portion of the shot. That noise is not in the image file I uploaded, so something went awry during the printing process to introduce that grain.
There were also scuff marks - however faint - on the print. Clearly, this is an unacceptable failure with regard to quality control, as no print should ever be shipped that has damage to it.
On the back, the metal print has a frame that's middle-of-the-road. It's certainly not the worst frame of the bunch, but it isn't the best, either.
I will say that I like the fact that the frame comes with an additional piece of wood you can use to adapt it for either horizontal or vertical hanging.
The quality of the metal is so-so as well. It’s not as flimsy as some of the other prints I ordered, but it certainly isn’t the same quality as some of the top-performers either. And while the rounded edges look pretty good, that's the only option you get, so if you want a square or rectangular print, you're out of luck.
Another oddity is that you can only get a glossy finish. Personally, I like to have the choice of matte for some photos, but, again, this isn't an option.
I do like the fact that Costco uses UV fade resistant ink. We'll see just how resistant to fading it actually is, though.
Another plus would be the price...if you got a better product.
The price for this print came to $74.95. The price breakdown is as follows:
So, this is certainly an affordable print, but even so, I feel as though the quality could be better.
We'll see how this Costco Photo Center metal print stacks up against the competition in the upcoming 2020 metal print shootout, so be sure to stay tuned for that!