Update
Costco no longer does the photo things. They push to Shutterfly instead. I haven’t found a good alternative to these inexpensive prints.
The Family Wall
I’ve started working on a project that includes head shots of all the members of my family. Originally, I had an elaborate plan which included matching custom frames and matting. Then I started pricing things out.
I love my family, but frames are expensive.
Costco
I love Costco, but I’ve never really used them for photo printing. One day, while walking out, I glanced over at the photo center and saw these large poster board prints. $25 for a 20×30 print was pretty awesome, so I figured I’d give it a shot.
I uploaded a black and white head shot, cropped at a 2:3 ratio, and placed my order. It was ready the same day. I liked it so much, I printed two more. They don’t need frames. There’s a nice white border around the image, and the poster board is rigid enough to stand on its own.
Creating the Wall
I picked up some of those 3M strips that don’t damage walls, and started measuring and sticking the prints on the wall. Perfection.
Note: Be sure to follow the instructions regarding removing the 3M strips if you need to take your prints down. If you don’t, you’ll rip the paint right off the wall.
I moved recently, and haven’t re-stuck the prints, but when I print and stick all of the family photos, I’ll be sure to add it to a future post.
Have you found a less expensive way to hang large prints? Let me know!
genius. sooo doing the same thing. just wondering: i do not want glare. as matte as possoble. how shiny did this turn out?
They are a little glossy, but I haven’t noticed any problem with glare at all. Let me know how yours turn out!
oh, also: did the boards make it to you nearly perfectly flat? Im thinking of overlapping some edges, but it will surely not turn out very nice if they bow…
They lay very flat. I actually took mine off the wall for a month or so when I moved things around, and they didn’t bow while leaning up against the bookcase. I’m still impressed with what I got for the price.
They are about 1/8" thick, so I’m not sure how well they’d overlap, though.
I am working on one for a poster but notice from the online project that the border covers the picture edges rather than fitting it inside
Hi Fran–I hadn’t noticed this before. The only fix I can think of is to add a white border to your image file in Photoshop before uploading to Costco. Thank you for bringing this up!
How do you remove the strips without bending the poster board?
I learned the hard way that you have to leave a little of the pull tab sticking out of each 3m strip.
I have done many prints at Costco. They do an great job and the costs are very low. Thank you for your sharing and I think I can make most use of Costco prints in the future.
Thank you for this! Costco doesn’t really say if the poster boards are stiff or need frames/mounting. This was so helpful!
Glad it helped!