How To Print Family Photos On A Budget

The best way to print and decorate with family photos for your home. Learn how to get the best deal on high-quality family photo prints and how to stay organized as you decorate. 

Want more ideas for photos in your home? Check out how to custom frame your own photos, how to create a simple modern gallery wall, and 150+ printable art for your home. 

This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. For more information, see my disclosures here.

One of my favorite ways to add personalized decor to my home is with family photos. Family photos can look beautiful and stylish in so many different rooms in your home. 

Some people think that adding your family photos to your home isn’t “the right way” to decorate. But, that’s just a myth! 

You can have family photos in your home and have them look pretty and beautiful. You just have to do them the right way.

I think the best way to display family photos is by printing them large enough for the space you are decorating and by framing them.

Framing makes your family photos look like art for your home. They look intentional and professional. 

It’s easier than ever to display your cherished photos in your home. You don’t need to buy the pricey framed pictures or prints from a photographer. Or even get them custom framed at a store. 

The best way to add these personal keepsakes to your home is to print and frame them yourself. It’s so much more affordable, and you can get exactly what you want. 

How to Print Family Photos

Where to Order Prints

My favorite place to print family photos is Nations Photo Lab. They are an online photo printing company that provides really high-quality prints. 

They are basically the same quality you would get it you bought from a professional photographer – because Nations Photo Lab is what a lot of photographers actually use.

I use Nations Photo Lab all the time when printing photos and art for our home. I love the great quality of the prints, the affordable prices, and the super quick shipping. 

They also have lots of sales throughout the year. So keep a lookout for discounts and offers so you can get really nice photo prints for cheap.

I signed up for their newsletter so that I know when there’s a new sale. 

How to Choose The Photos To Print

Before you can order your photo prints, you’ll need to decide which photos you want. 

The best way to do this is by making a plan and organizing everything. 

Choose Your Frames and Sizes

Start by deciding which frames you’ll be using and where they will go in your home. 

Decide if you will have a matte around your photo or not. The matte is the white space between the edge of the frame and the photo. Once you know the size of the frame, and the matte size, you’ll know the size of photo you need to order.

Most frames that you buy at the store will show you two sizes. One is the overall size of the frame – like 11”x16”. The other size is the size of the photo that you can use in that frame – like 8”x10”.

If you can’t find a frame with a matte for the photo size you want, you can always cut your own matte to the size you need. I have a full tutorial showing you how to do that here. 

Choose The Pictures

After you know which frames you are using, you can start looking through your family photos and choosing your favorites.

Create a folder on your computer where you can copy all of the photos that you choose so they are in one central location. This will make it easier to find when you are ordering them later. 

How To Stay Organized

I find it really helpful to have a piece of paper and a pen handy to write down the photos, the sizes, and which frames they will go in. 

If you need some help organizing all this information, I created a really helpful Family Photos Printing List worksheet that you can use.

On the worksheet, you can write down the frames and the size of the photo that you need. Then, as you find the photos that you want to use, you can write down which photo will go with that frame and how many prints you want to order. 

Then you can use the worksheet as you are ordering your photo prints online. As you add each photo to your cart, you can check it off on the worksheet and keep track of everything. 

You might have to wait a little while for sale before ordering your photo prints. But if you have everything organized on your photo printing worksheet, it will be easy to add all of your photos to the cart and place your order.

Family photos can look beautiful in your home and make your decor personal and meaningful. You can save lots of money by printing and framing them yourself. 

If you stay organized and make a plan, you can have high-quality, beautiful family photos in your home without spending a ton of money.