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The greatest thing about digital cameras is, arguably, their immediacy. You can instantly see the picture you just took and it doesn't cost you a thing. With the advancement of photo printers, you can also immediately print your pictures as long as you're near a printer. But, this is not free. Have you ever wondered how much you're paying to print those pics yourself?

The cost of printing pictures yourself is much higher than you think. Robert Vamosi of ZDNet did a study and found that it costs consumers between $0.32-0.50 for each 4x6. Considering that even the most expensive professional developers charge $0.29 per 4x6 (the cheapest, Winkflash costs only $0.18), you're obviously not saving yourself any money by printing yourself.

You could go with the cheaper compatible ink cartridges. You could even go through the hassle of refilling the ink with one of those kits. The problem is, when you go with cheaper ink you never know what you're getting. I once bought a whole package of compatible ink (at a great price) only to find that my printer prints just plain ugly photos now. Some cheap ink has been known to clog print heads. Others produce inconsistent prints. The name brand ink is always best, but it is the most expensive. You could also go with cheaper photo paper. This too will give you inconsistent results. Printer manufacturers make printers, ink, and paper to work together to give you the best-looking photos. The extremely high cost of name brand ink and paper caused me to take a serious look at professional developers.

Not only is it cheaper to get your digital photos professionally developed, you'll be getting higher quality too. Professional developers use state-of-the-art printing techniques that produce prints that are almost identical to film prints. They use high-quality photographic paper. Because of this, your prints will last a long time without fading or curling. Photos printed on your printer will fade and curl much faster.

So, if you print photos yourself you'll be getting lower-quality, less durable, prints that cost more (and that's if your printer is in good working condition and actually prints for you). Or, you can send your pictures over the web to a professional developer and get high-quality, long-lasting, film-quality prints that cost as little as $0.18 for a 4x6. Printing digital photos yourself just doesn't make sense, no matter how you add it up.

For more information

Check out Carrot Ink's Printer Buying Guide for a comprehensive listing of printers with specs, page yields, cost per page, and more.

Winkflash is a cheap, no-nonsense developer that I've used that makes beautiful prints at rock-bottom prices.

Shutterfly, a PC Magazine Editor's Choice, is slightly more expensive than Winkflash but offers you more options to edit your pictures. They also have lots of other things you can do with your pictures like calendars, books, and frames.