Elizabeth July 18th, 2011
Most of you are already aware that I am a card-carrying Instagram tragic. I grab my phone and take a picture whenever my dog does something adorable, whenever I’m cooking something that I want to brag about, or just to show my followers where I am and what I’m doing.
For those who don’t know, Instagram is a free iPhone photo app that makes it simple to apply a cute filter, and upload it for your friends to see. It’s like Twitter for photos!
About a month ago I decided to hunt around and see what services were being built from the Instagram API. I was pretty sure I’d be able to find a desktop app for my Mac (and I did – meet InstaDesk!) but I was surprised to discover just how many people had been hard at work creating other cool products for Instagram addicts like me.
If you’re curious to know what sort of stuff people are making, check out this comprehensive roundup.
It wasn’t until I discovered Artflakes and Instagoodies‘ print services for Instagram that I realised my life was incomplete without sticker versions of my favourite photos. I placed orders with each, and last week my prints arrived in the mail. I thought I’d review them here in case anybody else has the bug.
Artflakes is run by a small team in Berlin and they are best known for producing art prints, canvases, posters and greeting cards. Their ArtStickers are just one part of what they do, and they have done a great job in automating the upload process and making it painless.
The finished product is a set of beautiful, big vinyl stickers that are completely removable.
At the main screen, you simply enter your username and wait for your photos to appear on the next page. The next step is to select the photos you want to print, and adjust quantities as you go.
Click the “buy now” button and you’re done!
My stickers took about three weeks to arrive (which isn’t bad, considering the $4 shipping fee), and came very well packaged. Inside were my ten 10x10cm (4×4 inch) vinyl stickers, and I was really surprised to discover that the print and colour quality was excellent. Also? They are HUGE – they feel like polaroids to hold.
If I had one complaint, it would be the curl in the paper that they use. I imagine that this can’t be helped though, and I can tell that it wouldn’t affect the stickers once they were stuck in place. It’s not a big deal.
My 10 stickers cost about $25 (Australian) delivered, so they’re probably not something that you’d indulge in too often. I plan to use my stickers in my paper journals, so for that reason I would probably choose my favourite shots to print every few months or so. My Canon Pixma printer does a pretty good job, but I don’t think it can match the quality of these prints.
In summary: Recommended!
pack of 10 ($ 20.86)
pack of 25 ($ 41.86)
pack of 50 ($ 62.86)
Delivery to Australia: $4 / 3 weeks.
(All prices in US dollars)
Instagoodies uses the already popular Moo to print cute little sticker books of your Instagram photos. Each photo is 1 inch square, and the Instagoodies interface makes it really easy to populate your book with your favourite photos. Each little book is made up of 90 stickers, and you can either choose 90 different photos or let Instagram repeat your favourites to make up the correct number. Easy peasy!
The finished result is super cute, and very tiny. Mine was unfortunately a little damaged by the rain, but I was pleased to see that the cardboard cover did a great job of protecting the stickers inside. Still, I was a bit surprised that they arrived without a bit of plastic for waterproofing.
The colours are perhaps a little less vibrant than the Artflakes prints, but the lightness gives them a certain charm. I noticed that some of my darker shots looked better in the little Instagoodies photos than in the big vinyl stickers because they’d been lightened up a bit more. Mind you, the difference is hard to spot.
They’re cheap, they’re tiny, and they are adorable!
In summary: Recommended!
book of 90 ($ 14.00)
Delivery to Australia: $2 / 3 weeks.
(All prices in US dollars)
So… which one would I recommend?
If you’re looking to turn your entire Instagram gallery into a little sticker book, then Instagoodies is for you. It’s quick, it’s relatively cheap, and you can share your stickers with the world! I bet this would make an awesome present for school age kids too, as they’d be fun to use for personalising books and trading with friends.
I love my little sticker book, but I’m more likely to order again from Artflakes. The large size of the stickers makes them a little more usable for me, especially as mine will be finding their way to my paper journal. They are big enough that you could use them on the cover of a blank book (this would make a great gift) or even frame!
Printstagram looks interesting too, offering posters, mini prints (they look a lot like instax minis), stickers and mini books. They might be next on my list to try.
Meanwhile, can I just say how refreshing it is to find such innovative services that are actually catering to an international market? Both of these websites charged reasonable delivery and got the job done on time.
Good job, team. The world is finally getting smaller!
