Numerous people keep hoping that Google would one day allow them to print their pictures from their homes. For many users, it is a bad idea not to have the print option available.
Google has shut down its photo hosting platforms such as Google+ and Picasa that allowed you to download & print your photos. But getting some physically printed photos does not have to be hard.
You can download your images to your PC and order prints. Google has now merged all your photos into the Google Photos service. While it closely functions like Picasa and Google+, you can’t order your prints online anymore.
If you wish to get your photos printed, you need to download them from Google Photos and send them to a printing service. You can print your images on either Snapfish, Walgreens Photo app by choosing & ordering your photos from Google Photos.
How to print from Google Photos
Follow the simple steps below to print from Google Photos:
1. Log-in to your Gmail account. That will take you to the main page;
2. You’ll find a square grid of dots on the top right-hand corner. Tap it;
3. There you’ll find a variety of apps, including Google Docs, Google Photos, Google Calendar, among others;
4. Select the Google Photos app from the menu. You will see a display of your images categorized by date. Placing the cursor near the scroll bar, you can see the date when the photo was taken;
5. Choose the photos you wish to download.
You can also print from an album:
1. To find your album, click on the “Albums” tab on the left side of the page;
2. You can download one or many photos from there. To download an individual photo, tap the “checkmark button” in the corner of the image you want to select. You can even tap on each additional photo you want to add to your list. To select multiple pictures at once, hold the Shift Button, and tap to select;
3. Afterward, tap on the three vertical dots in the top right corner and select download;
4. Your photos will download as a file named “Photo.zip.”
In the case you wish to download all the photos in an album at once, you can even do it by opening the album you want to download everything off:
Tap on the “three-dot icon” in the top-right corner and select “Download all”;
This downloads all the photos in the album under AlbumName.zip.
Extracting your downloaded photos
You need to extract the photos you’ve downloaded from the zipped folder.
It is very straightforward; follow the easy steps below:
1. Firstly, open your download folder and locate Photos.ZIP or Album Name.ZIP;
2. Double-click to open the file. It’ll open the content of the ZIP file in a new window;
3. Tap “Extract” Your photos have now been unzipped to a new folder;
4. Open the folder with your downloaded photos.
Time to order your prints
There’s a massive variety of online photo printing services you can order your photos from. You can pick a service of your choice from Shutterfly, Snapfish, Walgreens, and many other popular service points.
You’ll need to create an account with the printing service you have chosen. Most of these services are usually free.
Upload your photos
After you have extracted your images, follow these simple steps:
Sign-in to the account of the photo printing service you have chosen;
Tap on the “Upload” or “Add photos” button (depending on the app) to add the images you want to print;
Note: Your printing service may also enable you to “drag and drop” your photos from your PC into the upload page.
On the other hand, you probably be prompted to browse your computer for the photos. You will find those photos under the “Downloads” folder. Note that your files might take a while to transfer if you are uploading many photos at once.
Note: Do not leave the page until you are notified that the photos have been uploaded successfully.
Select the type of print you prefer. Here you can preview, make edits, & you’ll be given a vast range of options for sizes and quantity. From standard photos, wallet photos to canvas, wall prints, etc. You can have what perfectly fits your need;
Tap “Next,” and that will take you to a pickup location. Enter your location and select a nearby participating store;
Afterward, select location and place orders. Alternatively, you can have your prints posted to you at a fee, especially if you are living in a rural area where transport is unreliable;
Enter your payment info and submit your order. Your printer specifies the pickup time.
Picking up your photo prints
When your photos are ready, you’ll receive an email notification from Google Photos.
Wrap Up
While it is an excellent idea to have digital photos saved in the cloud, it’s fun to have some hard copies too. Besides, printing your Google Photos is a fantastic way to have some framed photos or something beautiful to put in your family photo album.