We are living in a digital age when so much of our lives is found stored on our social media feeds, our smartphones, our desktops and even tucked away on dust collecting external hard drives. A few years ago, I realized that while I loved the digital age we were living in, I missed certain things about years from the past. Printed photos lived at the very top of that list.
I enjoy looking through old photo albums that spark memories from moments that would otherwise only live in my memory bank. Which let’s be honest, is only functioning 50% these days. Mom brain y’all, is real.
When I visit my mom’s house, she has boxes full of printed photos that I love sifting through. I decided that I wanted my children to experience the same when reminiscing about their own childhoods. I wanted them to have tangible photos to hold in their hands that could spark memories from the past.

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6 Reasons Why You Should Be Printing Your Photos

1. Technology Fails All The Time – Technology has grown leaps and bounds over the years, which has been fantastic for my photography experience. But technology is not fail proof and has its disadvantages. Technology fails us more than you think. I experienced this myself after saving all of our vacation photos on an external hard drive a few years ago. Before I had time to back them up in a second location, the hard drive failed me, and I lost everything. The only photos I have left from that family trip to the beach are the ones I posted on my Facebook account. Since then, I have been diligent in backing up my pictures and videos onto my SmugMug account regularly. The thought of another loss looms over me often so I try to stay on top of it as much as I can.
2. To Keep Memories Alive – Printed photos are a great way to keep memories alive. I have a wall of photo ledges full of framed photos from the past few years. A few weeks ago, my mom came for a visit. She stood admiring all of my beautiful pictures and asked me about them. I went through every single photo telling her the story behind the moment that each photo was taken. Had I not had those photos sitting printed and framed on my office wall, I may not have remembered the specifics of those days.
3. Tangible Photos Are Rewarding To Touch & Hold – There is something very rewarding about tangible photos. The first time I got back to printing my photos, I cried. I had stared at those photos living on my computer and in my social media feeds time and time again, but when I had them printed and held them in my hands, the emotions came rushing in.
4. Photos Are Great For Using In Home Decor – When I was living a predominantly digital life, I didn’t have but a few framed photos sitting throughout my home. Printing my photos has changed that in a big way. Now, my photos hang on picture ledges and collage walls and sit on tables and desks. Photos fill our home and have become a big part of our home decor. They are beautiful reminders throughout our home of the wonderful life that we have lived.
5. For The Sake Of Your Children/Family – Printing my family photos was rewarding from the very first print. There is something truly special about watching your children sift through their own childhood photos as well. My kids love having printed photos to look through. I will often find them sitting on the couch, snuggled in close to one another looking through page after page of memories captured in photos. This makes all of my efforts absolutely worth it.
6. To Leave a Legacy – I love looking through old photos of my parents and grandparents and getting a glimpse into their daily lives from many years ago. I recently visited my mom’s house, and we spent a good portion of the weekend going through old boxes of photos. It was then that I realized that I too wanted to leave a legacy for the generations to come after me. Not only for my children but for my grandchildren as well. I want to capture photos that will accurately depict the story that my husband and I are living and leave a legacy through photos for others to remember us by. By printing my photos and placing them into albums, I feel that I am better able to leave a legacy behind.

Where Can I Print High-Quality Photos?

Some of my favorite places for printing my family photos can be found below. But first, my #1 place for printing quick and beautiful photos is by printing straight from home on my Canon Pixma Pro 100. This printer is fierce, y’all. You can read more about what I have to say about printing my photos from home here. But if you want to order your prints online then check out these great alternatives for getting those photos printed.

• Nations Photo Lab
• Persnickety Prints
• mpix
• Artifact Uprising

So there you go! While we are living in a digital age and are reaping all sorts of benefits from it, don’t forget that there are some advantages of taking a step back and enjoying things that were seemingly a thing of yesterday. Starting with printing your photos. You will be so glad you did.

Do you print your family photos? If so, do you print them from home or do you have a printing service that you would recommend? I’d love to know.

Holly Paul

Holly is a 42 year old wife and mom to 3 boys, from Nashville, Tennessee. She is a hot tea lover, book reader, journal keeper, Pinterest pinner, podcast listener, y’all sayer, self-taught graphic designer, hobbyist photographer, writer and dreamer of all things big and small. You can find all of her ramblings here at Blu Nest Bloom.