# Online Photo-to-canvas recommendations?



## Joe Nonety (19 Jul 2008)

I've some photos taken with my digital camera (10MP). I was wondering if anyone has some good experiences of using some of the online photo to canvas services, many of whom are on ebay and are about 1/3 the preice of Spectra or Aldi.
If so, I'd appreciate some recommendations.
Would a 28" by 20" canvas look OK or is there bound to be some pixelation?


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## z105 (20 Jul 2008)

I've used www.updone.com, good prices, great service, they are New York based but the product comes from China, I got 2 pics so far and had to pay VAT (no duty applicable) on oned, the other wasn't stopped by fedex in Dublin for some reason. You can track your shipment online.

I have a 5.1mp camera and got a 36" x 24" picture and it's excellent, you should not have a prob with pixelation with a 10mp camera on the size you are talking.


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## fredg (20 Jul 2008)

photobox.ie
v good.


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## chlc (22 Jul 2008)

I have just bought some HP A3 Canvas paper costing €4 a sheet , My printer cost €348 a 6 colour photo printer, If you are just doing a one off then maybe €70 for a 40cmX30cm is ok, but the cost and pleasure of doing your own is much lower maybe consider this as an alternative.


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## Lauren (22 Jul 2008)

How much are cartridge replacements for your printer and if you are printing full colour canvas, how often do they need to be replaced?


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## z105 (22 Jul 2008)

> photobox.ie
> v good.



V.expensive !

Photobox.ie - 80cm x 53.5 cm - €131.99 plus p&p (€11.00)

Updone.com - 80cm x 54 cm - USD 74.17 plus p&p (USD 11.87)

No brainer really (though you might have to pay VAT on arrival of 21%) still hugely cheaper than buying here !


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## briancbyrne (22 Jul 2008)

yea - I used updone aswell -  had  to pay the duty but the quality was fantastic - got it as a gift for the gfriend and she has it hanging in sitting room ever since


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## chlc (22 Jul 2008)

Lauren making some rough calculations in regard to the cost of home printing opposed to using a photo lab for canvas prints, I came up with the following: approx 10, 40X30cm prints per cartridge, cost per cartridge €40 and 3 cartridges in the printer = €120 for 10 prints, hence 1 print = €12 for ink and €4 for the canvas paper, total for 1 40X30cm print doing it yourself is €16 approx. The photo labs cost for a €40X30cm print on canvas average around €70.My A3 6 colour photo printer cost €348 quality is excellent after 5 prints this size my printer has paid for itself compared to the photo labs costs, after the 5th print my cost is €16 per print a decent saving and you have control of your print set up to boot.


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## bsloe (22 Jul 2008)

chlc said:


> Lauren making some rough calculations in regard to the cost of home printing opposed to using a photo lab for canvas prints, I came up with the following: approx 10, 40X30cm prints per cartridge, cost per cartridge €40 and 3 cartridges in the printer = €120 for 10 prints, hence 1 print = €12 for ink and €4 for the canvas paper, total for 1 40X30cm print doing it yourself is €16 approx. The photo labs cost for a €40X30cm print on canvas average around €70.My A3 6 colour photo printer cost €348 quality is excellent after 5 prints this size my printer has paid for itself compared to the photo labs costs, after the 5th print my cost is €16 per print a decent saving and you have control of your print set up to boot.




excellent - i think you should start offering your printer to fellow aam'ers


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## Lauren (22 Jul 2008)

Yup, sounds like a business opportunity alright! ;-) Thanks for the info!


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## z105 (28 Jul 2008)

Recently received an order from updone.com and just for info here is how the price compares to other websites doing the same thing on AAM - 

www.Updone.com - (Roughly €145.00)
www.Photobox.ie - € 376.99
www.Aldi.ie - €270.50
www.Thecanvasworks.ie - € 475.00

Worth shopping around !


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## paddyjnr (29 Jul 2008)

Havealaugh said:


> I've used www.updone.com, good prices, great service, they are New York based but the product comes from China, I got 2 pics so far and had to pay VAT (no duty applicable) on oned, the other wasn't stopped by fedex in Dublin for some reason. You can track your shipment online.
> 
> I have a 5.1mp camera and got a 36" x 24" picture and it's excellent, you should not have a prob with pixelation with a 10mp camera on the size you are talking.


 Thanks Havealaugh, That's a great website, just ordered a couple of pics, very cheap!! would you suggest to avail of the assemble yourself option??


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## z105 (29 Jul 2008)

> would you suggest to avail of the assemble yourself option??



I have only ordered pre-assembled ones to be honest, I'm not sure if there is a huge price difference ?? you might just be better off paying for the pre-assembled ones to save any hassle.

Incidentally, you'll find that UPS will charge you a COD for VAT and Customs Clearance (€13.50 plus VAT), it still works out a lot cheaper when this is paid but I still think UPS are charging a lot to customs clear the pictures - €13.50 plus vat is scaldy IMO.


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## paddyjnr (29 Jul 2008)

UPS got some cheek, but I do agree it still works out far cheaper.. Saw the same size today in spectra for 130euro, Mine came to the grand total of 40euro.. sounds to good to be true..


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## emmage (29 Jul 2008)

Reads in Sandyford do it. They are much cheaper than anywhere else I think?  I'm not sure whether it can be done online...I don't know how to post the link though if you google them they should come up.
E


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## z105 (29 Jul 2008)

> UPS got some cheek, but I do agree it still works out far cheaper.. Saw the same size today in spectra for 130euro, Mine came to the grand total of 40euro.. sounds to good to be true.



Well I have bought 6 pics from them at this stage and have had no issue with quality, infact I'm delighted with them.

As for UPS when I questioned this charge with updone.com, I got a reply from the actual shipper in China who subsequently checked it out with UPS and the answer was as follows - 

UPS Ireland charge a Disbursement Fee of €13.50, As  this is a Service provided Vat is liable, €13.50 x 21% = €2.84 Total =  €16.34​ ​ The Disbursement fee is approved by the Regulator for Express  Carriers (COMREG) Communications Regulator.​ ​ As a Express Carrier our primary business is Express Delivery,  Unfortunately shipments from outside the EU are liable to Import Taxes (Duty /  Vat) and UPS are required to make payments to Customs for all Imports in order  to achieve Customs clearance in time for scheduled delivery. ​
So there you go !!


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## paddyjnr (1 Aug 2008)

Havealaugh said:


> Well I have bought 6 pics from them at this stage and have had no issue with quality, infact I'm delighted with them.
> 
> As for UPS when I questioned this charge with updone.com, I got a reply from the actual shipper in China who subsequently checked it out with UPS and the answer was as follows -
> 
> ...


 Just recieved my canvases from UPS today and didn't get charged a cent, I am absolutely thrilled with the quality and value for money, I assembled them myself and it was quite easy except the corners were a little tricky but I managed them.  Thanks for all your help, I think you've started me on a little earner here as I really enjoy photography but It is quite difficult to make money out of it with the prices to get anything done in this country.. Pat


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## z105 (2 Aug 2008)

> Just recieved my canvases from UPS today and didn't get charged a cent


Without being nosey, what was the declared value on the invoice ? less than €45 ? if so you don't get charged VAT and therefore no customs clearance charge


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## paddyjnr (2 Aug 2008)

Havealaugh said:


> Without being nosey, what was the declared value on the invoice ? less than €45 ? if so you don't get charged VAT and therefore no customs clearance charge


 It was 47.84 USD, ah so that's why I didn't get charged. the overall amount including delivery was 70 USD


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## Bazza7 (3 Aug 2008)

I have used xprint in dublin thier quality seems very good,and they are very helpful in the shop,the might be a bit more expensive than some american sites but you are sure of the quality you are going to get and they are fast.Here is their web adress and thier postage is free in ireland and they give you a free 12x16 print free with every canvas.www.xprintcanvas.com


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## shellstar (5 Aug 2008)

I looked at updone over the weekend on the recommendations here and was very impressed. I was ordering one canvas and as I was browsing through the pages I noticed that the more you order the cheaper it is so I put in a second slightly smaller canvas for a different picture which reduced my original canvas by $25.00. Total including delivery was $71.00. Just checked and it was shipped last night so can't wait to see them.


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## z105 (5 Aug 2008)

> I have used xprint in dublin thier quality seems very good,and they are very helpful in the shop,the might be a bit more expensive than some american sites but you are sure of the quality you are going to get and they are fast.Here is their web adress and thier postage is free in ireland and they give you a free 12x16 print free with every canvas.www.xprintcanvas.com



Welcome to AAM, any affiliation to this company ??
http://www.xprintcanvas.com/


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## z105 (6 Aug 2008)

> I have used xprint in dublin thier quality seems very good,and they are very helpful in the shop,the might be a bit more expensive than some american sites but you are sure of the quality you are going to get and they are fast





> a bit more expensive


 ??



> Photobox.ie - 80cm x 53.5 cm - €131.99 plus p&p (€11.00)
> 
> Updone.com - 80cm x 54 cm - USD 74.17 plus p&p (USD 11.87)



Xprint - 
50cm x 70cm - €149.00 
60cm x 80 cm - €179.00


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## Ash (6 Aug 2008)

Shellstar,  it would be interesting if you would post how long it took to receive delivery and also if you are/were required to pay any additional duty, taxes, etc when items were delivered.


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## OnDeBanks (14 Aug 2008)

I got a couple of deliveries from Updone and they are excellent quality.  I wasn't charged any customs charges for the first shipment but was for the second.  I can't for the life of me figure out how they came up with the VAT charge.

The order total cam to $119.58 and I was charged €17.27 VAT plus the "Other Charges".  I've been racking my brain to find out how they came up with the VAT figure.

They have the exchange rate as 157.41 which I can only presume is €1 = $1.57.  They were described as "Hand Painted Art Work" which implies a VAT rate of 13.5% so by my calculations the VAT should be 

$ Amount = 119.58
€ Amount = 119.58/1.57 = €76.17
VAT = €76.17 x 0.135 = €10.28

Even if they had used the incorrect VAT rate of 21% it should only come to €15.99.

It's only €7 but I hate feeling like I've been done.  Can I query this and cancel the cheque I gave them?

Even with this hassle it is an excellent service provided by Updone.  I got 3 16"x24" canvases for that price, delivered 5 days after my order.


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## Ash (25 Aug 2008)

Based on recommendations on AAM, I used www.updone.com and had a canvas sent as a gift to family in the USA.  Although I haven't actually seen the final piece, the recipients are delighted.  The whole process took about 6 or seven days.
Another way AAM has helped.  Thanks.


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## paddyjnr (25 Aug 2008)

Ash said:


> Based on recommendations on AAM, I used www.updone.com and had a canvas sent as a gift to family in the USA. Although I haven't actually seen the final piece, the recipients are delighted. The whole process took about 6 or seven days.
> Another way AAM has helped. Thanks.


 I'm sure it was top quality based on my own experience!


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## selfbuilder (20 Sep 2008)

Hi all,

I was trying to order a canvas on the updone website but it would not accept my address without a zip code.  Can anyone advise how to get around this?
Thanks.


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## z105 (20 Sep 2008)

> Hi all,
> 
> I was trying to order a canvas on the updone website but it would not accept my address without a zip code. Can anyone advise how to get around this?
> Thanks.



Providing your full address is included on the order just type "11111" into the Zip code, that's what I did and it works.


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## z105 (20 Sep 2008)

> Can I query this and cancel the cheque I gave them?


I wouldn't cancel the cheque but you should query it with the courier company who cleared the goods. IME all shipments that came for me via UPS were stopped and I was charged the VAT/Customs Clearance except for the last one they used Fedex through Shannon, there was no COD requested on that one 

Oh, and the VAT rate is 21% not 13.5% in this instance


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## selfbuilder (21 Sep 2008)

Thanks for the quick reply.


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## Ron Burgundy (2 Oct 2008)

Has anyone else used updone.com ??? going to order some of my wedding photos on canvas this weekend and these guys look the best value overall !


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## selfbuilder (3 Oct 2008)

My order was shipped on the 17th of September but I still haven't received it.  I have emailed them a few times but they haven't replied.  Not looking too good.  I am really disappointed as I had great hopes for their service.


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## g1g (4 Oct 2008)

hi guys,

has anyone ordered b&w pics from this?
Also, anyone ordered old pics (80's style square ones!) they scanned in to be converted to canvas. Would love to do some of my old pics.

Thanks!


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## RonanC (4 Oct 2008)

Ordered two canvases from Updone on 19th sep, arrived on 26th sep with Fedex. Updone provided me with a tracking number as soon as the order was processed and I was able to track the delivery. Very good service!!!

The quality of the canvas itself and the construction of the frame is very impressive and the savings are fantastic compared to some Irish based suppliers.


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## Lollix (6 Oct 2008)

I had never heard of updone until I saw the post here. I had been considering getting three photos printed with Hardly Normal, cost about 140 euro each. I logged in to Updone on Saturday and the three of them came to 145 dollars total (about 100 euro). Not sure how much tax I'll have to pay on delivery, but it still won't amount to more than the cost of one photo with Hardly Normal.
Thanks to the posters who brought Updone to my attention. Will post back with details on tax and on quality etc.


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## z105 (6 Oct 2008)

> My order was shipped on the 17th of September but I still haven't received it. I have emailed them a few times but they haven't replied. Not looking too good. I am really disappointed as I had great hopes for their service



That's surprising, have you heard anything yet ?


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## selfbuilder (7 Oct 2008)

Received my photo yesterday by post rather than by courier which may account for the delay.  When I first ordered I got a Fedex reference which never worked so this made me a little nervous.  Very happy with the results and it only cost me €25.  Will definately use them again now that they came good in the end.


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## z105 (7 Oct 2008)

> Received my photo yesterday by post rather than by courier which may account for the delay. When I first ordered I got a Fedex reference which never worked so this made me a little nervous. Very happy with the results and it only cost me €25. Will definately use them again now that they came good in the end.


Chance your arm for a discount code from them for the delay in receiving the goods?

To be honest I think they ship by different methods relative to the cost of the order.


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## Lollix (8 Oct 2008)

Just an update of my experience with Updone. They seem to be a bit slower compared to the experience of previous posters. Here's my account summary:

Order ##### Status Detail Wed Oct 08 01:50:45 EDT 2008
Payment was paid successfully. Order will be shipped soon.

Sat Oct 04 23:11:23 EDT 2008
Payment was held successfully. Order has been processed well so far. Thank you.

Sat Oct 04 23:08:29 EDT 2008
Order items' availability has been checked. In three days, order will be shipped. 

Sat Oct 04 12:58:29 EDT 2008
Order has been placed, pending for process

In short, on Saturday they promised that the order would be shipped in 3 days, four days later thay say that it will be shipped soon. Nothing to be concerned about, but would explain why some posters found delivery to be slower than expected.
Will post details when I eventually get the stuff.


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## Lollix (9 Oct 2008)

It's on the way. They're pretty quick, very impressive.
American company that manufactures in Nanjing obviously.

*Oct 9, 2008* 6:31 PM *Arrived at FedEx location *PARIS FR

*Oct8,2008 *5:39AM In transit SHANGHAI CN 
5:26AM Int'lshipment release SHANGHAI CN 

8:21PM Left FedEx origin facility NANJING CN 
5:42PM Picked up NANJING CN 
2:20PM Package data transmitted to FedEx


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## Lollix (10 Oct 2008)

Got the pictures today. Delighted with them, excellent quality, fantastic service and very reasonable. The details about www.updone.com is one of the best bits of info i have got on askaboutmoney.
This all begs the question, if an American company can do this, including the cost of shipping, why are we paying so much in Irish places for the same service? Don't tell me about the cost of labour, the shipping costs would cover that.


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## Ron Burgundy (16 Oct 2008)

Lollix said:


> Got the pictures today. Delighted with them, excellent quality, fantastic service and very reasonable. The details about www.updone.com is one of the best bits of info i have got on askaboutmoney.
> This all begs the question, if an American company can do this, including the cost of shipping, why are we paying so much in Irish places for the same service? Don't tell me about the cost of labour, the shipping costs would cover that.



Well said, mine arrived today and well happy. We got a big family pic blown up 4 foot by 2.5 foot and it looks amazing. It was about 140 euro......can you believe that price !!!

We are going to order more as are other family matters. More money leaving the state Brian


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## Ellent (24 Mar 2009)

Hi 

   Its definitely worth shopping around.  I got a 30"x20" canvas from [broken link removed] for 80 euros.  They're a new company but the quality was great and their prices are much lower than anything else I could find!

Hope that helps

Ellen


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## LM26 (29 Jun 2015)

Hi, bumping this thread as looking to get a canvas done. There was alot of recommendations here for updone.com, an American company but I can't seem to find them online, are they gone? 

Any current recommendations? I want to create a collage on canvas of photos from a recent holiday. Thanks!


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## Páid (29 Jun 2015)

I find Reads to be very competitive - [broken link removed]

If you are in Dublin you can drop into them with your photos and they will help with the design.


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## pinkie123 (30 Jun 2015)

I got one done recently by www.xprintcanvas.com very pleased with it and very quickly sent out and one of the cheapest I looked at.


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