I am working on a large scale DIY project in our home and I needed some giant copies of old family photos. I remembered seeing this pin a while back, which said that you can get giant prints called "engineer prints" at Staples for $4.99.
We called around locally to see what we could find. Our local Kinko's had a similar giant photo copy option called a "blueprint copy". I also heard from a reader that they are sometimes called "draft prints". These prints are only .75 per square foot. Totally affordable!
This is the largest print I ordered, it's about 3×4 feet. The photo it is copied from is a tiny 3×3 inch photo of my grandparents. Some people have asked about the quality. I would compare the quality of these prints to any black and white photocopy. It's not perfect, especially since my prints are made from small photos that are very old. The thing is, when you have such a large poster the quality doesn't matter AS much because it's the scale that really catches the eye. If you want a perfect quality print, you can get those a lot of places… just not for under $10… ha!
Here's one more of my (other) grandparents on their wedding day. Again, you can see that the image is definitely not perfect, but the size is what makes the statement. I love these memories and I am so proud to use them in our home decor… it's special. Now I can't wait to make more copies.
I'll be back soon to share the project I'm making with this gigantic beauties. I just wanted to quickly pop in and share where/how to order these prints for any of you who might want to make your own! xo. elsie
I love this idea, and have boxes and boxes of photos dating back to 1920s! I can’t wait to see how plan to hang/frame. That’s always the tricky part for me. I have so many things sitting around that need frames!
Oh I love this. I have some fabulous photographs of my parents (both deceased) that I would love made into poster – this one in particular …..
http://hibiscusbloem.blogspot.com/2011/02/mum-and-dad.html
Thanks for this.
Lovely! I have a few photos I am inspired to print now!
http://thesumofallsides.blogspot.com/
Wooow, this is so cool!
I LOVE THESE! They have such a great vibe:)
Plus, could you do a tutorial for sock buns and dutch braids. Yo guys are my role models:*
FYI- as a staples copy and print center associate; the quality of you final copy definitely depends on the printer/plotter/drafter that they use. The prints you got look like they’re from a Kyocera printer (what my staples USED to have) but you can get much better quality from a xerox wide format plotter (what my staples has NOW)… The difference is astounding! Ask for a test print!
PS- love your DIY projects 🙂
Hi Elsie,
So funny you’re working on this project at home right now. My grandparents recently celebrated their 50th year anniversary and we’re working on printing a few large canvas photos of an incredible picture of them from their wedding day. I love the idea of decorating a home with some old family photos. Great to see that you can do it on a budget, too! We’ve been working with Shutterfly on ours and they definitely aren’t $10 …
I love this idea! I’m definitely going to check it out locally!
These are fabtasticM I can’t wait to see your final project! We got married in February and are yet to print any photos! This could be the solution! I wonder if I can find something similar in Aus?
i am so excited to see you’re doing this! i’ve been wanting to make some for a while now (of both my family and my husband’s) and i’ll look forward to seeing how yours turn out. thanks for all the great inspiration!
Did you try it on any colored photos by chance? Or does it turn black and white because of the type of print?
Thanks for the money saver!
I’d rather pay more for a better quality scan of the film and print. There is usually nothing very attractive about poor quality photographs.
incredible idea!!! I just love this!
How cool! I really like that!
http://joyfuldiary.blogspot.de/
Awwwww, love this idea soooo much! I can already think of some specific photos that I need…..:)
Love,
Stephanie May*
http://www.maydae.com
Really love those! I have an amazing collection of family photos that would be perfect for this!
Oh my goodness, you are the best!! I just went to FedEx and got a HUGE picture printed out for less than five dollars. In Georgia, at least, it’s called “black and white oversize” (it’s still .75 cents/square foot), and the max size at the store I went was 36 inches, which is still giant.
Thank you so so much for posting this!
love to see what you are going to do with these…how are you going to frame or hang them?
It already looks awesome, even that it’s unfinished 😉 Can’t wait to see the final result
http://sztukastudiowania.blogspot.com/
Wow! I love the idea of doing this with some of my amazing old pctures! The graininess just adds to it
Katie x