Photofinishing: opting for the Internet pros.

Most digital Photos are still printed at home. But walk into any store that processes film and you'll see a kiosk that accepts CDs, DVDs, diskettes, and various types of digital-camera memory cards. Online photofinishers have taken that service further; you can order prints without leaving your chair.

Sending, or uploading, photos for processing is fairly easy. Prints arrive by mail; some photofinishers let you pick them up at a nearby store. All provide rush service. Most of the online services we tested delivered excellent prints. They're made on Kodak or Fuji Photo paper using a chemical process akin to film printing. We saw no evidence of fading after exposing photos to daylight-balanced fluorescent light round the clock for six weeks. The prints were generally more water-resistant than ones from an inkjet printer.

Another attraction of online photofinishers is picture sharing. You can store your photos on their Web sites and organize them into virtual albums that can be viewed in slide-show fashion by anyone you choose. The sites send e-mail with links that take invitees to the album. Online services can also put your Photos on calendars, coffee mugs, and other keepsakes.

To help you decide which online photofinisher is best for you, we tested six of the most popular: EZ Prints, Kodak Picture Center Online, Ofoto, Sears-photos. Shutterfly, and Snapfish. Each week for five weeks, we sent those services the same group of nine images indoor and outdoor photos taken with various 3-, 5-, and 6-megapixel cameras. We ordered 8x10 prints of each image; that's the print size we use to judge image quality for the cameras themselves. Our testing led us to these conclusions:

You're still in charge of quality control. If you're happy with the software that came with your camera use it to clean up the images. Otherwise, use the tools at the online site or at a kiosk, which is no more challenging than using an ATM. Make any color adjustments and remove flaws such as red eye. Also make sure that the image files are named and dated clearly.

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