Innovative businesses find success harnessing Instagram's API
Adrian Abrate
With the popularity of Instagram it is no surprise that a lot of new printing services have popped up devoted solely to this social media platform. From Instagram photobooks and T-shirts, to Instagram posters and more abstract products like Instagram photo magnets, stickers or even Instagram coasters.
The good news is that using these services is so easy with websites and apps integrating seamlessly using the Instagram API. As long as you have an Instagram account and a connection to the internet, the possibilities are endless.
I recently used a local service and was wowed by the result, so I did a little more digging and put together this list of ways we can print our favourite Instagram photos online here in Australia.
Postercandy.com.au
Postercandy is an extremely popular Instagram photo printing app and a great local start-up story. Based in Sydney, Postercandy currently ships Australia wide and to New Zealand. Their service uses your photos to create an Instagram poster that is sized to fit regular IKEA frames for easy mounting.
It's interesting to see that corporates are starting to use Instagram with one company designing and then printing 200 copies of a PosterCandy print to hand out as gifts at the completion of a project to staff involved.
Users can choose the size of the poster and how many prints to include in the poster. Only a few months old Postercandy is quickly becoming the most popular Australian Instagram printer because it offers bright and lasting images using the latest printing technology and to top it off the posters are very easy to install.
I love the service because shipping is free and fast. I used this service to print out a collage of images I took during Movember last year and the effect is fantastic.
Prinstagram
Printsagram is another Instagram printer and allows you to have your photos printed into small squares that can then be used to create a photo display. The service offers other products as well such as Instagram calendars, framed prints, posters, and miniprints.
These products can be chosen according to various layouts, so users have a lot of control when it comes to what kind of product they want and how they want their posters, calendars or photobooks to look like. Prinstagram recently launched the 'Print Studio' which allows users to have more influence in how their photos are laid out and printed. The service is reasonably affordable however shipping costs for Australia are quite high.
Stickygram
Stickygram is a new way of printing photos. The photos are printed directly on to magnetic sheets of paper which are then ready to be stuck anywhere. Photos are printed in sheets of square photos which can be left as is or cut into smaller magnetic pictures.
These magnets can be stuck anywhere, from the side of your fridge to magnetic message boards. The best thing about Stickygram is that it offers free shipping all over the world so any Instagram user can use this service.
These are some of the more interesting and fun ways you can print Instagram photos. Whether you want a fun Instagram Poster of your family photos or you want to create other memorable gifts for clients, it's now easy to get creative and give something unique and memorable.