Review of Instaproofs - Online Photo Storefront

Instaproofs has a huge advantage over some of its competitors - no upfront or monthly fees. Digital photographers can sign up for a free account and begin setting up their online storefront right away. Albums from events stay online for 9 months free of charge. As of July 2009, it cost $5 to extend the life of the Instaproofs storefront.

Instaproofs does take up to 15 percent of a digital photographer's online print sales, which is slightly more than some of its competitors. However, since there are really no other fees to pay Instaproofs can still work out to be a better deal than another website.

Instaproofs is an easy website to use and requires no real learning curve to overcome. There is no significant time investment, complex registration process, or extensive downloading needed. This of course makes it much easier for digital photographers to spend more time shooting their images than trying to sell them.

Uploading images to the Instaproofs website is as simple as using a web-based interface. For those who prefer to use FTP, there are options for those who wish to more directly upload their digital photos. As with every other Instaproofs service, there is no additional charge incurred for uploading as many images as one might wish.

There are a number of storefront options available to registered members of Instaproofs. Images placed online for viewing can be watermarked to prevent copyright infringement. The storefront can also be customized with logos, captions, albums, special coding, and the photographer's own META descriptions.

Instaproofs offers several marketing choices for its members, including e-mail reminders to prospective clients, social bookmarking, and available discounts and sales to special clients. These flexible options make it easier for a digital photographer to save time and earn money when conducting marketing efforts.

Unlike some websites, Instaproofs does not compel its users to use only one or two labs to fulfill their print orders. Members remain in control of where and how to fulfill their orders at all times.

Instaproofs pays commissions every two weeks, and prefers to do so through direct deposit to a checking or a savings account. However, other options such as PayPal and paper check are also available.