Wait what, there’s different sizes of photo strips? Ummm, yeah 🙂
The traditional print out you see these days is a 2×6 photo strip, similar to what you would get in the old time photo booths you might still find in a shopping mall or movie theater. And there is also the 4×6 print out as well. Basically, instead of the printer slicing a 4×6 template down the middle to create two 2×6 strips, it just prints out a full 4×6. And depending on the photo booth software that’s being used and the printer that is printing there are even more options. But let’s keep things simple and talk about the 2×6 strip versus the 4×6 print and what makes one better than the other.
Okay, I’ll just go ahead and knock out the most obvious pros and cons of the different sizes and the first is cost. If a photo booth rental company is offering a choice of double 2×6 prints or double 4×6 prints, they’re going to hope you pick the 2×6 because it’s half the material. We give you the choice of either one at the same cost because when it comes down to it, it’s really just a few dollars difference per event. The second main difference between the two is the size of the images on the strip. With the 4×6 print out you have a little more freedom in increasing the size of the photos in the layout and or just have one large 4×6 photo. With a 2×6 strip, you can only make the photos so big. And finally, depending on the type of event you are having, a 4×6 print will allow more room for graphics and logos versus a 2×6 layout.
So which layout do we prefer and why? We’re more old school when it comes to photo booths, so we prefer the 2×6 strip hands down 🙂 But a lot of it has to do with how we have built our all inclusive rental package. Certain items have been included in our photo booth rental package and they are ideal for the 2×6 photo strip. First, our magnetic photo strip frames. We include 50 of the 2×6 magnetic photo strip frames with every rental. For those that have no idea what we’re talking about, it’s basically a clear sleeve that you slide your photo strip into with a magnetic backing. It’s perfect for hanging up your photos on your refrigerator so you can be constantly reminded of what an awesome time you had that one crazy night. If you chose to go with the 4×6 layout the 50 magnetic frames are not included. We can do 4×6 magnets too, but that’s a special order. The next item in our rental package that we think is best suited for the 2×6 photo strip is the scrapbook. For events like weddings, birthday parties, graduation parties, retirement parties or any event where there is a guest or guests of honor, we take one of the copies that prints out and place it in a scrapbook. The guests are then encouraged to leave a funny message or some sage advice next to their photo strip. The scrapbook is then handed over at the end of the event. The photo strip scrapbook makes an awesome keepsake for the newlyweds or birthday boy or girl to look back on for years to come. With the 2×6 strip you can really fill up the pages of the scrapbook and maximize the joy someone gets when flipping through the pages. We’ll definitely do the 4×6 for the scrapbook, but keep in mind they take up a lot of real estate and leave little room for people to write. But this is just our personal opinion, which ever option you chose it’s going to be awesome!
As much as we love the 2×6 photo strip, there is a time and place when the 4×6 is a better option. Trade shows, grand openings, business anniversaries, or any event where promoting your brand is important. You’ll have more room to play around with the graphics and the images will be a little larger for the users. Larger images are nice because these kind of events are also geared towards participants that may or may not have access to the digital copies provided on the online gallery. The digital copies are enormous and can be reprinted by the user at their convenience. But you know what’s even better than a 4×6 prints? Texting and emailing your photos! But that’s a whole other topic:)