Which is cheaper: buy a printer to print photos, or go to the print shop?

Question:

Which is cheaper: buy a printer to print photos, or go to the print shop?

and any recommended printer that prints good quality image? thanks.

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: It really all depends on what you want - convenience or quality.

I have a Canon i9100 that I bought a couple of years ago. It cost about $500 and prints beautiful, glossy or matte 13" x 19" prints. But the cost of the printer is paltry compared to replacement cartridges and paper.

If you are looking to simply print 5x7s or other snapshot sizes, you might be better off going to your local printer. You can even get good 8x10s with the proper resolution.

But if you plan on editing your photos with Photoshop or something else and simply want the best quality prints, there's nothing like a high quality ink jet printer.

It just all depends on what you want for your final product.