Does Walgreens Print Polaroids? What You Actually Get
Short answer: no, not on instant film. Walgreens sells Retro Mini Prints: your photo printed on regular photo paper with a white polaroid-style border around it. They're cheap and you can pick them up the same day, but they aren't Polaroid or Instax film. CVS and Walmart work the same way. No drugstore prints on real instant film, because instant film has to be exposed by an instant camera or instant printer.
That doesn't make a retro print a bad choice. For a lot of uses it's the right one. Here's what each store actually gives you, how it compares to real instant film, and how to get the real thing if that's what you're after.
What Walgreens actually prints
Walgreens Photo lists the product as Retro Mini Prints under its specialty prints. The facts that matter:
- It's photo paper. Your image is printed with a white border as part of the print, in gloss or matte, on the same kind of paper as a regular 4x6.
- It's cheap. The regular price has been about 99 cents a print, and Walgreens frequently runs promo codes that make them cheaper or free.
- It's fast. Most stores offer same-day pickup, often within about an hour of ordering online.
So if your plan is "polaroid-looking photos for a party banner this afternoon," Walgreens is a perfectly good answer.
What about CVS and Walmart?
CVS
CVS offers retro-style and mini prints through the Kodak photo kiosk in store, with same-day pickup. Like Walgreens, they're printed on photo paper, and several small prints come on one sheet. Pricing varies by store and promotion, but it's in the same range: around a dollar or less.
Walmart
Walmart Photo sells Retro Prints as 4 x 5 inch prints with a white vintage border on heavy 100 lb paper, ordered online in sets of 25. Larger than a real instant photo and closer to a card, but again: paper, not film.
Retro print vs real instant film
On a screen the two look similar. In your hand they're different objects.
| Drugstore retro print | Real instant film | |
|---|---|---|
| The border | White ink printed on the paper | A physical frame around the film packet |
| Feel | Flexible, like a photo or postcard | Stiff, closer to a credit card |
| Surface | Standard gloss or matte photo paper | Deep gloss with visible depth under the image |
| Color | Accurate, neutral lab color | Film's softer contrast and warmer highlights |
| Price per print | About $1 or less | About $2.25–4.40 ordered, shipping included |
| Speed | Same day | A few days by mail, or instantly with your own printer |
When a drugstore print is the right call
- You need them today.
- You want lots of them for a wall, a banner, party favors or a classroom, where price per print matters more than feel.
- They're going somewhere no one will pick them up, like a hung garland or a scrapbook page behind a sleeve.
If any of those describe you, go to Walgreens. You'll save money, and the photos will look the part from a few feet away.
How to get real instant film prints instead
If the reason you want "polaroids" is the object itself, the gloss, the stiff card, the real border, for a gift or a keepsake, you need actual instant film. There are three ways to get it from phone photos:
- Buy an Instax printer (about $100) and film. Best if you'll print a lot; our Instax printer math puts the break-even around 85–90 prints.
- Buy a Polaroid Lab (about $140), which exposes Polaroid film from your phone screen. Real Polaroid film at roughly $2.50 a shot.
- Order prints from us. We print your phone photos on genuine Fujifilm Instax film and mail them, from $18 for 5 with free US shipping. No hardware to buy.
We laid all four routes, drugstore included, side by side on our print photos as polaroids page, with what each costs and who it suits.
Want the real film version?
Upload from your phone, crop and filter, and we print on genuine Instax film. Ships in 2 business days, free US shipping.
Create Your Prints →FAQ
Does Walgreens print polaroids?
Not on instant film. Walgreens prints Retro Mini Prints, which are regular photo paper with a white polaroid-style border printed around the image. They're inexpensive and usually ready the same day, but they aren't Polaroid or Instax film.
Does CVS print polaroids?
CVS prints retro-style and mini photo prints at its Kodak kiosks, also on regular photo paper. Like Walgreens, the polaroid look is a printed border rather than real instant film.
How much are Walgreens retro prints?
The regular price has been about 99 cents per print, and Walgreens often runs promo codes that bring the price down or make a few free. Check the Walgreens Photo site for current pricing, because promotions change often.
Can I get real polaroid prints the same day?
Only if you own the hardware. Real instant film has to come out of an instant camera or an instant printer like an Instax Mini Link or a Polaroid Lab. If you don't own one, ordering is the way to get film prints, and ours ship within 2 business days.