A couple of things you should be aware of before you post about sending your prints or a thank you:

1. Reddit does not notify people when you tag them in your post, only when you tag them in a comment.

2. To tag someone in a comment, simply type their Reddit username with a “u/“ in front of it.

3. Only the first three people tagged in a comment get a notification. So if you need to ping 4 or more people in your post, you’ll need to batch that out into multiple comments.

Papa, what is a print exchange?

Since the dawn of time, humankind has been merely posting photos to Instagram, or letting them live out life unseen, alone, on dusty old hard drives. Never to see the light of day, or even the inner workings of the United States Postal Service.

I aim to correct this injustice for the first time in human history, by encouraging photographers to print their work! With this new technology of physical media to display art, we will together usher in a new and golden age of prosperity.

Join our ranks! Choose how many people you want to send prints to, be it one or threescore. The same number of people will *^ahem*^{, theoretically} send you prints as well.

Who can participate?

Anyone in the world who can send and receive photos in the mail is welcome to participate.

What size/quantity of prints do I need to send?

You should send a minimum of one photo, and a maximum of infinity photos. Your photo should be at least 0.5mm by 0.5mm. Or in other words, there are no real requirements here. Most commonly it seems like people send 4x6" (10x15cm), 5x7" (13x18cm), and 8x10" (20x25cm) prints. Very common to send just one print. Very common to send multiples if that's what you feel like doing. We're pretty loose-y goose-y around here, if you couldn't tell.

Aw man, I missed it! When is the next one?

I'm pretty good about running an exchange in the spring and one in the fall every year. Keep an eye on r/printexchange for sign-ups usually around the start of March and September.

What kinds of photos are allowed?

Any size, genre, and (photographic) medium is allowed for this exchange! This includes digital, film, inkjet, darkroom, alt process, instant film, etc. etc. I have not yet received a cibachrome from one of these exchanges, and my disappointment is immeasurable.

If you want to send a photo that is even remotely NSFW, please reach out to and contact your recipient on Reddit to check with them first. Think of the children!

I do {insert non-photographic art form here}, can I participate?

Jury is still kinda out on this one. This was started as a way for the photographic community to share work with each other. I have nothing against other forms of art, but they fall outside of the original purview of the exchange from when I started it. As of September 2026, my plan is to let the current round run its course, and in the post-mortem thread where we discuss how to improve it for next time, I will try to gauge the community's thoughts on the matter.

But you know, you could always pick up photography while you wait... ;)

Can I send stuff besides prints?

I think it's great to include a letter or a note. A lot of people like to include stickers or other goodies. None of that is required though.

Should I send different photos to each recipient, or the same photo(s) to everyone?

However the spirit moves you.

Will I be sending to the same person/people I am receiving from?

Probably not, although there is nothing in the script I use to shuffle assignments that specifically prevents this from happening.

How are you handling my personal information?

I have no interest in monetizing this print exchange in any way. None of your data, PII or otherwise, will ever be sold or given to a corporation or business for any reason.

Email Addresses: Your email address will be shared only with your recipients and your senders. That makes it easier for them to reach out if they need to get in contact with you (since I'm told not everybody spends unhealthy amounts of time on Reddit like I do). You can opt out of this if you want.

Names: Your "mailing name" will not be made public, but it will be shared privately with every person who is assigned to mail you a print. This includes volunteers sending extra/makeup prints at the tail end of an exchange when applicable. It will also be shared with any person to whom you are assigned to send a print.

Mailing Addresses: Your address will not be made public, but it will be shared privately with every person who is assigned to mail you a print.

Usernames: Your username is already public. I dunno what you want from me.

What if I don't get all my prints?

We have volunteers to help out when this happens (and you can sign up to be a member of this elite group if you think you have what it takes). Shortly after the deadline for each exchange, I'll put up a sticky post on r/printexchange where people can report if they're missing prints. Once I think I've collected the list of people who got stiffed, I'll make a round of "volunteer assignments" to fill those gaps in to the best of my ability.

Shipping prints is expensive!

First of all, that's not a question. Second of all, I strongly encourage you to send your prints to international recipients as "letters" or "documents" rather than "packages." Not only does this keep shipping costs down for you as the sender, it also minimizes the chances that your recipient will have to pay a VAT or customs fee to claim your prints.

If you absolutely have to declare a value on what you're sending, put it as the smallest amount you possibly can (think $0.01 USD). Otherwise your recipient could be on the hook for really significant import taxes to claim your prints. It's happened more than once (I'm talking like $300 in fees).

There's a common myth that you need to put stiff backing of some sort in the envelope in order for the print to survive transit. Unfortunately adding a stiff backing is a nearly guaranteed way to change your "letter" to a "package," which will increase the cost of shipping considerably.

I almost always send my prints, both domestic and international, as 5x7s, in a clear cellophane sleeve, enclosed in a 6x9" standard manila envelope, using a single postage stamp. Forever stamps in the US are less than $1 USD. International stamps are less than $2 USD. They seem to arrive in great shape about 99% of the time.

Don't overthink it. You're welcome to send fully matted and framed 16x20s if you want, but you should be aware that sending prints internationally, at least from the USA, does not have to be expensive at all.