Custom Photo Magnet Prices: What You Actually Pay

Single photo magnets: from $5, one photo per magnet

This is the format most people mean when they say "photo magnets." Each 2x2 square holds one photo, printed edge-to-edge with no white border, so a pack of nine is nine different pictures. Packs come in 1, 4, 9 and 18 magnets, starting at $5 for a single magnet.

The only thing that changes with pack size is the per-magnet price, and it drops at every step up. Nothing about the magnet itself gets cheaper to make — it is the same handmade print on the same photo paper with the same gloss finish. So the honest way to read the ladder is cost per magnet, not the pack total. If you already know you want magnets for a group of people, price the 18-pack before the 4-pack; the difference per piece is the whole reason larger packs exist. Current pack prices are listed on the Single Photo Magnets page.

One practical warning: the cheap move is ordering a single magnet to "see the quality" and then ordering again. That works if you genuinely only want one. If you are planning gifts, you end up paying twice for packing and shipping instead of once.

Photo mosaic magnets: from $18, one photo across many magnets

A mosaic inverts the idea. Instead of one photo per magnet, one photo is split across a grid of magnets that fit back together into a single image. Pricing starts at $18 and is set by grid size — four grid sizes are offered, and the larger the grid, the bigger the finished picture becomes.

This is where people most often buy the wrong thing. A mosaic is the right call for a single image that deserves size: a wedding portrait, a group shot where everyone is in the frame, a landscape from a trip. It is the wrong call for a set of separate memories, because you cannot peel one square off and send it to a grandmother — the pieces only make sense together. If your camera roll is the point, singles win. If one photograph is the point, the mosaic wins. Grid sizes and prices are on the Photo Mosaic page.

Both formats go through the same process: upload your photos, crop and preview them, and each magnet is handmade on high-quality photo paper with bright, vivid colours before it ships packaged and ready to gift anywhere in the USA.

The Memory Drop subscription: $16 a month for 6 magnets

The pricing logic here is different from a one-time order. Six magnets a month at $16 is a pace, not a purchase — it suits households that take photos constantly and would otherwise let them sit in the phone. The quarterly option is for people who would rather have a bigger batch less often. Both are month-to-month in behaviour: nothing locks you in, and pausing is expected rather than a favour. If you are not sure you will keep up with it, the monthly plan is the lower-risk way to start.

Live Magnet Bar packages: $450, $850 and $1,200 flat fees

A live Magnet Bar is an on-site station where guests pick or take a photo and leave with a finished 2x2 magnet in about 60 seconds. All three packages are flat fees described as all-inclusive with no hidden fees, and all three include unlimited magnets rather than a per-guest count. Here is exactly what each one covers:

The stepped price buys time, not magnets: two hours with one attendant, three hours with a theme-matched design and a gallery board, four hours with two attendants, a bespoke design suite and custom favor packaging. If your event goes past 300 guests or past 4 hours, that is quoted individually — the site says so plainly, and it is the one case where the flat fees stop applying. Travel can also factor in depending on where the event is, and it is settled in the quote rather than added later.

The comparison worth making: a warehouse-club favor at a few dollars per guest sounds cheaper until you count 200 guests and then count the ones that get left on tables. Unlimited magnets for the guests who actually walk up is a different kind of math, and the package details are on the live Magnet Bar events page.

Why two photo magnet orders can cost different amounts

Four things move the number, and they are not interchangeable. Knowing which one is in play is usually enough to explain a price that surprised you.

The structural difference is worth spelling out: a shipped order is a product with packing and delivery attached, while a live event is a service with people and hours attached. Comparing the two per magnet is comparing a thing to two people standing in a room for four hours.

What is included, and what to ask before you order

Every magnet is handmade on high-quality photo paper with bright, vivid colours, printed edge-to-edge, and shipped packaged and ready to gift. Uploading photos takes under a minute and you crop and preview before anything is printed. Live packages are flat fees described as all-inclusive, with the attendant, setup, operation and breakdown part of the price.

Beyond that, ask rather than assume. These are the questions that keep a quote honest:

• Which format you are actually buying — one photo per magnet, or one photo across many.
• Whether the price you see is for the pack, the grid, or the whole event.
• What is included in the flat fee: setup, operation, breakdown and the attendant should all be listed.
• How many overlay designs come with the package, and who supplies the names, dates and colours.
• How oversized events are handled — anything over 300 guests or 4 hours is a custom quote.
• What happens with travel for an event outside the local area. It is quoted, so ask before assuming.

How to choose, by what you are actually trying to do

Start from the use case instead of the price, because the cheapest option is only cheap if it is the one you needed.

One last piece of advice on the event side: book the window around your timeline, not the other way around. A four-hour package that overlaps your dinner service spends its best hours on an empty station, and a two-hour package in a 250-guest room turns into a queue. Match the hours to when people are actually circulating.