Film photography has been on the rise in popularity for the last few years, so it is likely that you want to have some film developed that you’ve found or taken yourself. Walgreens is one of the few places left people have access to in the United States that will still develop film. However, how much they charge to develop film may be difficult to find online.
It costs between $14.99-$17.99 (plux tax) to develop a roll of 35mm color or black & white film or a disposable camera at Walgreens. The price is based on the amount of exposures on your film and includes film development, a set of 4 x 6 inch glossy prints, and a free CD of your digitally scanned negatives. However, Walgreens does not return your negatives back to you.
Now that we know the overall price of developing film at Walgreens and what it includes, keep reading for more specifics about cost and what to consider when getting your a roll of 35mm, a disposable film camera, 110mm, APS (Advantix), or slide film developed at Walgreens.
2022 Update:
I have found that both CVS and Walgreens have ridiculously long processing times. I sent some film off to be processed by CVS and it took over 6 months to get it developed. I believe the biggest reason the film processing facilities that CVS send film to be developed became backed up because of lack of workers due to COVID and they have a backup of orders. If you want to get film developed and get it back within a couple weeks instead of several months, see this article I wrote about where to develop film through the mail
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Can you get 35mm film developed at Walgreens?
Yes, Walgreens will still develop either color or black & white 35mm film and costs $14.99 for 24 exposures and $17.99 for 36 exposures and includes a free CD of your digitally scanned negatives and set of 4×6 inch glossy prints. It is the most expensive of three drugstores to develop a roll of film (Walmart is the least expensive).
Number of Exposures | Single Set of Prints (4×6 inch Prints) | Additional Set of Prints |
|---|---|---|
12 exposures | $11.99 | + $2.00 per set |
24 exposures | $14.99 | + $4.00 per set |
27 exposures | $15.86 | + $4.57 per set |
36 exposures | $17.99 | + $5.50 per set |
39 exposures | $18.82 | + $5.57 per set |
35mm film with 24 exposures is more common than other exposures and it is one of the cheapest options available at Walgreens at $14.99 (before tax). However, many photographers like to shoot 35mm film that have a high number of exposures (such as 36) to save time and money, so the cost would be on the higher end at $17.99 (before tax).
Since Walgreens (like CVS and Walmart) doesn’t return your negatives and the scans are not high-quality, check out this list of places to get 35mm film developed inexpensively with much better quality scans that will return your negatives.
How much does it cost to get disposable cameras developed at Walgreens?
Walgreens charges the same amount for disposable cameras as a roll of 35mm film. Since most disposable cameras come with 27 exposures, you are most likely to pay around $15.86 to develop a disposable camera with 27 exposures that includes single prints of glossy 4×6 inch prints and a free CD of digitally scanned negatives. This price does make Walgreens the most expensive option for getting a disposable film camera developed at a drugstores compared to CVS and Walmart. See the list below for a full list of prices:
Number of Film Exposures | Single Set of Prints (4×6 inch Prints) |
|---|---|
24 exposures | $14.99 |
27 exposures | $15.86 |
36 exposures | $17.99 |
Since Walgreens doesn’t return your negatives and the scans are not high-quality, see this list of places to get a disposable camera developed inexpensively with better quality scans and your negatives returned.
What Film Formats Can Walgreens Develop?
In addition to color 35mm film and disposable cameras loaded with color film, Walgreens can also develop other film formats like black & white 35mm film, slide film, APS (advantix), and 110mm film for the same price as a roll of 35mm film. Luckily, the price to develop these other film formats is the same as a roll of 35mm film and disposable film cameras. They also include a set of 4×6 inch glossy prints, and a free CD of your digitally scanned negatives.
However, keep in mind these formats take longer to process (up to 3 weeks) than color film at Walgreens.
- Most APS (advantix) film is 24, 25, or 40 exposures on it so the cost is between $14.99 – $17.99 (plus tax).
- Most slide film (E-6) has between 24 – 36 exposures on it so the cost is between $14.99 – $17.99 (plus tax).
- 110mm film comes in between 10, 12, or 24 exposures so the cost will be around $14.99 (plus tax).
Number of Film Exposures | Single Set of Prints (4×6 inch Prints) |
|---|---|
24 exposures | $14.99 |
27 exposures | $15.86 |
36 exposures | $17.99 |
Since Walgreens doesn’t return your negatives and the scans are not high-quality, check out this list of places that will develop these formats inexpensively that also will return your negatives.
Medium Format Film (120mm)
Unfortunately, Walgreens does not develop medium format film so check out this guide for where to get medium format film (120mm) developed for relatively decent price.
How Do You Get Film Developed at Walgreens?
The good news is the process to have film developed at Walgreens is straightforward. It involves filling out information on a paper envelope that holds the roll of film or a disposable camera (one for each) and completing the following steps below:
- Bring along your exposed by undeveloped film (if you are unsure if your film is used or unused, see this guide) and go to the photo department at a physical location and ask for a film development envelope. Bring along your used film (if you are unsure if your film is used or unused, see this guide).
- Fill out the order form / envelope as necessary according to your film format.
- Place your used roll of film or disposable camera inside the order form envelope and seal it. Be aware that you should only put one item in an envelope at a time. So if you are developing multiple film rolls or cameras, you will need multiple envelopes.
- Drop your film into the collection box in the photo department inside the Walgreens.
The store will notify you by phone once your order has been processed and ready to be picked up. What you will receive is your 4×6 inch glossy prints and a CD with your digitally scanned negatives on it for future printing or sharing on social media.
Since most computers available now don’t have a CD-rom drive to access the images on the CD you get back from Walgreens, I recommend bringing along a USB flash drive to transfer the images on the CD to the USB drive at one of the photo kiosks located in Walgreens so you can get easily transfer them to your computer.
How long does it take to get film developed at Walgreens?
Depending on where you live it could take anywhere from 7 days – 4 months to develop your rolls of color 35mm film and disposable film camera.
However, if you develop another format like 35mm black & white film, a disposable camera loaded with black & white film, APS (Advantix), 110mm, or slide film (E-6) the processing time becomes longer at up to 3 weeks or more. This is because Walgreens doesn’t develop film onsite and sends it all to a third party developer, such as Fujifilm North America.
In Summary
Walgreens is a good place to develop film because of its convenient locations, good quality photos, and better scans than compared to Walmart, however, they do not return your film. If you do want your negatives returned and/or you care about getting more than low quality and low resolution scans, than I suggest that you read this article that lists several places to get film developed.
However, below are a list of pros and cons about getting film developed at Walgreens.
Pros:
- Many locations available so it is likely near you
- No shipping cost
- Can do both color and black & white 35mm film including disposable or single-use film cameras
- CD of scanned negatives and a set of glossy 4×6 inch prints included with development cost
- Will call you when your order is ready
- Decent quality scans but low-resolution
- Can also develop other film formats like Advantix (APS), 110mm, and slide film (E-6) but locations may vary
- Good option if you are using expired film and not sure how the negatives will turn out since it is so inexpensive (but don’t get film negatives back)
Cons:
- Can take up to 4 months to get your scans back
- Get back low-resolution scans and prints
- Get back low quality scans
- Don’t get your negatives back
- Prints are mediocre but reportedly better than Walmart
- Very little, if any, customer service – drop film in a paper envelope in the store
- No online film development ordering available (must go to location)
- No bulk pricing available
- Price for development is the most expensive compared to other drugstores that develop film such as CVS and Walmart
- Different cost to develop rolls of film with 24 exposures and 36 exposures (unlike other online development labs)
- Will not give a discount on scanning if the roll is blank (like online labs)
