Please help a terrible luddite work out how to get digital photos printed ...

[PiperG]

I am very embarrassed to be so rubbish at this, but I need some advice in how best to get digital photos printed. I've only ever done a few at time, by emailing the files to Snappy Snaps, but now I need to get a couple of hundred done, and I have no idea how to do it ... all the photos are on the computer, in iPhoto, but the CD drive on our computer is broken, so how can I get the files to the shop? A memory stick of some sort? Argh - any advice most welcome! I can't ask DP as this is part of his Christmas present ...

Easiest way is on a memory stick to the photo shop.

Save the photos en masse. Whe you put the stick into the shop's machine the pics will all show in the screen and you just click on which ones you want(usually touch screen). It will let you choose quantity and size of prints to. Then you pay and collect your pics (some places this is the next day, others more or less instant).

Thanks Sassy ... so (again, sorry for extreme ludditeness) I can just stick the memory stick into my mac no problem? And where can I buy a memory stick? Thanks in advance ...

Memory Sticks should just work in a mac. You can get them from all over the place these days, Dixons and PC World will certainly sell them.

This is the sort of thing that you're after:
www.amazon.co.uk/Flash-Memory-4GB-USB-DRIVE/dp/B001AE8M96

Stick the stick into your Mac and it'll appear on your Desktop and in Finder. Some sticks might actually make two items pop up on your desk top, check them both out and see which has the most space and use it. One of those items might already have some files in, those are files that a PC would run when the stick is plugged in and might do things like change the icon or make something run automatically. A Mac will just ignore them, so you can too.

Open it the stick through Finder or by double clicking on it and then drag the photos from iPhoto into it, you should be able to double click on them from the stick and they should open up.

There's one big thing to know about memory sticks (well any kind of removable storage) and Macs though and that is about deleting files from them.

Once you've finished with the photos delete them using Finder and you'll then need to empty the trash (right click on it's icon on the dock) to truly see them removed and you'll have to empty the trash while the stick is still attached.

If you just delete them without emptying the trash and then remove the stick then the photos will still be held on the stick taking up space.

You can plug the stick back in later and then empty the trash.

Basically at some point to really get rid of the files and to get the space back you need to empty the trash on your Mac while the stick is plugged in to it.

How did you get the photos onto the computer in the first place?

Just asking as a card reader may be a better bet then you can just take the card in.

Thank you VERY much BadgersPaws! That's brilliant - so helpful. Are you running some kind of computer support service I can come to again?
And TheDevil, no idea how the photos got on the computer (hopeless) - DP always uploads them ...

Thanks for that PiperG.

I usually hide behind a support service rather than run one

Come back with any other questions and I might be able to help, if not someone else will.