Fridge magnets are a memory from childhood. Little bugs, little colorful fruits, and little alphabets got stuck on the refrigerator door or any other metallic surface. StickyGram came along and gave it a new spin. Of course, it has the help of one of the most popular services today – Instagram. Instagram and its set of filters have helped us all take to digital photography. Thanks to the ubiquitous use of the smartphone camera, memories need not be fleeting anymore. StickyGram helps us take those photo memories and turn them into magnets for display around the house.

I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard about StickyGram yet – that's what this review is for. I would be surprised if you haven't heard about Instagram. Facebook paid a pretty buck in 2012 to grab it, though Instagram is still a separate app. If you have snapped away with Instagram and have shared a few photos, then thanks to StickyGram magnets, you can give them a more permanent place.

Getting Stuck On StickyGram

My colleague Yaara took StickyGram for a test drive last year. This review serves as an introduction to new Instagram users who would like to explore what else one can do with their Instagram clicks. It also serves to remind familiar users that StickyGram still remains a great service.

With the help of StickyGram, convert your favorite Instagram moments turned into magnets and have them delivered at your doorstep. Pick nine Instagram photos and StickyGram turns them into square 50mm x 50mm (2 inch x 2 inch) magnets that you can stick on any metallic surface, from fridge doors to your office desk. Before you can lay your hands on the magnets, you have to log into StickyGram and complete the process of selecting the specific Instagram photos and ordering them for delivery.

Connect With Instagram

The process of ordering your StickyGram magnets starts with a log-in and connecting your Instagram account with StickyGram. You have to authorize Instagram to allow Stickygram access to your photo feed. StickyGram displays your entire Instagram photo gallery, and you can pick the nine photos you want to turn into magnets. StickyGram loads your gallery gradually as you scroll down the page.

As you can see in the screenshot below, there is a grey box with nine placeholders for your selections. You can easily remove your choices for new ones by hovering over the picked image and clicking the remove button.

You can also move the photos around and change their order, but this doesn't really make much of a difference if you plan to split the magnets into nine individual pieces later.  With the nine slots filled up, add your virtual sheet to the basket for the final checkout.

One of the nice things about this smooth flow towards the final checkout is that if you change your mind, you may go back and replace any photo. As you can see from the screenshot below, you can order multiple copies of the same sheet (perhaps one for you and the other as a gift) and also add multiple sheets, each with different photos. Each sheet of nine costs $14.99 with free worldwide shipping.

StickyGram gives you several options again when it comes to choosing what you want to do with the photo magnets. You can tell StickyGram to issue a gift certificate or send the ship the sheet as a gift. The final payment can be made through PayPal or credit card. As you can see, the entire process from log-in to checkout is slick and smooth.

The Mailman Delivers

StickyGram sends you an order confirmation and another shipping confirmation later. The magnets can take up to 7-12 days to arrive depending on where you are in the world. Mine arrived on the end of the 10th day in a plain white envelope.

It was the fault of the postal department entirely that they folded the envelope in half and stuffed it into my mailbox. I guess StickyGram could add "Do Not Fold" instructions on the envelope. Casting a petrified eye on the crease, I flattened out the envelope and opened it to bare the contents. Included is a nicely worded letter and the sheet of Instagram magnets. The magnets were in great shape despite the efforts of the postal service, so I didn't have the chance to take-up StickyGram on their word. They do say that they will do their best to fix any problems if the sheets are not up to the mark.

The photos are matte-printed with a magnetic backing and are thinly scored along their edges, so it's quite easy to separate them out into nine individual pieces. I liked the matte prints because my experience with glossy prints tells me that it does not handle weathering as well as a matte-print.

Though, glossy prints look better than matte-prints. The photo printing is really good, and you have to remember that the prints will only be as good as the resolution of the photographs themselves. The photos are 50mm x 50mm squares and are bordered with a thin strip of white from the photo-sheet underneath. If your Instagram photos have a frame, then that will also show up. Take this into consideration when you pick the photos.

Sticky Impressions

The magnets are not heavy-duty, so don't expect them to hold up a sheaf of papers on a board. Though, they are good for holding a single sheet in case you need to stick a message on the fridge door. The paper is photo-quality, but it is paper, so expect it to show signs of weathering as dust accumulates with time. I've had the StickyGrams for a month now, and the photos are still peach fresh. I occasionally change their positions, but they are still clinging on like limpets. So, I can say that they have been magnetized well.

StickyGram is one among the many unique products built around the Instagram phenomena. Photos are always wonderful keepsakes, and StickyGram makes it more so. Try them out if you have memorable photos, they make a novel gift too.