These days, digital images are incredibly convenient. They can be easily stored on your computer or a flash drive. They take up less space than albums and wall art, and they are always on hand when you need them. But how many times have you set that flash drive of photos in a desk drawer, planning to get prints, but never quite getting around to it?

Digital images can be useful, especially when it comes to sharing your photos with family and friends on social media. However, they can also be easily lost or permanently damaged. Check out these seven reasons why digital images just aren’t as great as we need them to be.

1. You can’t archive them

You can store your digital image files on your computer or in the cloud. There are a variety of other storage places both online and in your home. But what happens if you cancel your cloud service or fail to keep up with the subscription? What if the flash drive you kept your photos on is lost? Then your images are gone for good. There’s no way to keep a permanent archive of digital photos without constantly moving from platform to platform as technology evolves.

2. They can be corrupted

Just as bad as lost images are corrupted ones. Unlike prints or physical products, digital files can be corrupted, making them inaccessible and impossible to salvage. All your memories can easily be destroyed, leaving you with no way to get them back.

3. You may forget about them

Digital images are great to have—until that flash drive starts gathering dust in your junk drawer or gets left in the car. Let’s face it: We all lead pretty busy lives, and it can be hard to remember to get around to downloading those photos and actually doing something with them. Often, our digital images end up forgotten instead.

4. They are costly—and that doesn’t include wall art

Let’s say you do remember to do something with that flash drive, and you log on to Shutterfly or visit your local Walmart or Costco to get some images printed. You’ve already paid for the session and for the digital files, and now you have to pay high prices for wall art and albums too. And the worst part? Most big companies don’t even offer high-quality prints, so you may end up with images that are too dark, too light, or just not great, which is a waste of money.

That is why I offer a digital copy of each image purchased. This way you get the best of both worlds: high-quality printed images that will last a lifetime and digitals you can share with family and friends via social media.

5. You have to keep up with new storage options

Not so long ago, you may have stored your images on floppy disks. However, good luck finding a computer with a floppy disk drive these days. As technology changes, your chosen storage for your digital files has to change as well, which means you may keep switching from one storage option to another as the years pass, just to ensure that your images aren’t lost.

6. They have less impact

Physical prints such as wall art and albums can remind your children of their importance in your life. They can be a celebration of your family’s bonds and a constant sign of how much your family means to you. Digital images, however, are just photos on a screen. Studies show that they don’t have the same impact on children as seeing prints. This means you could be depriving your children of a chance to boost their confidence and self-esteem.

If you check out my blog post about an all-white family session, the digital images on the screen look nice. However, when the client saw them in print, she was floored. This is a common reaction from all of my clients. They are so used to only seeing their images in digital format that their mind is blown when they see how awesome the pritns are.

7. You aren’t respecting your photographer’s art

Okay, so this last reason is a little selfish, but in the words of Ms. Badu, “I’m an artist, and I’m sensitive about my [ish].” Photography is an art form, and the creation of beautiful images is something that your photographer has worked hard to learn. By asking only for digital images, you are missing out on the chance to see that art reproduced in high-quality heirloom prints for your family to appreciate for generations to come. That’s why it’s so important to choose a photographer who appreciates the importance of having digital images. As well as the importance of tangible albums and prints to commemorate this moment in the lives of your family.