Tracey Truly / Digital Trends
If you enjoy sharing photo prints or creating physical photo albums, upgrading to a photo printer can enhance your experience. Optimized for pictures, these printers can yield results that rival or even surpass those of top printers available on the market.
With a photo printer, you can quickly make adjustments to a print and reprint it with minimal delay. Such a printer provides instant gratification and convenience while saving you costs on printing in comparison to using a print service.
Portable photo printers are available for those on the go, making it easy to bring your printer to events and easily share memories.
Here is a list of some of the best photo printers currently available, offering a diverse selection to meet various needs.
At a glance:
Epson SureColor P700
The best photographic-quality printer
Why should you buy this? Excellent photographic print quality will impress even the most discerning audience, without a hefty upfront cost.
Who’s it for? Photographers who require accurate color prints with good dynamic range.
Why we picked the Epson SureColor P700:
The Epson SureColor range surpasses the limitations of standard four-color inkjet printers. The P700 utilizes 10 ink colors to handle midrange shades and tones, delivering professional-quality photo prints that other printers cannot match. The SureColor P700 offers exceptional quality at an affordable price of $800.
Epson’s UltraChrome Pro10 ink can reproduce a wider color gamut closer to the original photo, resulting in great output. Epson claims that color photos printed with this ink can last up to 200 years, with black-and-white photos lasting up to 400 years.
The Epson SureColor P700 automatically switches between photo black and matte black for optimal results on pictures and documents. While the SureColor series uses ink cartridges, the cost per print will be higher than that of a tank printer.
If you like the P700 but require a wide-format version with the same high picture quality, Epson’s SureColor P900 could be a suitable choice. The P900 can accommodate 17-inch wide paper rolls.
HP Sprocket Select
Best battery-operated photo printer
HP
Why should you buy this? It’s an affordable, portable printer that doesn’t require ink.
Who’s it for? Mobile photographers who want to share photos on the go.
Why we picked the HP Sprocket Select:
The HP Sprocket is a budget-friendly, battery-powered printer that is slim and lightweight, making it easy to carry everywhere. It is designed to seamlessly work with your phone and connects wirelessly. This compact printer uses HP Zink sticky-backed paper and is limited to a print size of 2.3 inches by 3.4 inches.
Despite its small size, the Sprocket Select is affordable at around $100. Weighing less than a pound, it can fit into your pocket for ultimate portability.
While Zink paper may not offer the best photo quality or longevity, the ability to print instantly makes it a worthwhile option. For larger print sizes, HP’s Sprocket Studio Plus is a larger model that can print up to 4 by 6-inch photos.
Canon MegaTank Pixma G620
The best value inkjet photo printer
Canon
Why should you buy this? It’s an affordable inkjet tank printer designed for photo printing.
Who’s it for? Home users seeking a cost-effective all-in-one photo printer.
Why we picked the MegaTank Pixma G620:
The Canon Pixma MegaTank Pixma G620 is an all-in-one inkjet tank printer with two additional ink colors. With dedicated gray and red inks, it can produce photos better than the average inkjet printer that only offers cyan, magenta, yellow, and black.
Similar to the Epson SureColor series, Canon’s MegaTank Pixma G620 uses ink rated for extended lifespans, up to 100 years. Your most exquisite photos could retain their beauty for a century when stored in a photo album.
As an all-in-one printer, the MegaTank Pixma G620 can also scan and make color copies of photos and documents. Since it’s an inkjet, you won’t need to frequently replenish the ink, and when you do, you can refill the tanks with affordable bottles instead of cartridges.
Priced at around $300, the Canon MegaTank Pixma G620 is a budget-friendly photo printer with low ongoing costs. The only drawback might be its slow printing speed. Color documents are printed at just four pages per minute.
Epson EcoTank Pro ET-8500
The best inkjet tank photo printer
Tracey Truly / Digital Trends
Why should you buy this? One of the best photographic-quality tank printers available.
Who’s it for? Photo enthusiasts who frequently print and demand top-tier picture quality.
Why we picked the Epson EcoTank ET-8500:
Epson’s EcoTank ET-8500 is an exceptional all-in-one inkjet tank printer that can produce pictures with photographic quality. It features a six-color ink system that adds gray and photo black to the standard CMYK palette found in most inkjet printers. Epson claims that photos printed with their Claria ET Premium inks can last up to 300 years in a photo album, creating a multi-generational record of your photos.
The EcoTank ET-8500 includes a high-resolution flatbed scanner and can generate color copies with excellent fidelity. Epson’s photo inkjet tank printer can handle color documents at speeds of up to 12 pages per minute and produce up to four 4 x 6 photo-sized prints every minute.
Priced at around $700, the EcoTank ET-8500 may be a bit expensive for home use, but for those who demand the best quality while keeping ink costs low, this printer is hard to beat. Epson claims that the included ink will last up to two years, and when it’s time for a refill, you can do so with inexpensive bottles.
Epson also offers a wide-format model, the EcoTank ET-8550, that can produce borderless photos up to 13 x 19 inches.
Canon Selphy CP1500
The best portable photo printer
Canon
Why should you buy this? Immediate mobile photos with the required technology for higher quality.
Who’s it for? Mobile photographers who want their instant photos to endure.
Why we picked the Selphy CP1500:
Despite its playful name, the Canon Selphy CP1500 is a serious contender in the realm of photo printing. While many portable printers utilize short-lived Zink paper with embedded dye crystals, the Selphy CP1500 stands out by utilizing dye sublimation, resulting in higher-quality photos with a lifespan of up to 100 years.
Priced just over $100, Canon’s portable printer can handle various paper sizes for prints up to 4 x 6 inches. Like other portable printers, the Selphy CP1500 is easily connected to your phone or computer.
While you can’t fit the Selphy CP1500 into your pocket, it weighs around 2 pounds, making it easy to carry. It comes with a power adapter that needs to be plugged into a wall outlet for printing, with an optional battery pack for on-the-go use.
Dye sublimation technology delivers sharp images and vibrant colors, but requires special ink cartridges and paper, leading to higher costs if you print frequently. This cost is expected for a printer of such high quality.
Are laser printers good for photo printing?
Laser printers typically match the image quality of inkjet or dye sublimation printers. Photo printers, however, typically use more ink colors and print smaller dots in liquid form for better blending. They also support a wider variety of paper types. Laser printer paper must endure high temperatures, and glossy coatings may not survive.
While early models may not have been ideal for photo printing, the best color laser printers today handle photos much better. While a laser printer may not be the best choice specifically for photography, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301fdw is a top option for color documents with pictures.
For fast photo printing comparable to some laser printers, consider the Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850.
Can photo printers print documents?
Most desktop inkjet printers can produce photos, documents, and labels with acceptable quality, making them a cost-effective option. However, some photo printers are versatile enough to handle document printing, while others, like portable photo printers, require small adhesive-backed paper for photos and need larger paper sizes for documents.
Desktop photo printers can efficiently print documents with high-quality text and images, creating appealing color documents. However, ink costs can add up quickly with cartridge-based printers like Epson’s SureColor series, resulting in a high cost per page for monochrome documents and labels.
Photo printers based on inkjet tank technology, such as the Canon Pixma MegaTank Pixma G620 or Epson EcoTank ET-8500, offer cost-effective printing for both photos and documents.
Is it worth buying a photo printer?
The decision to invest in a photo printer is personal and depends on your printing habits. If you frequently print photos and value your collection, upgrading to a photo printer can add significant value to your investment. However, it’s essential to be aware of ink and paper costs.
If you don’t print photos often or don’t require high-quality prints, budget-friendly printers can meet your needs. When top-quality photos are needed, photo labs and office stores are great options. However, owning a photo printer opens up more possibilities.
Portable printers are convenient for creating fun photo booths at events, and printing photos from your smartphone can evoke nostalgic memories. Desktop photo printers offer enhanced speed and quality, but come with higher upfront costs and occupy more space. An all-in-one inkjet photo printer offers versatility and durability, providing good long-term value.
Artists and photographers will appreciate owning a photo printer, as it allows for precise image adjustments, experimentation with different paper types, and exploration of various print sizes. A photo printer offers quick
