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The best photo printers 2023

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Best Photo Printer: Quick Menu

(Image credit: Future)

1. The list in brief
2. Best photo printer overall
3. Best budget photo printer
4. Best professional photo printer
5. Best A3 photo printer
6. Best A3+ photo printer
7. Best photo printer for home use
8.
Best refillable photo printer
9. Best photo printer with a supertank
10. Best photo printer for offices
11.
FAQs
12. How we picked and tested

The best photo printers are perfect for making hard copies of your digital photos at home. These days, we are taking more digital photos than ever to capture moments and record events in our lives, and while you still have the option to go to a store like Costco or a commercial photo lab to have them printed, getting your own desktop photo printer is much more cost-effective in the long run if you want those images in print.

Though some might not deliver the same level of quality as large photo printers, a lot of them do, whether you’re looking for a premium model aimed at professional photographers or you need a highly affordable photo printer for families and students. It’s just a matter of choosing the right model for the photo printing job you need. 

Don’t worry, finding the best printer for your photo printing needs isn’t as hard as it sounds, and you’ve got us to help you weed through the rest to find your match. We’ve tested and reviewed over 30 photo printers on the market in the last few months and rounded them out here to narrow down your choices.

All of the models on this list are semi-dedicated photo printers, which is to say they can turn out a decent text document, but photo printing is their superpower. They are all inkjet printers because only liquid ink can achieve the required resolution and color gamut for fine photo printing. Plus, only inkjets can print on dedicated glossy photo paper.

If you want one of the best all-in-one printers or the best laser printer, you should check out those guides separately. But, if you’re seeking the best photo printer for your home, dorm, or office, one of our picks below will more than meet your needs. 

The quick list

Below, you’ll find our picks of the best photo printers for a quick reference and to help you make the right choice. If you’re interested in one, simply click on “Read more below” to jump to a more detailed review along with our price comparison tool to help you find the best price available. 

Best overall

1. Canon PIXMA G620/G650

Best photo printer overall

Though affordable and stripped back in features – there’s no this main paper tray or touchscreen, this six-tank inkjet delivers high-quality photos.

Read more below

Best budget

2. HP Envy 6055

Best budget photo printer

A humble three-in-one, this inkjet printer with a low price tag prints out surprisingly vibrant photos thanks to the individual cartridges inside.  

Read more below

Best for pros

3. Epson EcoTank ET-8550

Best professional photo printer

This premium A3 printer that boasts a refined, low-profile design delivers superior six-ink photo print quality while staying cost-effective.

Read more below

Best for A3 prints

4. Epson HD XP-15000

Best A3 photo printer

Using six high-quality Claria ink cartridges, it delivers incredible accurate photo prints. It also boasts the ability to print on both sides of the paper.

Read more below

Best for A3+ prints

5. Canon Pixma Pro-100S

Best affordable A3+ printer

An affordable photo printer, this delivers excellent accurate yet punchy color and mono prints relatively fast. It also boasts excellent build quality.

Read more below

Best for home use

6. Epson Photo XP-970

Best home photo printer

Though compact, this is a feature-rich photo printer that uses a six-color Claria ink system for professional-looking prints and posters for less.

Read more below

Load the next products…

Best refillable

7. Canon Pixma G4510

Best refillable photo printer

Remarkably compact for a four-in-one, this cost-effective photo printer with a refillable ink system delivers incredibly crisp and natural color prints.

Read more below

Best supertank

8. Epson EcoTank ET-2720

Best supertank photo printer

An affordable supertank printer, this delivers gorgeous glossy photo prints with speed and for less, its bottled ink costing 80% lower than a cartridge.

Read more below

Best for offices

9. HP Envy Photo 7855

Best office photo printer

Producing colorful and high-quality photo prints, this auto-duplex office printer comes with many features including an SD card slot.

Read more below

The best photo printers 2023

Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The best photo printer overall

(Image credit: Future)

1. Canon PIXMA G620/G650

The best photo printer overall

Specifications

Category: 3-in-1 color A4 inkjet printer

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Print speed: 3ipm (mono)

Paper capacity:: 100 sheets

Weight: 6.6kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Six-ink color printing 

+

Cheap to run

+

Lots of inbox ink

+

Wide paper compatibility  

Reasons to avoid

No auto duplex

No main paper drawer 

Small 2-line display 

Low paper capacity 

The Canon PIXMA G620/G650 lacks too many features for us to recommend it as an all-round all-in-one for everyday use, but as a photo printer, it’s hard to beat. It prints monochrome pages slowly and only offers manual duplex so you have to turn the paper over yourself to print the other side. There’s no touchscreen, no memory card slots, no Ethernet port and no main paper tray. All blank paper has to go in via the rear tray, which can only hold a maximum 100 sheets of plain paper. 

This is where the good news starts because it can accept a very wide range of paper including magnetic photo paper, card stock and printable fabric. It performed beautifully during our time with it as well, printing extremely well on coated photo paper, thanks to its set of six vivid dye-based inks. We found the extra red and grey extra helpful in achieving superior color fidelity, and the enhanced print resolution resulted in superb print quality. 

Best of all though, this is a MegaTank printer which means the bottled ink refills are a fraction of the cost of cartridge ink and there’s loads of ink in the box.

Read our full Canon PIXMA G620/G650 review

The best photo printer for those on a budget

(Image credit: HP)

2.

HP Envy 6055

The best budget photo printer for home printing

Specifications

Category: Wireless all-in-one printer

Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2

Print speed: 10ppm

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: up to A4

Weight: 11.51lb

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Low price  

+

Easy to use  

Reasons to avoid

Ink can be costly

Not the fastest

This humble three-in-one can print, scan and copy, but it is most at home when turning out surprisingly vibrant photos. As is often the case with budget inkjet printers, the supplied starter cartridges are somewhat light on ink. However, if you replace them with high-capacity carts, the running cost is also quite competitive. 

Four individual cartridges combine to give bright images on glossy photo paper up to A4 in size. It can also duplex print regular text documents, albeit at a fairly slow print speed. Frustratingly, there’s no Ethernet or USB port for printing from a flash drive, and it churns very slowly, but the results are better than you might expect from such a small and affordable AOI.

We have yet to put this budget photo printer through the paces, but what we do know is that it’s enjoyed lofty 4+ rating from verified customers on HP and Amazon. The only thing about this printer is that it has been discontinued and now has limited stock. The good news is that we might be replacing this with a newer, more available budget option soon.

The best inkjet photo printer for professionals

(Image credit: Epson)

3. Epson EcoTank ET-8550

The best inkjet photo printer for professionals

Specifications

Category: Color inkjet AOI printer

Connectivity: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB

Print Speed: 32ppm (mono A4)

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: up to A3

Weight: 11.1kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Superior colors 

+

Low running cost

Reasons to avoid

High purchase price

This must be the ultimate A3 photo printer. For starters, it’s a sleek, practical design with a large tilting touchscreen interface and the ability to print on any kind of paper up to A3+. Secondly, it uses six individual inks to create superior quality prints. Best of all, it’s an EcoTank, which means you’re not tied to cartridges, and you’ll find enough bottled ink in the box to print 2,300 photos. 

Yes, it is rather expensive for an inkjet, but Epson’s bottled ink is not, so you will soon see that money back if you plan to print lots of large photos. The printer itself is also very well specified, with excellent connectivity, high print, and scan resolution, and a surprisingly prompt print speed.

More importantly, the Epson EcoTank ET-8550 performed well during our tests, faring particularly well when printing photos on glossy photo paper, thanks it large part to the 180 nozzles per colour and 360 black nozzles that deliver very finely detailed prints. Each print is vibrant and well-contained on coated paper, and if you’re looking for colors that truly pop, this one’s a winner and worth the steep price.

Read our full Epson EcoTank ET-8550 review

The best A3 photo printer

(Image credit: Epson)

4.

Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000

Swift photo printer that delivers superior A3 photos

Specifications

Category: Color inkjet printer

Connectivity: USB, USB Host, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet

Print speed: 29ppm (mono)

Paper capacity: 200 sheets

Paper size: up to A3+

Weight: 8.5kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Excellent color accuracy

+

Vivid A3 photo prints

Reasons to avoid

Rather expensive to run

The Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 uses six high-quality Claria ink cartridges to achieve a more lifelike color palette when printing photos. Combining dye and pigment-based inks means bright colors are possible, while black-and-white text documents remain long-lasting and smudge resistant.

Its ability to handle A3+ sized paper makes it perfect for printing super-sized photos or even a collage of images on a single sheet of A3 photo paper. It also functions very well as a regular A4 printer thanks to a surprisingly fast output of 29 black and white A4 pages per minute and the ability to print on both sides of the paper (auto duplex).

Though we’re still in the process of testing this photo printer, we’re preemptively adding it to the list due to its features and lofty reviews at online retailers. Keep an eye out for our review, however, to know more about its real-world performance.

The best affordable A3+ photo printer

(Image credit: Future)

5. Canon Pixma Pro-100S

Affordable photo printer that delivers vivid A3+ photos

Specifications

Category: Wireless professional inkjet printer

Connectivity: USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Print speed: 8″ x 10″ on A4 with border:51 secs; 11″ x 14″ on A3+ with border: 1 min 30 secs

Paper capacity: 150 sheets of plain paper, 20 sheets photo paper (4″x6″)

Paper size: up to 13″ x 19″

Weight: 19.6Kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Two paper trays

+

Excellent color accuracy

Reasons to avoid

Pricey ink

Dye inks less suitable for archiving 

Aimed at professional and enthusiast photographers, this high-quality photo printer achieves superior color fidelity by drawing on eight individual inkjet cartridges to create detailed prints on photo paper sizes up to A3+. And instead of pigmented inks, Canon has specified brighter dye-based inks for prints that look good enough for gallery display. Pigment ink is more durable, but you can expect to display dye-based photos for around thirty years before fading occurs.

The Canon PIXMA Pro-100S is a sizable and solid desktop design that uses metal components in its print engine to guarantee accurate high-resolution results on large sheets of paper. It prints quickly on anything from individual 6×4” photo paper to borderless A3+ posters. 

On test, it churned out borderless A3 prints on Canon’s glossy Photo Paper Plus around six minutes per print at maximum quality and A4 media around three minutes and 14 seconds. We also found that disabling the borderless feature sped things up to one minute and 25 seconds. That’s not even to mention the fact that it delivers impeccable and stunning prints every time.

Read our full Canon Pixma Pro-100 review

Home photo printer with exceptional photo quality

(Image credit: Epson)

6.

Epson Expression Photo XP-970

Home photo printer that delivers exceptional photo quality

Specifications

Category: Multifunction inkjet printer

Connectivity: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB

Print speed: 8.5ppm (mono)

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: A3

Weight: 8.7kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Six-ink colour fidelity  

+

Large touchscreen 

Reasons to avoid

Slow print speed 

Limited paper capacity  

Despite its sleek dimensions, this smooth 3-in-1 inkjet device can print on A3-size paper and uses not four but six inkjet cartridges to achieve superior color accuracy. It means your ink costs are rather high, but it’s worth it if you want beautifully shaded results. 

The scanner is only A4-size, but it makes very high-resolution scans, and combined with the high print resolution, you can make nearly identical color copies. There is no fax, and print speeds are slow, but in all other respects, the Epson Expression Photo XP-970 is hard to beat.  

The main paper tray can hold 100 sheets with a maximum paper size of 8.5 x 11 inches. The second paper tray can hold 20 sheets of photo paper with dimensions of 5 x 7 inches. For an idea of its performance, you can read our review of the almost identical Epson Expression Photo XP-960.

The best photo printer with refillable ink

(Image credit: Jim Hill)

7. Canon Pixma G4510

Compact photo printer with a refillable ink system

Specifications

Category: 4-in-1 printer

Print speed: 13ppm

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: up to A3

Weight: 10.5kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Neat design   

+

Low ink cost

Reasons to avoid

No duplex mode  

No front USB port

This is Canon’s most affordable MegaTank model, making it cost-effective. You can expect a drastic reduction in your ongoing print costs by ditching cartridges for refillable reservoirs, especially as the box includes enough ink for 6,000 mono and 7,000 color pages.  

Behind that headline feature, this is a fairly basic four-in-one printer with just enough key features to make it suitable for home use or a small office. It prints very slowly and cannot automatically print on both sides of the page. And sadly, we found that it lacks the resolution to show all the detail in high-resolution images. ‘

However, the photos it churned out during testing were very bold in color, and if you don’t need highly-detailed images anyway, this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. For anyone planning to run out of many color documents, this compact and pleasingly designed AOI will beat most of the competition on per-page running costs.

Read our full Canon Pixma G4510 review

The best photo printer with a supertank

(Image credit: Epson)

8. Epson EcoTank ET-2720 photo printer (ET-2715 in UK)

Inexpensive supertank for fast and economical printing

Specifications

Category: Color all-in-one inkjet

Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct

Print speed: 33ppm (mono)

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: Up to A4

Weight: 5. 98kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Plenty of ink in box

+

Economical prints

Reasons to avoid

No duplex mode

Low paper capacity

The Epson EcoTank ET-2720, known as the Epson EcoTank ET-2715 in the UK, is the most affordable of the color Supertank printers in Epson’s extensive range and one of the most economical ways of printing photos available right now. And if that doesn’t tempt the bargain-hunters, it ships with enough ink in the box to last two years (or 4,500 color pages). 

With bottled ink costing around 80% lower than cartridge ink, you won’t need to worry about your ongoing consumables cost. This is great news for anyone intending to print lots of color photographs. The high image resolution makes this all-in-one well-suited to printing on glossy photo paper. It will also function well in a small office environment thanks to its fast print speed and sensible features.

We will be testing the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 soon so we can give you a more accurate idea of its photo printing performance.

The best photo printer for offices on a budget

(Image credit: HP)

9. HP Envy Photo 7855 (7830 in the UK)

The best photo printer for offices on a budget

Specifications

Category: All-in-one printer

Connectivity: USB 2.0 client, USB host, Ethernet, RJ-11 (Fax), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth ,SD card slot

Print speed: 15ppm

Paper capacity: 125 sheets

Paper size: up to A4

Weight: 7.6kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Low price    

+

Many features

Reasons to avoid

Impractical design 

Combined ink cartridge

HP’s oddly shaped all-in-one comes with comprehensive features, although it is, first and foremost, a photo printer. The print resolution is high enough to make your photos look sharp and colorful when printed on glossy. There’s also a handy SD card slot for printing directly from your camera’s memory card. 

This four-in-one can auto-duplex print at a reasonable rate for regular monochrome text documents. It even has a fax facility. Thankfully, a touchscreen control panel can access all this functionality. The only catch is the high cost of its replacement cartridges. And with the three colors combined in one tri-color cartridge, you will certainly waste ink. 

You could reduce the cost of new cartridges by signing up for HP’s Instant Ink service, although we wouldn’t recommend it unless you can commit to printing regularly.

  • We’ve also highlighted the best small business printers
  • Use your best snaps in a photo book or personalized photo gifts

FAQs on the best photo printers

How to choose the best photo printers for you?

Photo printers are diverse in their offerings, so you’ll have to evaluate and select one that’ll be ideal for your needs. 

Start considering where you’ll be using the printer — for a small home office or a larger one. You’ll then want to assess what kind of printing you’ll primarily need — whether it’s text or image-heavy. If you need plenty of color prints daily, then you’ll want a large tank printer that’s economical to run. Make sure the printer offers high color fidelity if you need high-quality color prints.

Along with checking the print speed and auto duplex functionality, you’ll also want to check the type of connectivity the printer offers and whether it’s Wi-Fi enabled.

Which is better, inkjet or laser printer for photos?

There was a time when inkjet printers are preferred over laser printers for photo printer. After all, only liquid ink can truly achieve the required resolution and color gamut for fine photo printing, and only inkjets can print on dedicated glossy photo paper.

Meanwhile, laser printers have always been associated with high-yield printing and text-heavy documents. However, thanks to the strides laser printers have made in print technology, you can rely on many laser printers to meet your printing needs – so long as you’re not looking for professional prints to deliver to your clients.

What printer should I get in terms of paper sizes?

There are plenty of affordable A4/letter-sized photo printers out there that can carry out all the tasks of an all-in-one family printer while doing a great job printing on glossy photo paper. They use the usual four (CMYK) ink cartridges to good effect. They may be either pigmented ink or dye-based ink. The pigment is quicker drying and longer lasting while the dye is brighter and works well with high gloss media making it more desirable for photos. 

When you step up to the more expensive A3+ size printers, you’ll often find more inks used to make up the image, and you may well have pigmented black ink for text documents alongside dye-based black for photos. Five, six, eight, or ten ink compartments are common, and more colors mean superior print quality is possible. It may also mean higher ink costs, but fortunately, photo printers with refillable ink tanks are booming, so if you plan to print a lot of photos, go for a printer that takes bottled ink rather than cartridges.  

HOW WE PICKED AND TESTED THE BEST PHOTO PRINTERS

Each printer we source for testing is measured on our test bench, and the results are critically compared with every other model we have reviewed. Rather than relying on the manufacturer’s quoted figures, we time the first page out and print speeds in single sheet and duplex mode using a standard ten-page document and a stopwatch app.

To compare print quality, we print out the same set of test documents on every machine. These twelve test pages include text of varying font sizes and colors, mixed image and text pages, a set of photos, and a series of test patterns designed to assess sharpness, color fidelity, contrast, and grey scale. 

We also calculate running costs, compare functionality and consider each product’s versatility, design, and build quality. The overall score reflects all of these parameters and overall value for money.

Specifically for photo printers, we looked at their versatility (both in terms of management and media handling), paying closer attention to the print output and the cost of the consumables (ink cartridges, etc. ). 

Round up of today’s best deals

Epson Ecotank ET-8550

$799.99

View

See all prices

Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000

$452.23

View

See all prices

Canon Pixma Pro-100

$734.95

View

See all prices

Epson Expression Photo XP-970

$329.99

$249.99

View

See all prices

Deal ends Sun, Jul 30

HP Envy Photo 7830

$199.99

View

See all prices

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The best photo printers 2023

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Best Photo Printer: Quick Menu

(Image credit: Future)

1. The list in brief
2. Best photo printer overall
3. Best budget photo printer
4. Best professional photo printer
5. Best A3 photo printer
6. Best A3+ photo printer
7. Best photo printer for home use
8.
Best refillable photo printer
9. Best photo printer with a supertank
10. Best photo printer for offices
11.
FAQs
12. How we picked and tested

The best photo printers are perfect for making hard copies of your digital photos at home. These days, we are taking more digital photos than ever to capture moments and record events in our lives, and while you still have the option to go to a store like Costco or a commercial photo lab to have them printed, getting your own desktop photo printer is much more cost-effective in the long run if you want those images in print.

Though some might not deliver the same level of quality as large photo printers, a lot of them do, whether you’re looking for a premium model aimed at professional photographers or you need a highly affordable photo printer for families and students. It’s just a matter of choosing the right model for the photo printing job you need. 

Don’t worry, finding the best printer for your photo printing needs isn’t as hard as it sounds, and you’ve got us to help you weed through the rest to find your match. We’ve tested and reviewed over 30 photo printers on the market in the last few months and rounded them out here to narrow down your choices.

All of the models on this list are semi-dedicated photo printers, which is to say they can turn out a decent text document, but photo printing is their superpower. They are all inkjet printers because only liquid ink can achieve the required resolution and color gamut for fine photo printing. Plus, only inkjets can print on dedicated glossy photo paper.

If you want one of the best all-in-one printers or the best laser printer, you should check out those guides separately. But, if you’re seeking the best photo printer for your home, dorm, or office, one of our picks below will more than meet your needs. 

The quick list

Below, you’ll find our picks of the best photo printers for a quick reference and to help you make the right choice. If you’re interested in one, simply click on “Read more below” to jump to a more detailed review along with our price comparison tool to help you find the best price available.  

Best overall

1. Canon PIXMA G620/G650

Best photo printer overall

Though affordable and stripped back in features – there’s no this main paper tray or touchscreen, this six-tank inkjet delivers high-quality photos.

Read more below

Best budget

2. HP Envy 6055

Best budget photo printer

A humble three-in-one, this inkjet printer with a low price tag prints out surprisingly vibrant photos thanks to the individual cartridges inside. 

Read more below

Best for pros

3. Epson EcoTank ET-8550

Best professional photo printer

This premium A3 printer that boasts a refined, low-profile design delivers superior six-ink photo print quality while staying cost-effective.

Read more below

Best for A3 prints

4. Epson HD XP-15000

Best A3 photo printer

Using six high-quality Claria ink cartridges, it delivers incredible accurate photo prints. It also boasts the ability to print on both sides of the paper.

Read more below

Best for A3+ prints

5. Canon Pixma Pro-100S

Best affordable A3+ printer

An affordable photo printer, this delivers excellent accurate yet punchy color and mono prints relatively fast. It also boasts excellent build quality.

Read more below

Best for home use

6. Epson Photo XP-970

Best home photo printer

Though compact, this is a feature-rich photo printer that uses a six-color Claria ink system for professional-looking prints and posters for less.

Read more below

Load the next products…

Best refillable

7. Canon Pixma G4510

Best refillable photo printer

Remarkably compact for a four-in-one, this cost-effective photo printer with a refillable ink system delivers incredibly crisp and natural color prints.

Read more below

Best supertank

8. Epson EcoTank ET-2720

Best supertank photo printer

An affordable supertank printer, this delivers gorgeous glossy photo prints with speed and for less, its bottled ink costing 80% lower than a cartridge.

Read more below

Best for offices

9. HP Envy Photo 7855

Best office photo printer

Producing colorful and high-quality photo prints, this auto-duplex office printer comes with many features including an SD card slot.

Read more below

The best photo printers 2023

Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

The best photo printer overall

(Image credit: Future)

1. Canon PIXMA G620/G650

The best photo printer overall

Specifications

Category: 3-in-1 color A4 inkjet printer

Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi

Print speed: 3ipm (mono)

Paper capacity:: 100 sheets

Weight: 6.6kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Six-ink color printing 

+

Cheap to run

+

Lots of inbox ink

+

Wide paper compatibility  

Reasons to avoid

No auto duplex

No main paper drawer 

Small 2-line display 

Low paper capacity 

The Canon PIXMA G620/G650 lacks too many features for us to recommend it as an all-round all-in-one for everyday use, but as a photo printer, it’s hard to beat. It prints monochrome pages slowly and only offers manual duplex so you have to turn the paper over yourself to print the other side. There’s no touchscreen, no memory card slots, no Ethernet port and no main paper tray. All blank paper has to go in via the rear tray, which can only hold a maximum 100 sheets of plain paper. 

This is where the good news starts because it can accept a very wide range of paper including magnetic photo paper, card stock and printable fabric. It performed beautifully during our time with it as well, printing extremely well on coated photo paper, thanks to its set of six vivid dye-based inks. We found the extra red and grey extra helpful in achieving superior color fidelity, and the enhanced print resolution resulted in superb print quality. 

Best of all though, this is a MegaTank printer which means the bottled ink refills are a fraction of the cost of cartridge ink and there’s loads of ink in the box.

Read our full Canon PIXMA G620/G650 review

The best photo printer for those on a budget

(Image credit: HP)

2. HP Envy 6055

The best budget photo printer for home printing

Specifications

Category: Wireless all-in-one printer

Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4. 2

Print speed: 10ppm

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: up to A4

Weight: 11.51lb

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Low price  

+

Easy to use  

Reasons to avoid

Ink can be costly

Not the fastest

This humble three-in-one can print, scan and copy, but it is most at home when turning out surprisingly vibrant photos. As is often the case with budget inkjet printers, the supplied starter cartridges are somewhat light on ink. However, if you replace them with high-capacity carts, the running cost is also quite competitive. 

Four individual cartridges combine to give bright images on glossy photo paper up to A4 in size. It can also duplex print regular text documents, albeit at a fairly slow print speed. Frustratingly, there’s no Ethernet or USB port for printing from a flash drive, and it churns very slowly, but the results are better than you might expect from such a small and affordable AOI.

We have yet to put this budget photo printer through the paces, but what we do know is that it’s enjoyed lofty 4+ rating from verified customers on HP and Amazon. The only thing about this printer is that it has been discontinued and now has limited stock. The good news is that we might be replacing this with a newer, more available budget option soon.

The best inkjet photo printer for professionals

(Image credit: Epson)

3. Epson EcoTank ET-8550

The best inkjet photo printer for professionals

Specifications

Category: Color inkjet AOI printer

Connectivity: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB

Print Speed: 32ppm (mono A4)

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: up to A3

Weight: 11.1kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Superior colors 

+

Low running cost

Reasons to avoid

High purchase price

This must be the ultimate A3 photo printer. For starters, it’s a sleek, practical design with a large tilting touchscreen interface and the ability to print on any kind of paper up to A3+. Secondly, it uses six individual inks to create superior quality prints. Best of all, it’s an EcoTank, which means you’re not tied to cartridges, and you’ll find enough bottled ink in the box to print 2,300 photos. 

Yes, it is rather expensive for an inkjet, but Epson’s bottled ink is not, so you will soon see that money back if you plan to print lots of large photos. The printer itself is also very well specified, with excellent connectivity, high print, and scan resolution, and a surprisingly prompt print speed.

More importantly, the Epson EcoTank ET-8550 performed well during our tests, faring particularly well when printing photos on glossy photo paper, thanks it large part to the 180 nozzles per colour and 360 black nozzles that deliver very finely detailed prints. Each print is vibrant and well-contained on coated paper, and if you’re looking for colors that truly pop, this one’s a winner and worth the steep price.

Read our full Epson EcoTank ET-8550 review

The best A3 photo printer

(Image credit: Epson)

4.

Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000

Swift photo printer that delivers superior A3 photos

Specifications

Category: Color inkjet printer

Connectivity: USB, USB Host, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Ethernet

Print speed: 29ppm (mono)

Paper capacity: 200 sheets

Paper size: up to A3+

Weight: 8.5kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Excellent color accuracy

+

Vivid A3 photo prints

Reasons to avoid

Rather expensive to run

The Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 uses six high-quality Claria ink cartridges to achieve a more lifelike color palette when printing photos. Combining dye and pigment-based inks means bright colors are possible, while black-and-white text documents remain long-lasting and smudge resistant.

Its ability to handle A3+ sized paper makes it perfect for printing super-sized photos or even a collage of images on a single sheet of A3 photo paper. It also functions very well as a regular A4 printer thanks to a surprisingly fast output of 29 black and white A4 pages per minute and the ability to print on both sides of the paper (auto duplex).

Though we’re still in the process of testing this photo printer, we’re preemptively adding it to the list due to its features and lofty reviews at online retailers. Keep an eye out for our review, however, to know more about its real-world performance.

The best affordable A3+ photo printer

(Image credit: Future)

5. Canon Pixma Pro-100S

Affordable photo printer that delivers vivid A3+ photos

Specifications

Category: Wireless professional inkjet printer

Connectivity: USB 2.0, Ethernet, Wi-Fi

Print speed: 8″ x 10″ on A4 with border:51 secs; 11″ x 14″ on A3+ with border: 1 min 30 secs

Paper capacity: 150 sheets of plain paper, 20 sheets photo paper (4″x6″)

Paper size: up to 13″ x 19″

Weight: 19.6Kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Two paper trays

+

Excellent color accuracy

Reasons to avoid

Pricey ink

Dye inks less suitable for archiving 

Aimed at professional and enthusiast photographers, this high-quality photo printer achieves superior color fidelity by drawing on eight individual inkjet cartridges to create detailed prints on photo paper sizes up to A3+. And instead of pigmented inks, Canon has specified brighter dye-based inks for prints that look good enough for gallery display. Pigment ink is more durable, but you can expect to display dye-based photos for around thirty years before fading occurs.

The Canon PIXMA Pro-100S is a sizable and solid desktop design that uses metal components in its print engine to guarantee accurate high-resolution results on large sheets of paper. It prints quickly on anything from individual 6×4” photo paper to borderless A3+ posters. 

On test, it churned out borderless A3 prints on Canon’s glossy Photo Paper Plus around six minutes per print at maximum quality and A4 media around three minutes and 14 seconds. We also found that disabling the borderless feature sped things up to one minute and 25 seconds. That’s not even to mention the fact that it delivers impeccable and stunning prints every time.

Read our full Canon Pixma Pro-100 review

Home photo printer with exceptional photo quality

(Image credit: Epson)

6.

Epson Expression Photo XP-970

Home photo printer that delivers exceptional photo quality

Specifications

Category: Multifunction inkjet printer

Connectivity: Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, USB

Print speed: 8.5ppm (mono)

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: A3

Weight: 8.7kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Six-ink colour fidelity  

+

Large touchscreen 

Reasons to avoid

Slow print speed 

Limited paper capacity  

Despite its sleek dimensions, this smooth 3-in-1 inkjet device can print on A3-size paper and uses not four but six inkjet cartridges to achieve superior color accuracy. It means your ink costs are rather high, but it’s worth it if you want beautifully shaded results. 

The scanner is only A4-size, but it makes very high-resolution scans, and combined with the high print resolution, you can make nearly identical color copies. There is no fax, and print speeds are slow, but in all other respects, the Epson Expression Photo XP-970 is hard to beat.  

The main paper tray can hold 100 sheets with a maximum paper size of 8.5 x 11 inches. The second paper tray can hold 20 sheets of photo paper with dimensions of 5 x 7 inches. For an idea of its performance, you can read our review of the almost identical Epson Expression Photo XP-960.

The best photo printer with refillable ink

(Image credit: Jim Hill)

7. Canon Pixma G4510

Compact photo printer with a refillable ink system

Specifications

Category: 4-in-1 printer

Print speed: 13ppm

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: up to A3

Weight: 10.5kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Neat design   

+

Low ink cost

Reasons to avoid

No duplex mode  

No front USB port

This is Canon’s most affordable MegaTank model, making it cost-effective. You can expect a drastic reduction in your ongoing print costs by ditching cartridges for refillable reservoirs, especially as the box includes enough ink for 6,000 mono and 7,000 color pages.  

Behind that headline feature, this is a fairly basic four-in-one printer with just enough key features to make it suitable for home use or a small office. It prints very slowly and cannot automatically print on both sides of the page. And sadly, we found that it lacks the resolution to show all the detail in high-resolution images. ‘

However, the photos it churned out during testing were very bold in color, and if you don’t need highly-detailed images anyway, this shouldn’t be a deal-breaker. For anyone planning to run out of many color documents, this compact and pleasingly designed AOI will beat most of the competition on per-page running costs.

Read our full Canon Pixma G4510 review

The best photo printer with a supertank

(Image credit: Epson)

8. Epson EcoTank ET-2720 photo printer (ET-2715 in UK)

Inexpensive supertank for fast and economical printing

Specifications

Category: Color all-in-one inkjet

Connectivity: USB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct

Print speed: 33ppm (mono)

Paper capacity: 100 sheets

Paper size: Up to A4

Weight: 5. 98kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Plenty of ink in box

+

Economical prints

Reasons to avoid

No duplex mode

Low paper capacity

The Epson EcoTank ET-2720, known as the Epson EcoTank ET-2715 in the UK, is the most affordable of the color Supertank printers in Epson’s extensive range and one of the most economical ways of printing photos available right now. And if that doesn’t tempt the bargain-hunters, it ships with enough ink in the box to last two years (or 4,500 color pages). 

With bottled ink costing around 80% lower than cartridge ink, you won’t need to worry about your ongoing consumables cost. This is great news for anyone intending to print lots of color photographs. The high image resolution makes this all-in-one well-suited to printing on glossy photo paper. It will also function well in a small office environment thanks to its fast print speed and sensible features.

We will be testing the Epson EcoTank ET-2720 soon so we can give you a more accurate idea of its photo printing performance.

The best photo printer for offices on a budget

(Image credit: HP)

9. HP Envy Photo 7855 (7830 in the UK)

The best photo printer for offices on a budget

Specifications

Category: All-in-one printer

Connectivity: USB 2.0 client, USB host, Ethernet, RJ-11 (Fax), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth ,SD card slot

Print speed: 15ppm

Paper capacity: 125 sheets

Paper size: up to A4

Weight: 7.6kg

Today’s Best Deals

Reasons to buy

+

Low price    

+

Many features

Reasons to avoid

Impractical design 

Combined ink cartridge

HP’s oddly shaped all-in-one comes with comprehensive features, although it is, first and foremost, a photo printer. The print resolution is high enough to make your photos look sharp and colorful when printed on glossy. There’s also a handy SD card slot for printing directly from your camera’s memory card. 

This four-in-one can auto-duplex print at a reasonable rate for regular monochrome text documents. It even has a fax facility. Thankfully, a touchscreen control panel can access all this functionality. The only catch is the high cost of its replacement cartridges. And with the three colors combined in one tri-color cartridge, you will certainly waste ink. 

You could reduce the cost of new cartridges by signing up for HP’s Instant Ink service, although we wouldn’t recommend it unless you can commit to printing regularly.

  • We’ve also highlighted the best small business printers
  • Use your best snaps in a photo book or personalized photo gifts

FAQs on the best photo printers

How to choose the best photo printers for you?

Photo printers are diverse in their offerings, so you’ll have to evaluate and select one that’ll be ideal for your needs. 

Start considering where you’ll be using the printer — for a small home office or a larger one. You’ll then want to assess what kind of printing you’ll primarily need — whether it’s text or image-heavy. If you need plenty of color prints daily, then you’ll want a large tank printer that’s economical to run. Make sure the printer offers high color fidelity if you need high-quality color prints.

Along with checking the print speed and auto duplex functionality, you’ll also want to check the type of connectivity the printer offers and whether it’s Wi-Fi enabled.

Which is better, inkjet or laser printer for photos?

There was a time when inkjet printers are preferred over laser printers for photo printer. After all, only liquid ink can truly achieve the required resolution and color gamut for fine photo printing, and only inkjets can print on dedicated glossy photo paper.

Meanwhile, laser printers have always been associated with high-yield printing and text-heavy documents. However, thanks to the strides laser printers have made in print technology, you can rely on many laser printers to meet your printing needs – so long as you’re not looking for professional prints to deliver to your clients.

What printer should I get in terms of paper sizes?

There are plenty of affordable A4/letter-sized photo printers out there that can carry out all the tasks of an all-in-one family printer while doing a great job printing on glossy photo paper. They use the usual four (CMYK) ink cartridges to good effect. They may be either pigmented ink or dye-based ink. The pigment is quicker drying and longer lasting while the dye is brighter and works well with high gloss media making it more desirable for photos. 

When you step up to the more expensive A3+ size printers, you’ll often find more inks used to make up the image, and you may well have pigmented black ink for text documents alongside dye-based black for photos. Five, six, eight, or ten ink compartments are common, and more colors mean superior print quality is possible. It may also mean higher ink costs, but fortunately, photo printers with refillable ink tanks are booming, so if you plan to print a lot of photos, go for a printer that takes bottled ink rather than cartridges.  

HOW WE PICKED AND TESTED THE BEST PHOTO PRINTERS

Each printer we source for testing is measured on our test bench, and the results are critically compared with every other model we have reviewed. Rather than relying on the manufacturer’s quoted figures, we time the first page out and print speeds in single sheet and duplex mode using a standard ten-page document and a stopwatch app.

To compare print quality, we print out the same set of test documents on every machine. These twelve test pages include text of varying font sizes and colors, mixed image and text pages, a set of photos, and a series of test patterns designed to assess sharpness, color fidelity, contrast, and grey scale. 

We also calculate running costs, compare functionality and consider each product’s versatility, design, and build quality. The overall score reflects all of these parameters and overall value for money.

Specifically for photo printers, we looked at their versatility (both in terms of management and media handling), paying closer attention to the print output and the cost of the consumables (ink cartridges, etc. ). 

Round up of today’s best deals

Epson Ecotank ET-8550

$799.99

View

See all prices

Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000

$452.23

View

See all prices

Canon Pixma Pro-100

$734.95

View

See all prices

Epson Expression Photo XP-970

$329.99

$249.99

View

See all prices

Deal ends Sun, Jul 30

HP Envy Photo 7830

$199.99

View

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Collin is the B2B Hardware Editor for TechRadar Pro. He has been in journalism for years, with experience in small and large markets, including Gearadical, DailyBeast, FutureNet, and more.

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types of printers, their pros and cons

For those who like to take pictures and want to transfer frames from digital to paper, a reliable photo printer is indispensable. In this article, we will talk about what types of printers are best for high-quality photos and what parameters you should pay attention to. Reading time – 7 minutes.

Contents

  • Choosing the type of photo printer
    • Laser
    • Inkjet
    • Sublimation
  • Print resolution
  • Print format
  • Frequency and print speed
  • What else is worth paying attention to

TO THE STORE

Deciding on the type of printer for photos 90 029

It is worth choosing a photo printer according to the type, since the print quality directly depends on this. And in photography, quality is paramount.

Laser

The laser printer is great for black and white printing, but it’s the least suitable for printing photographs. There are several reasons for this. Firstly, laser printing technology does not allow achieving high resolution – most models have a print resolution of 600 × 600 dpi or 1200 × 1200 dpi (with an optimal value of 4800 × 1200 dpi and higher). That is, the resulting picture can be called a draft, and you are unlikely to want to put it in a frame on a shelf or place it in a family album.

Secondly, although the yield of color cartridges is quite large, the price of laser printers with color printing is high. By the way, LED printers are a kind of laser printers (only instead of a laser, they use a lot of LEDs), so they have the same characteristics. Given the high cost and low image quality, we will not consider laser and LED devices as a serious photo printer.

Inkjet

Inkjet models provide the highest image quality of all photo printers available. An inkjet printer, as the name implies, transfers an image to paper by spraying ink. This option allows you to achieve the highest print resolution (for example, models with a resolution of up to 9600×2400 dpi). In addition, such devices, like laser printers, allow you to print text documents, and are also compatible with most types of photo paper.

Printer Canon PIXMA G1411 BUY

Specification Features
Printer type Inkjet
Print Resolution 4800x1200dpi
Print size A4, A5, B5, 10×15 cm, 13×18 cm, 20×25 cm, envelopes (DL, COM10), Letter, Legal
Optional CISS (4 colors), USB, color – 5 ipm

Inkjet printers are usually inexpensive, but consumables (read color ink) usually cost a pretty penny. One way to reduce the cost per shot is to choose a model with CISS (continuous ink supply system) or with the ability to install it. In the basic set of CISS, 4 shades of paint are usually presented: black, cyan, magenta and yellow. But to improve image quality and create smooth gradients, their number can (and, perhaps, should) be more – up to 8-12 shades. The more colors used in the CISS, the richer the color gamut and the higher the image quality.

The main feature of an inkjet printer is that it is designed for continuous operation (while laser printers tolerate idle time very well). If you use it infrequently, the ink in the system will dry out, making it necessary to flush the system, or worse, change it. It follows that if you are looking for a photo printer for permanent use, you will not find a better inkjet model. And vice versa – if you plan to print only a few photos a month, there is a risk that the ink supply system may deteriorate.

Dye sublimation

Dye sublimation printers are relatively new in the photo printer industry. And from the technical side, they are just sharpened for printing photographs, but it is irrational to use them for text information. Unlike laser and inkjet printers, which use ink or toner, sublimation devices work on a different principle. The fact is that the paper that they use has a film with pigment applied to it (the same cyan, yellow and magenta), so the task of such a printer is not to apply color to paper, but to develop it. And this eliminates the need to refill the device with paints.

Xiaomi Mi Pocket photo printer BUY

Specification Features
Printer type Sublimation
Print size A8
Optional Bluetooth, Android, iOS, 500 mAh battery

This approach to photo printing produces very high quality images with good contrast and color depth, and the printed images are highly resistant to external influences. However, there are several features in thermal sublimation printers. The first is the cost of consumables, i. e. special photo paper. By simple mathematical calculations, thermal sublimation printing is the most expensive, since the price of photo paper compatible with such a device is high, and even in terms of one picture it turns out to be completely non-budgetary.

Xiaomi Mi Pocket print Instant photo Paper 20 sheets BUY

Parameters Features
Type Printer paper
Compatible Xiaomi Mi Pocket Photo Printer
Optional 20 sheets, size 50×76 mm

The second nuance is the size of the photo. Most models on the market print images up to 10×15 cm, so they are not suitable for printing large photos. On the other hand, the small print format ensures compactness and portability, which travelers will appreciate.

Print resolution

When it comes to high-quality photographs, print resolution cannot be ignored. It is measured in dots per inch or dpi (dots per inch). And here the logical law operates – the more, the better. In order for the photos to be of good quality, the photo printer must provide a resolution of 4800 × 1200 dpi or better.

As mentioned above, laser printers have a low print resolution (usually up to 1200×1200 dpi), so you should not expect great photos from them. The largest indicator for inkjet – up to 9600×2400 dpi. Thermal sublimation printers have a rather modest print resolution (usually up to 800 × 600 dpi), but, given the small format of printed images (6 × 8 cm, 10 × 15 cm), the image quality is extremely high.

Canon PIXMA iX6840 Wi-Fi Printer BUY

Specification Features
Printer type Inkjet
Print size A3+, A3, A4, A5, B4, B5, LTR, LGL, LDR, 25x30cm, 20x25cm, 13x18cm, 10x15cm
Optional Up to 15 ppm, Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, 5 colors

Print format

Before finally deciding on a photo printer, it is worth considering what format photos you plan to print most often. If the size of 10 × 15 cm or less, which thermosublimation mobile printers provide, is enough for you, does it make sense to overpay for a large stationary printer (in our case, an inkjet) that can print A4 and even A3 images? And vice versa – if there is a need to print larger pictures (for wall photo collages, for example), then small sublimation models will not be able to meet your needs. In this case, an inkjet printer looks like a more attractive option, since most of them provide a variety of print formats: both A4 and B5, and the same 10×15 cm.

Fujifilm Instax LINK ASH WHITE Photo Printer BUY

Options Features
Printer type Sublimation
Print Resolution 800×600 dpi
Optional Bluetooth, Android, iOS, print time – 12 sec, volume – 100 prints (on a single charge)

Frequency and print speed

So, we have two types of printers that allow you to make excellent photographs – sublimation and inkjet. The first ones are great for both periodicals and frequent ones. From a technical point of view, without using any paints and pigments, thermal sublimation printers allow you to print photos from time to time without losing the properties of the device. While inkjet models are meant to be used continuously to avoid drying out of the ink and ink supply system. This must be taken into account before choosing.

At our pace of life, waiting for an image to be ready for a long time can cause discomfort, so it makes sense to pay attention to print speed as well. If you plan to print with enviable consistency, a comfortable color print speed is an average of 3-5 prints per minute. This is true for the most part for full-size inkjet printers (A4), the speed of sublimation pocket models, despite the smaller image format, is usually up to 2 frames per minute.

Epson L1300 A3 printer BUY

Options Features
Printer type Inkjet
Print Resolution 6000x1200dpi
Print size Up to A3
Optional 4 colors; USB; 5. 5 ipm

What else is worth paying attention to

Before the final choice of model, you should make sure that the selected printer is compatible with the operating system of the device that will be connected to it. If it’s going to be a computer, make sure it supports your version of Windows (especially if you’re talking about older versions like Vista, XP), or compatible with Linux or MacOS if you’re using a computer with those operating systems. To transfer data from a smartphone, of course, you need compatibility with Android or iOS.

If you will most often send photos to be printed from a camera memory card, it is convenient if the printer is equipped with a card reader. In this case, it is especially important if the printer has a small display, with which it is convenient to select images for printing and set the necessary parameters. So, you can not connect a computer or smartphone at all. Support for cloud storage will not be superfluous.

Printer Canon SELPHY CP1000 White BUY

Parameters Features
Printer type Sublimation
Print Resolution 300x300dpi
Optional Bluetooth, memory card support, A6 print size, TFT screen

It is also important to consider what interfaces are provided in a particular printer model. For wired connection of external devices, you will need USB and microUSB ports, and for wired Internet, you will need an Ethernet connector. However, many printers today can also connect to the Web via Wi-Fi, accepting files for printing using Bluetooth and NFC, which is especially convenient for printing directly from a smartphone.

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  • printer

  • Printer overview Mi Pocket photo printer
  • How to choose a printer for your home
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  • MFP

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How to choose a printer for printing photos.

If you’re looking for a photo printer, you’re spoiled for choice. But figuring out which one is the best can be very difficult with such a variety of extras, prices and brands. If you’re trying to find the best photo printer, the tips below may be of some help to you.

Photo printer technology: inkjet or sublimation?

Inkjet technology is the most commonly used type of printer technology on the market today. It is ideal for everyday printing. Basically, it distributes very small dots of ink on paper and can be used for both photo printing and document printing.

Dye sublimation

Dye sublimation technology is popular mainly among those who specialize only in photo printing. Using ink sublimation to print documents is a very expensive way to print documents as this technology is very expensive. Dye sublimation transfers the dye to the paper using heat and is specially adapted for use on photographic paper and other specialized papers.

Photo printer type

Home photo printer

For everyday home photography and general printing needs, inkjet printers are best. There are many options when it comes to home photo printers available on the market today, but they can basically be divided into two categories:

Printers that have no other capabilities than printing 1).

Compact/portable photo printer

Compact portable photo printers are becoming more and more popular in people’s homes. It is possible to have a portable photo printer with dye sublimation or inkjet technology. Many of the new models come with a range of technologies, making them ideal for people who want to print on the go. Some, for example, have batteries or Bluetooth technology, which means you can print any image or document directly from another Bluetooth-enabled device.

Professional photo printer

Professional photo printers are very expensive equipment and are usually only bought by those who work in photography or graphic design. Of course, you have a greater range of options with these types of printers, but both the machine and the ink tend to be much more expensive.

Professional printers differ from home printers in many ways. They have the highest possible dpi, allowing them to print photos with amazing color and clarity. They can also handle high print capacity and print on a variety of paper types and surfaces. Professional printers can also print photos in various sizes with a total size of 13 x 19inches

Photo Printer Features

When choosing a new photo printer, it is important that you understand all the different features that are available and what they are for. Of course, you want to print the prettiest picture, and one way to achieve this is to test the speed. Typically, printers will tell you their output per minute. Printer quality is expressed in DPI dots per inch. The best printers have higher DPI. Another feature that you might find useful is having a network printer, meaning you can connect multiple machines to it. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’ll need to test the connection: can your devices be tested remotely or over the network, or will you need to connect each device via cable?

Print resolution

A good inkjet photo printer has a resolution of at least 4800 dpi. It is possible to find printers, especially inkjet printers, that have a lower DPI, but they are not recommended for photographic printing. In order for a photo to look sharp and crystal clear, you need to have a high resolution to show all the details that are available in the image, as well as be able to reproduce the colors of your photo as close to real life as possible. The best inkjet photo printers have DPI resolutions from 4800 to 9600.

Dye sublimation printers require a much lower DPI, with 300 more than enough for excellent photo quality. You can find a sublimation printer with a resolution of 330 dpi.

Paper size and type

Of course, the size of the photos you want to print also plays a role, as your printer must be able to accept that paper size. In particular, if you are also going to use the printer to print standard A4 documents, you may need to look at a printer that accepts various paper sizes. The most standard photo paper size is 4″ by 6″, but many people prefer 8″ by 10″.

Paper also comes in a variety of thicknesses, and some printers are known to jam when asked to print on thicker paper. If you’re going to be using your photo printer primarily for photos, you should always check that your printer can comfortably accept higher quality paper in various thickness levels.

Connectivity

Some of the most interesting parts of the new photo printers include connectivity. Some will be able to read directly from a memory card, others will have networking capabilities (wireless and ethernet) or Bluetooth connections, and there are even some printers that you can email photos to, even from all over the city. It can be very useful to have a photo printer with PictBridge functionality, which means it will be able to read directly from your camera rather than having to import your photos to your computer first.