Photo Printer: Buying Guide and Recommendations [2022]

Find best photo printer It can be a real headache, there are many types of printers, prices, sizes, brands… information!

In this guide I am going to try to make it very easy for you to help you find the best photo printer for your needs.

No matter what you’re looking for, you’ll find it here: types of printers, buying tips and recommendations, as well as cartridges and paper for photo printers.

In addition to our list with our top recommendations for photo printers, in this guide we will first explain how to choose a good photo printer. If you are impatient to see our list with the recommendations directly, you can do so by clicking here.

Types of photo printers

As I said, there are many types of printersso that you can clarify, I will make a summary:

• Multifunction printer It is the one that incorporates the functions of printer, scanner and photocopier. Ideal for printing photos and documents. There are inkjet and laser ones, as I will tell you below, inkjet is preferable for photos and laser for documents.
• inkjet printer It is the one that expels ink drops of different sizes on the paper, mixing them to achieve the desired color range.
• Laser printer It uses toner with ink in powder form and prints black.
• desktop printer It is that photographic printer that usually works with ink and that is designed to be used with the computer and to print more elaborate images. Intended for more professional or advanced photographer use, they print in all kinds of sizes.
• thermal printer It is the one that does not use impact technology but, in the same way as laser printers, uses heat as a transmitting medium to print. This printing is done on a special, heat-sensitive paper called thermal paper. They are cheap, small, accurate, quiet and do not require cartridges. By cons, they only print in black and white and the durability of the print is low.
• Pocket or portable printer It is that printer that you can take with you because it has a very compact size and you can connect to your mobile devices. Normally the paper comes already with the ink cartridge or uses, for example, a Zink technology that does not need a cartridge.

mobile photo printer

How to choose the best printer for photos

When choosing the best photo printer for you, I recommend you take into account the following aspects:

• Use: the first question you should ask yourself is “What am I going to use it for?”. You want it only for photos; that prints documents and scans, but can also print images; for occasional use; to print frequently… Knowing this will help you better define what you want.
• Define a maximum budget: think about the cost of the printer and the consumables (cartridges and/or paper) and try not to go out of your budget, the offer is huge but we don’t always need the most expensive.
• Wireless or wired: look at this aspect, especially if you are going to print from different devices. Having WIFI or Bluetooth connectivity will also allow you to send your images not only from your computer, but also directly from your mobile. Some printers offer a USB port, others Ethernet and/or Wi-Fi connection, or a combination of several of these options.
• Edit Options: Some printers allow you to edit your photos (and even add things like frames, filters, etc. through an app).
• Minimum resolution: the higher the resolution, the better the print quality. A resolution above 2400 x 1200 dpi is recommended.
• With or without ink: Some printers do not require ink cartridges because they use special paper. Others do work with ink and you have to take into account the price of cartridges or refills. Trick: The best cartridges separately, that is, it is best to choose a printer that uses a black cartridge and then one for each color.
• Printing technology: As I was saying above, inkjet is the best way to print photographs.
• Supported paper: keep in mind if you print in gloss, matte or both and also the maximum thickness or grammage of the allowed paper.
• Inputs for USB port or memory cards: Regardless of whether or not you have WIFI, think about whether you will need to connect a USB or memory card directly to the printer.
• Size and design: Decide where you are going to place it so that it fits you and does not bother your eyes. Or if you prefer a portable printer to take with you whenever and wherever you want.
• print size: think about the size of the photos you want to obtain, maybe a credit card size is enough for you, or maybe you are looking for a printer to print sizes from 10 x 15 cm and up (there are some that can print in A3 size ).
• Easy to use: See if it’s an easy-to-use printer or if it’s something you don’t care too much about.
• Printing speed: It depends on your (im)patience, if you want or need it to print quickly, keep that in mind at the time of purchase.
• Additional features: trays, touch screen, battery, etc. If you want something specific, take a good look at the extras.
• Ease of maintenance: look at if it requires any type of maintenance, if it needs cartridge replacement or not and what your needs are or what you are looking for.

Best photo printers

But let’s see more options, there are, and this does not have to be the best photo printer for you.

Portable Mobile Photo Printer

With the use of mobile phones for photography, mini printers or portable printers have become quite fashionable and, beyond thermal type printers, the offer of these pocket printers is very wide.

But, What is the best mobile photo printer? Let’s see several options depending on whether price premiums, type of paper, size of the photo, printer, etc.

Canon photo printer

Above I have named the Canon Selphi CP1300, which is our personal recommendation, however, I would like to present you with these other options that are also interesting depending on your needs:

• Canon Zoemini: portable printer that prints instantly from your mobile device, via Bluetooth, on adhesive paper size 5 x 7.6 cm for €141.22 and use this photo paper. It is available in different colors.
• Canon PIXMA G550: If you print quantity, in different sizes and are looking for quality, this inkjet printer with refillable tanks may be your solution. Print over 3,000 4″ x 6″ photos with a single set of ink bottles. Wi-Fi or USB connection and compatible with Mac, Windows and Chrome OS. It costs about 150 euros and the compatible ink cartridges are GI-53 and .

HP photo printer

HP’s range of photo printers is wide, we’ve already seen its HP Sprocket pocket printer, now let’s see what other recommendations we have for printing photos: