A photo printer, as the name suggests, is a printer that can print photos. There are many reasons why you may wish to learn more about photo printer. Maybe you’re just wondering what printers photographers use, or perhaps you’re looking to purchase a photo printer because you have lots of digital memories that you’d like to display around your home or office. Alternatively, you may need to print out some photographs for clients as part of your work or be looking to sell your artwork. Whatever the reason is, you will likely be looking to do some research into the best photo printer for your needs.
Before making your purchase, you might like to ask yourself a few questions regarding your photo printer requirements. This can include the following:
- How often will be I printing photos, and how many on average will I be looking to print each month?
- Will I be printing just 4” x 6” photos, or larger images too? If larger images, you might be looking at an A3 photo printer or something that can handle even larger image prints.
- Do I also need document printing capabilities from my photo printer?
- Are multifunction features such as scanning, copying and faxing a must-have?
- Is portability an important factor? If so, how small would you like the printer to be?
- Do you need a machine that has fast printing speeds?
- Would you like a printer that produces smaller photographic stickers that you can then use to decorate your home and belongings?
Today, we take a look at five different photo printers to help you on your journey to find the best photo printer for your needs. Read on to find out more about some of the photo printers on the market right now.
Epson Expression Photo XP-970
This 6-colour multifunction printer is capable of producing borderless photos up to A3 (11” x 17”) in size. It has automatic two-sided printing and is compatible with Epson iPrint, Apple AirPrint, and Google Cloud Print. The Epson Expression Photo XP-970 has a 4.3” LCD touchscreen with gesture navigation, and the printer weighs around 8.7kg. This printer can also scan and copy, A4 colour copying speeds of up to 7.5ppm, and A4 black and white copying speeds of up to 7ppm.
The Epson Expression Photo XP-970 can produce both documents and photos. It can print monochrome A4 pages at speeds of up to 8.5ppm, colour A4 pages at speeds of up to 8ppm, and 4” x 6” photos in as 11 seconds. This machine can print at resolutions up to 5760 x 1440 optimised dpi, and uses on-demand inkjet technology to produce prints. The Epson Expression Photo XP-970 takes Epson 277 or 277XL ink cartridges, available at Ink Station today.
Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Small-in-One
This photo printer may be a bit smaller than others, but is a great option for photo printing needs at home or in small offices. The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 is a wireless all-in-one printer capable of printing both photos and documents, along with DVD faces. This machine can produce borderless photos from 4” x 6” all the way up to 8” x 10” in size. The XP-7100 uses 5-colour ink to produce high-quality prints, and also has copying and scanning capabilities.
There is also automatic two-sided printing and a 4.3” touchscreen that allows for direct editing and viewing before printing. This Epson photo printer can also print A4 monochrome pages at speeds of up to 15.8ppm, and colour A4 pages at speeds of up to 11ppm. It has a maximum print resolution of 5760 x 1400 and 9.75kg.
HP Sprocket Plus
Looking for a portable photo printer? The HP Sprocket Plus could be what you’re after. This photo printer uses ZINK technology to create 2.3 x 3.4-inch prints which have a sticker back, allowing you to place them onto your belongings if you so choose. These printers are around the size of a smartphone and can be carried about in your pocket.
Photos can be printed via Bluetooth, and there’s a free HP Sprocket app allowing for easy photo editing. Unlike the other photo printers on this list, the Sprocket Plus does not print out documents. The HP Sprocket Plus was given a 4-star review by PC Mag.
Canon PIXMA iX6850
The Canon PIXMA iX6850 is an A3+ printer that can produce both images and documents. It allows for PIXMA Cloud Link, Apple AirPrint, and Google Cloud Print capabilities, and can print at resolutions up to 9600 x 2400 dpi. This printer has 5 single ink tanks and weighs 8.1kg. The PIXMA iX6850 can print black and white A4 pages at speeds of up to 14.5ppm, and colour A4 pages at speeds of up to 10.4ppm. It can also print 6” x 4” borderless photographs at speeds of around 36 seconds.
The PIXMA iX6850 allows for manual double-sided printing, plus has auto power on and off. There is also the option of using XL and XXL cartridges, which allow for additional page printing with each cartridge.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
If you are a photographer, an artist or are simply looking for professional quality prints, this photo printer will be right up your alley. The imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 is an A2 printer with a 12-pigment ink system. This printer can print gorgeous A2 photographs in around 6 minutes and 25 seconds, and also has a chroma optimiser that minimises the microscopic bumps between ink droplets for a uniform glossiness.
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 weighs around 32kg, and comes with a two-year warranty. It can print at resolutions up to 2400 x 1200 dpi. These printers are not designed for printing documents, and their real focus is on creating photographic prints in a range of different sizes. There is also a suite of Canon software such as the Print Studio Pro, the Pro Gallery Pro, and the PosterArtist Lite that can be used in combination with this photo printer. Check out the cartridges for the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 here at Ink Station, with free shipping for orders over $50.
There are many options to choose from when it comes to picking a photo printer for your home or office. Consider whether you want a portable photo printer or a printer that can produce A2-sized images. Whether you would like a printer that exclusively prints photos or something that can also handle documents. There are many different photo printers to choose from, which means you’re sure to find one that suits your work or lifestyle requirements. Check out our range of photo paper and get started with your photo printing!