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A List of Some of the Top Rated Digital Photo Printers

With all of the great digital photo printers on the market, it is getting easier, cheaper and more convenient to print photos from your digital camera at home. Dedicated photo printers offer very good to excellent photos. Typically a dedicated photo printer costs $150- $400 and uses thermal-dye technology. However, you are usually limited in paper size to 4x6. Some like the HP Photosmart A636 will also print 5x7. Look for a rechargeable battery option, which will make your photo printer portable so you can take it with you and print from wherever you are. If you don't want to print at home, check out our list of best digital photo printing services

What to Look for When Buying a Photo Printer

PRINT SIZES
Consider what print size will fit your needs. Do you plan to mostly print 4"x6" or a variety of sizes? Some printers only print 4"x6" while some higher end printers can print wallet size, 4"x6", 4"x8", "x7", 4"x12" panoramic and 8.5"x11".

DOES THE PRINTER HAVE MEMORY CARD SLOTS
You can upload your photos to your computer and then print, but the fastest and easiest way is to insert camera’s memory card directly into your photo printer. There are many different types of memory cards so check that the printer you are considering can accept the type of card your digital camera uses. A number of better printers have a variety of memory slots such as SD, XD, CF and MS to accommodate a variety of cards.

LCD DISPLAY
It helps to see what you're printing. A high quality printer usually has a built in LCD display. Some printers even let you edit your pictures right from the printer, allowing you to crop, rotate, brighten or add borders.

PHOTO QUALITY
Pixels (dots) matter. Better photo printers offer up to 4800 x 1200 dots per inch. That means extremely sharp, lab-quality photos. Some printers can automatically remove red eye as the photos are printed.

Here are some of our favorite, top-rated digital photo printers:

All-in-One Wireless Printer:

Canon PIXMA MG8120 Wireless Inkjet Photo All-In-One Color Inkjet Printer

  • High resolution 9600 x 2400 maximum color dpi
  • 6 individual color ink tank system
  • Print borderless 4x6 prints in approx 20 seconds
  • Intelligent Touch button navigation
  • Full HD movie print
  • 3.5 inch LCD for easy viewing and editing
  • Auto Photo Fix II
  • Integrated auto duplex and 2-way paper feeding
  • Smartphone printing, built-in ethernet, memory card, USB, PictBridge printing

Buy Now

Amazon - approx $199

Buy.com - approx. $205

Canon - approx $199

Wal-mart - approx $229 icon

Canon Pixma MG8120 Wireless Inkjet Photo Printericon

One of Canon's best for home photo printing. Can be used as a stand-alone photo lab without a computer. This inkjet printer prints high quality photos from a range of sources. Prints directly from memory cards, PictBridge cameras, USB keys, prints and 35mm slides and both positive and negative film strips, plus video frames from select Canon cameras -- something few multi-function printers can do.The ChromaLife100+ 6-color ink system includes a unique grey ink, which helps you achieve exceptional b&w prints. Extremely fast: Prints 4 x 6 inch photos with awesome 9600 x 2400 color dpi resolution in about 20 seconds.There are two 150-sheet paper trays and a duplexer. Easy to set up and install on a network. A worthy purchase if you frequently print photos and want the flexibility of scanning and printing from a variety of sources. Only negatives: no auto doc feeder or fax.




Canon Pixma MX882 Wireless Printer Canon Pixma MX882 Wireless Office All-In-One Printer

  • High resolution - 9600 x 2400 maximum color dpi
  • High performance individual ink system
  • Fast printing - 4x6" borderless photos in approx 20 seconds
  • Dual Function Panel that transforms into keypad in fax mode
  • Integrated duplex auto document feeder and 2-way paper feeder
  • Built-in duplex printing
  • Full HD movie print
  • 3 inch LCD screen
  • Built-in wilress and mobile printing from iPad, iPod touch, iPhone 4, 3G, 4G, 3GS, Android devices

Buy Now

Amazon - approx $149

Canon - approx $159.99 SALE: Save $40 on the Wireless PIXMA MX882 Printer! Now thru 10/15

Buy.com - approx $151 icon

BestBuy.com - approx $149.99

Canon Pixma MX882 printer

The new (April 2011) Canon Pixma MX882 is an inexpensive yet high quality all-in-one wireless printer with 35-sheet auto duplex document feeder which means you can print, scan and copy on 2 sides. Speedily prints high quality photos and documents. Prints borderless 4x6 inch photos in about 15-20 seconds.The 5-color ink system has individual tanks so you only need to replace them one at a time as they run out. Maximum 9600x2400 color dpi. The Function Panel turns into a keypad in fax mode and a 3-inch LCD enables viewing and editing images without your computer. The built-in wireless set-up is fast and easy and networking is straightforward. Strangely, you can use either the Ethernet connection or the wireless connect but not both. Prints directly from memory cards, Pictbridge cable from your camera, camcorder or phone.

Epson Artisan 835 Color Inkjet All-In-One

  • Smart, 7.8" touch panel and a 3.5" LCD to preview, edit and print photos
  • Ultra Hi-Definition prints 4" x 6" photos in as fast as 10 seconds
  • Built-in Auto Photo Correction automatically evaluates and corrects digital images
  • Send faxes as fast as 3 seconds per page; store up to 60 speed dials and receive up to 180 pages in memory; also faxes legal-size documents; includes PC-Fax4 software
  • Built-in wireless and Ethernet networking
  • One-of-a-kind projects - easily create coloring books, personal note paper, invitations and greeting cards using your own photos

 

Buy Now

Amazon - approx $163

Buy.com - approx. $169.99 icon

Wal-mart - approx $239 icon

BestBuy.com - approx $299

Epson Artisan 835 Color Inkjet All-in-One

The Epson Artisan 835 prints 4x6 photos extremely fast - in about 10 seconds. Photo quality is very good, with vibrant color. There is a large 7.8" touch panel and a 3.5 inch LCD panel for previewing, editing and printing photos. There is built-in auto-correction with face detection to distinguish people from scenery and auto redeye removal. Uses 6-color Claria® Hi-Definition Ink which you replace individually as needed. The ability create and print labels for CDs and DVDs is useful. The fax function stores up to 60 speed dial numbers and sends faxes at about 3 seconds per page - it even sends color faxes. The 30-page auto document feeder works for copying, faxing and scanning. Fast print speeds of 9.5 ISO ppm (black) and 9 ISO ppm (color). The built-in wirelss and Ethernet networking is easy to install and works well. Although a little on the large side, the Artisan has a sleek attractive design. It's Energy Star qualified. Cons: The paper drawer is lightweight anc could be sturdier and when printing on both sides the ink sometimes bleeds through. Sometimes the paper feeder picks up more than one page at a time. LAPTOP Online gave it their Editor's Choice in march 2011.



Brother MFCJ6510DW Wireless Color Photo Printer with scanner, Copier & Fax

  • Prints up to 35 ppm* in black, up to 27 ppm in color
  • Network-ready with built-in Ethernet interface
  • Up to 6000 x 1200 dpi resolution
  • Memory card slots for Memory Stick/Duo/ PRO, Secure Digital, Secure Digital High Capacity, MultiMediaCard, MultiMediaCard Plus and MultiMediaCard mobile.
  • PictBridge technology for direct printing without a computer.
  • Copies up to 23 cpm in black, up to 20 cpm in color
  • Flatbed scanner with resolution up to 2400 x 2400 dpi
  • Fax speed approximately 3 sec. per page.
  • 35-page document feeder

Buy Now

Amazon - approx $205

Buy.com - approx $174 icon

BestBuy.com - $179-$249

Brother MFCJ6510DW

This is a very good printer and you can't beat the price -around $200. You can print, copy scan and fax up to 11x17 in pages and has duplex printed (you can make 2-sided copies). It is quite economical compared to similar printers - this Brother uses Super High Yield (XXL series) replacement cartridges and will print 2400 b&w pages/1200 color. The wireless is fairly easy to set up and wireless printing and scanning works well. There is a 3.3 color widescreen LCD display. Cons: Some people have had issues with paper jams.

Best Dedicated Photo Printer for Photo Enthusiasts:




Epson Stylus R1900 Epson Stylus Photo R1900

  • Get incredible glossy prints with Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss 2 pigment ink
  • Print photos with greater vibrancy and more true skincolors with Epson’s new Red and Orange ink cartridges
  • Radiance technology offers improved print quality and true
  • Produce pro-quality prints quickly with enhanced print speeds
  • Create beautiful panoramas with included roll paper support
  • Wide format - prints up to 13x44 inches
  • Print on canvas and fine art media as well as create professional looking CDs and DVDs

 

Buy Now

Amazon - approx $549

Buy.com - approx $629.99

Epson Stylus Photo R1900 icon

Highly regarded by photo experts including Thinkmac.net and CreativePro.com as the best printer for producing outstanding glossy photos. The Epson Stylus R1900 is a wide format printer with Epson UltraChrome Hi-Gloss 2 pigment inkPrints. prints come out fast with precise color, clarity and quality. You get great vibrancy and natural skin tones with Epson's new red and orange inks. Scrapbookers will particularly like it for the vivid colors. Although pricier than some other wel-regarded photo printers, experts say you won't find a better printer than the Epson Stylus R1900 for less than $2000.

Larger Format Printers

Canon Pixma Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Printer Canon PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer

  • High resolution 4800x2400 max color dpi
  • 8-color dye-based ink system
  • Ambient light correction
  • Borderless prints up to 13x19 inches
  • Auto Photo Correction built in
  • 2-way paper feeding
  • Hi-speed USB 2.0

 

 

 

Buy Now

Amazon - approx $444

Canon - approx $499

BestBuy.com - approx $499

Buy.com - $approx $429 icon

Canon Pixma Pro9000 Mar II Inkjet Printer

Extremely fast and outstanding quality. A must-have for those who want to print lab-quality prints at home. Prints Photo Lab quality 11-inch x 14-inch color photo approximately 1 minute 23 seconds. Awesom resolution - up to 4800x2400 dpi FINE printhead technology. Prints without borders up to 13"x9". Support for fine art paper up to 13"x19" with two separate paper paths, including front feeder for heavy-weight paper types. Professional printer features using Easy-PhotoPrint Pro plug-in software. Ambient Light Correction feature; optimizes color output to match the specified lighting condition. High performance individual ink system 8-color dye-based system features Photo Cyan, Photo Magenta and Red ink tanks. Cons: printer is large and b&w printing is so-so. But incredible color printing. A great buy.

Canon Pixma PRO 9500 Mark II Inkjet Photo Printer

  • High resolution 4800x2400 max color dpi
  • 10 full-color pigment LUCIA ink system for pro photo quality plus grey, B&W, black & matte black
  • Borderless prints up tp 13x19 inches
  • Auto Photo Fix
  • 2-way paper feeder for regular photo paper and fine art paper
  • Hi speed USB 2.0

Buy Now

Amazon - approx $749

Canon - approx $849

BestBuy.com - approx. $849.99

Buy.com - approx $729

anon - PIXMA Pro9500 Mark II Photo Printer

icon

Produced amazing prints with rich color, and it is exceptional for fine art prints. Features 10-color pigment ink system for professional image performance up to 13"x19" Superb resolution - up to 4800x2400 dpi FINE printhead technology. Professional quality B&W photos with matte black, photo black and gray inks included. Professional printer features using Easy-PhotoPrint Pro plug-in software and the Ambient Light Correction feature optimizes color output to match the specified lighting condition. Compares to or exceeds what you would get from a lab. Consumes a lot of ink. Easy to set up., A great printer for serious photo enthusiasts.

HP Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer

  • 5-ink system
  • 2.4 inch color LCD for reviewing and selecting photos
  • Direct photo printing from memory cards, PictBridge.
  • Prints borderless photos up to 13"x9"
  • 125-sheet paper tray
  • Print up to 32pps black & white. Color up to 31ppm; 95 seconds for 13x9"
  • Color resolution up to 1200x1200 dpi
  • Manual duplex printing
  • Connect via 1 USB, 1 Pictbridge, 3 memory card slots

Buy Now!

Amazon - approx $155

Buy.com - approx $159

HP Photosmart B8550 Photo Printericon

Prints stunning photos at up to 13 x 19 inches. Second tray for up to 5 x 7 paper. Sleek and sexy looking but large. Fast, inks last relatively well, accurate prints. This printer is meant for printing larger photos, not just 4x6 prints. Print quality is outstanding. A great printer for the amateur as well as the serious photo enthusiast.

Recommended Merchants:

Amazon offers free shipping on orders over $25, has a great selection of photo printers and low prices.

Canon has an excellent selection of top rated printers. Check out the latest deals on Canon's Promotion page.

Best Buy offers weekly sales and you can order online and pick up for free at your local store. See this week's sale events and free shipping offers at BestBuy.com.

RitzCamera.com carries all major brands of printers as well as digital camera, and accessories. In addition to competitive prices and good discounts, they offer free shipping and no sales tax.

Wal-Mart is also a great resource for digital printers. Wal-mart has frequent sales and promos including low shipping specials.

Shop Kodak for Photo Printers - a huge selection of Kodak digital photo printers.

 

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