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.
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",
5"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-Printer:
Canon Pixma MP980 Wireless Photo All-In-One Printer - approx $240.
Excellent all-in-one that can also be used as a stand-alone photo lab without a computer. Features ChromaLife100+ 6-color ink system includes a unique grey ink, which helps you achieve exceptional monochrome and color values. Extremely fast: Prints 4 x 6 inch photos with awesome 9600 x 2400 color dpi resolution in about 20 seconds. Built-in duplexer, scans and prints from 35mm film, has network and Wi-Fi support. Cons: No fax.
Favorite Cheap Photo Printer:
HP Photosmart A636 Compact Photo Printer - approx $87 Compact, dedicated photo printer with kiosk-style touch-screen controls and easy installation.
It prints 5x7, 4x6 and up to 4x12-inch panoramas. A little slow, but a great bang for the bucks and easy to use.
Larger Format Printers
HP Photosmart B8550 Photo Printer - approx $186
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. 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.
HP Photosmart Pro B8850 Photo Printer
- approx $480
A professional grade printer for printing up to 13 x 19 inches. Prints gorgeous photos. It has fully automated self-calibration and a pigment-based ink system for long-lived photos. Meant for the serious photo hobbyist.
Recommended
Merchants:
Amazon
is one of our favorite resource for buying printers. They have
great prices and a huge selection of digital photo printers and
free shipping on purchases over $25. They also have an excellent
return policy.
RitzCamera.comcarries
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.
is one of our favorite resource for buying printers. They have
great prices and a huge selection of digital photo printers and
free shipping on purchases over $25. They also have an excellent
return policy.
