You should invest in a reliable A4 photo printer to gift quality prints to your friends or create a family photo wall.
Another benefit of printing A4 photos is their universal size; thus, you don’t face any problem framing them. In addition, buying a photo printer is a must if you are a home-based entrepreneur who offers monthly journal subscriptions or customized gift options.
That’s why this article presents the reviews and features of the best photo printers ranging from affordable to high-end. Not only that, but the buying guide will help you find a suitable photo printer to match your requirements.
Reviews of Best Photo Printers
Read the following reviews of the best photo printers if you don’t want to compromise the photo quality, print speed, and print resolution.
Canon PIXMA PRO-200 Photo Printer
If you want to buy a compact photo printer, the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 Photo Printer is an apt choice. It’s a high-quality printer featuring an improved eight-color dye-based ink mechanism to print accurate colors and vibrant photographs.
The Canon PIXMA PRO-200 photo printer offers ample storage capacity to hold up to 100 paper sheets with variable thicknesses between 64 to 380 grams per square meter (gsm). Not only that, but the one-sheet tray can hold different paper sizes ranging from 8 x 10 inches to 13 x 39 inches.
The built-in three-inch LCD lets you verify the ink levels and check printer maintenance. The control panel includes all the necessary buttons to navigate the settings. You can use the web portal to configure the printer, generate the printer report, and monitor consumables on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone.
The Canon PIXMA PRO-200 photo printer efficiently prints borderless photos of 13 x 19 inches in only 90 seconds.
The good news is that you can use Canon’s professional Print & Layout software included with the photo printer instead of using Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Illustrator. The Canon software is essentially a combination of document layout programs and photo editing.
Additionally, you can manage different media types and their corresponding International Color Consortium (ICC) profiles thanks to the Canon Media Configuration Tool. As a result, you can define different paper types based on their features, such as drying speed, absorption rate, and glossy finish.
If you have a Canon digital camera, you can directly connect it to the photo printer using Wireless PictBridge. Alternatively, you can use the USB 2.0 Ethernet or Wi-fi 802.11 a/b/g/n to establish the connection between the printer and different devices.
Pros
- Features eight-color dye-based ink mechanism
- Compact design with a smaller footprint
- Print speed of bordered A3+ papers is 90 seconds only
- It comes with a built-in three inches LCD
- Offers both Wi-fi and Ethernet connection
Cons
- Roll media support isn’t available
- Non-touch LCD
Epson EcoTank Photo Color Printer
The standard ink cartridge system costs you 40 cents for a 4 x 6 inches photo, while the Epson EcoTank Color Printer costs only four cents. That’s why it’s one of the best photo printers, offering cartridge-free printing of creative projects and lab-quality images.
Not only that, but the printer guarantees excellent color and sharp text, courtesy of the high-precision printhead and Claria ET six ink colors. The addition of the sixth ink color certainly enhances the overall color accuracy, depth, and detailing of the black colors in artwork and photo prints.
The printer includes cyan, yellow, black, magenta, Photo Black, and Grey inks to print up to 6,200 pages.
Courtesy of media support, you can print on cardstock, DVDs, CDs, and other specialty media with up to 1.3 mm thickness. Alternatively, you can also print borderless photos on 13 x 19 inches of paper.
The Epson EcoTank ET photo printer uses low-cost replacement ink bottles instead of ink cartridges. Hence, you can save up to 80 percent of the cost of buying the ink cartridge; nonetheless, the one-time investment in the printer is undoubtedly steep.
This versatile laptop offers all types of connectivity options, such as Wi-fi Direct, SD card, USB thumb drives, wireless Wifi 802.11 b/g, and Ethernet.
On the downside, the photo printer comes with a simple scanner without an automatic document feeder (ADF). Nonetheless, the printer can hold a total of 120 sheets, including 20 sheets of high-quality snapshot paper.
The 4.3 inches color touchscreen displays the control panel with walk-in functions to create copies, scan from the cloud site, and generate print usage and other security reports.
Lastly, the Epson EcoTank photo color printer has a two-year limited warranty to ensure long-term investment.
Pros
- Offers cartridge-free printing
- Prints a 4 x 6 inches photo in just 15 seconds
- Includes six color inks
- Four cents cost per 4 x 6 inches photo
- 4.3 inches touchscreen
Cons
- Expensive
- Slow duplex document printing
Canon Pixma TS6320 Wireless All-In-One Photo Printer
If you want to buy an affordable yet featureful printer, the Canon Pixma TS6320 Wireless All-In-One Photo Printer is one of the best photo printers. It’s a compact and well-designed printer that comes with an auto-expandable output tray that opens each time you print or create a copy.
You can find the paper input trays on the front and back sides of the printer to hold 200 sheets. Similarly, the rear tray can hold 20 premium photo papers. Lastly, the adjustable sliders can accommodate different paper sizes.
The good news is that the printer automatically detects different media types placed on the rear tray.
The five inks offer the outstanding print quality of family photos and high-quality photo prints. Furthermore, the 1.44 inches OLED screen and an LED status bar ensure hassle-free navigation.
You can use Amazon Alexa, Google Home Assistant, and IFTTT (If This Then That) commands to operate the printer using a wireless connection. You can also use PictBridge wireless to print from different Canon cameras. Lastly, the Bluetooth connection allows you to send print commands from multiple mobile phones simultaneously.
Fortunately, the Canon Pixma photo printer can print up to 15 monochrome papers per minute (PMM) and ten-color pages in one minute.
Pros
- Features 1.44 inches LED display
- The LED status bar offers printer status
- It comes with five individual ink mechanism
- Includes an auto expandable output tray
- Less color printing costs
Cons
- Lesser black page yield
- It doesn’t include an automatic document feeder (ADF)
Epson Expression Color Photo Printer
If you want to buy an affordable yet featureful printer, the Epson Expression Color Photo Printer won’t disappoint you. It’s an allrounder photo printer with 30 pages auto document feeder (ADF), two-sided auto printing, copying, and scanning.
Lucky for you, you can print borderless clear photographs up to 8 x 10 inches. Alternatively, the printer offers a print speed of 12 seconds to print 4 x 6 inches photos, which is excellent.
The box includes an inkjet printer, instruction manual, drivers and software CD-ROM, and power cord. Not only that, but you’ll also receive five Claria Premium ink cartridges, including black, cyan, magenta, yellow, and a photo black ink cartridge. Fortunately, all these inks are water, fade, and smudge resistant.
One of the most significant advantages of using the Epson Expression photo printer is the intuitive 4.3 inches touchscreen which you can use to view and edit the photos before printing from an SD card slot or USB.
The Creative Print app allows you to print your Facebook and Instagram photos and create different cards, collages, and other customized projects. Furthermore, the output tray automatically slides out while printing photographs. You can retract the tray by selecting the appropriate option on the touchscreen.
The printer screen lights up when you turn on the printer. Not only that, but the display console lifts upwards to improve visibility during printing. Nonetheless, you can constantly adjust the angle manually.
To ensure seamless printer performance, you should regularly update the firmware. This way, you can prevent minor bugs, performance, and other printer security issues.
Lastly, you can also print labels on pre-surfaced DVDs and CDs using a small caddy available above the output tray. In addition to that, you can also use the software to design labels and jewel case inserts.
Pros
- Exceptional photo quality and sharp texts
- 30 pages auto document feeder (ADF)
- Automatic two-sided document printing, copying, and scanning
- Intuitive and ultra-responsive 4.3 inches touchscreen
- Affordable design
Cons
- You can only use Epson cartridges and not any other third-party cartridges
- Difficult initial setup
HP ENVY Photo 7855 Photo Printer
The HP ENVY Photo 7855 Photo Printer is a one-for-all and all-for-one photo printer with auto document feed, separate photo tray, color touchscreen, Ethernet networking, and scan-to-email feature.
It’s a stylish photo printer with a matte black exterior while the glossy black highlights elevate the overall appearance. Another great feature of this photo printer is the 3.5 inches color touch screen available on the tilt-up front panel.
The HP ENVY 7855 photo printer offers a high capacity of 125 sheets with an additional 15-sheet photo tray. In addition, the auto-duplexer offers two-sided printing, so you don’t have to flip the papers manually.
You can place 35 sheets in the automatic document feeder (AD)F) to copy, fax, and scan multiple documents. Moreover, you can use a USB thumb drive SD memory card for high-quality prints.
The HP ePrint allows you to email files in the form of attachments to the printer address assigned by HP. Hence, you can print emails and files remotely from anywhere in the world.
As far as connectivity options are concerned, you can use 802.11 b/g/n Wi-fi, Ethernet, USB, and peer-to-peer connection using Bluetooth or HP Wireless Direct. Additionally, you can install the HP Smart app on your Android or iOS device to print photos taken from your mobile phone.
You can also use the HP Instant Ink delivery service that starts from as low as three dollars a month to minimize your ink costs.
HP is known for its exceptional 24/7 web support to facilitate the customers while operating the HP ENVY printer. In addition to that, the printer comes with a one-year limited hardware warranty to ensure safe and long-term investment.
Pros
- The cost per photo is less than five cents.
- Accepts print commands from mobile phones and iPhones with Apple AirPrint
- Comes with HP Smart app for wireless printing option
- One-year limited warranty on hardware
- Offers two-sided as well as borderless printing
Cons
- High ink cost while buying individual cartridges
- Limited paper capacity
Epson SureColor P700 Printer
The Epson SureColor P700 Printer is one of the best inkjet printers for graphic designers, fine art students, or professional photographers.
It’s an easy-to-use and compact photo printer with a 4.3 inches customizable touchscreen. Hence, you no longer need PC software, such as Epson’s Photo and Print Layout apps or Adobe Photoshop. The touchscreen allows you to perform different functions, such as brightness, highlight, density, color toning, and others.
The 10-channel MicroPiezo AMC printhead nozzles disperse color ink droplets in three different sizes from as low as 1.5 picoliters. Not only that, but the printer offers dedicated channels for mate black and photo black inks. As a result, the printers don’t waste time and ink resources by switching between different black color types.
Another great news is that the nozzles come with an ink-repelling coating to minimize clogging.
The all-new UltraChrome HD PRO10 ink palette comprises different colors, including:
- Cyan
- Light cyan
- Vivid magenta
- Vivid light magenta
- Yellow
- Grey
- Light grey
- Violet
- Photo black
- Matte black
The additional violet ink increases the overall color gamut. Similarly, the latest Carbon Blck Drive mode enhances Dmax to improve black color density on glossy paper.
It’s recommended to use photo black ink on glossy or luster photo paper instead. Alternatively, you can use matte black ink on matte paper because of the non-reflective surface on which the matte ink absorbs better.
Fortunately, you can also print labels on DVDs and pre-surfaced CD-ROMs courtesy of the Epson Print+ Program to save data and prevent fading on optical discs.
Whether you want to print colored or black-and-white photos on glossy photo paper, the Epson SureColor P700 printer won’t disappoint you.
Pros
- It comes with dedicated nozzles for black ink types
- Includes 10-channel MicroPiezo AMC printhead for accurate printing
- Features new Carbon Black driver technology
- Easy-to-use with 4.3 inches personalized touchscreen
- Offers Wi-fi connectivity
Cons
- Expensive
- Requires extensive printhead cleaning
Canon PIXMA TS9520 All In One Wireless Printer
The Canon PIXMA TS9520 All In One Wireless Printer is the perfect wide-format photo printer for personal and official use. It features an all-black exterior with a 20-sheet automatic document feeder (ADF) and accommodates large-format papers.
The good news is that you can store 200 pages and split them between the main cassette and the rear tray. Moreover, you can deploy different paper types on both trays depending on your requirement. Similarly, you can also store snapshot-size papers in the front paper drawer.
The Canon PIXMA TS9520 wireless printer comes with five color individual ink mechanism to print accurate photos with sharp black text.
Moreover, you can send print commands from different devices, including smartphones, tablets, computers, Mopria Print Service, and Apple AirPrint. It entirely depends on using Bluetooth, USB, or Ethernet and Wi-fi connectivity to print photographs and other documents.
For example, you can download the Canon Print app on your mobile phone to print directly from your smartphone and different cloud sites, such as Microsoft OneDrive, DropBox, and Google Drive.
In addition to that, the printer is compatible with the Easy-PhotoPrint Editor application to edit the photos before printing.
To sum up, from large scanning to 11 x 17 inches paper support, the Canon PIXMA TS9520 has got it all covered for its users.
Pros
- Affordable design
- Compatible with Alexa
- It comes with four color individual ink system
- Includes auto document feeder to scan multiple pages simultaneously
- Supports various paper sizes and types
Cons
- It doesn’t support borderless prints
- Higher running cost
How to Buy the Best A4 Photo Printers?
Whether a hobbyist or a photographer, you need a dedicated photo printer instead of a regular paper printer available in homes or offices for general printing. The primary purpose is to print high-quality business documents and photographs for framing or other purposes.
That’s why we have compiled a list of essential features to look for while buying a photo printer.
Printer Size
With various photo printers available in the market, you can opt for a portable or desk-bound printer. For example, if you have a hybrid working environment, you can buy a portable printer with built-in or disposable batteries.
On the other hand, dedicated photo printers are usually more significant than regular inkjet printers. Hence, you have ample room to store papers and fill the roll feeder.
Color Accuracy
If you want to print black and white images, you should check the monochrome photo qualities in addition to the color quality. It’s because different color tints turn out to be various shades of grey in monochrome photos.
Connectivity
A variety of printers are available in the market, offering wired, wireless, or both types of connectivity options. For instance, you can connect a USB cable between the computer and printer to print photos.
Alternatively, other photo printers offer a Wifi connection allowing you to print photos from different devices, including cameras, laptops, tablets, and USB flash drives. Not only that, but you can also insert the memory card into the print to print the photos.
Lastly, many photo printers also include Ethernet and direct-from-device printing options, thus offering versatile connectivity options.
Running Cost
While buying a photo printer, it’s not just about the one-time ownership cost but also the running cost. You can manually calculate the running cost by adding per paper and ink costs. Unfortunately, however, it isn’t entirely possible to calculate the standard price per photo for photo printers, but you can still have a rough idea about the printing cost.
Furthermore, additional features translate to higher expenses. Nonetheless, if you don’t have a budget constraint, we won’t stop you from buying a high-tech printer for your business or personal use.
Conclusion
A photo printer offers a cost-effective solution to print pictures closer to photo lab quality than a regular printer. Furthermore, a printer is a one-time investment so that you can save money in the long run. Hence you don’t have to head to the photo labs to print your family photos for your home or gift.
Whether you buy any of the above best photo printers, you won’t possibly go wrong in your decision.
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