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The best photo inkjet printer
By Amadou Diallo This post was done in partnership with Wirecutter. When readers choose to buy Wirecutter's independently chosen editorial picks, it may earn affiliate commissions that support its work. Read the full article here. If you're a photo enthusiast ready to make the leap to creating your own gallery-quality prints at home, the most flexible option is an inkjet printer. After spending a total of 76 hours of research and side-by-side testing during various iterations of this guide, we think the best inkjet printer for making long-lasting, high-quality photographic prints up to 13 inches wide is the $800 Epson SureColor P600.
Which printers are worth buying?
You probably don't print as much as you used to, if at all. However, on the rare occasion that you need a crisp copy of your resume to bring to an interview or want some framed photos of the kids for your office, a printer can be pretty handy. But not every printer works for every job, so we've scoured critics' reviews across the web and assembled a list of some of the best devices out there. Whether you're looking to send out photo cards for the holidays or just need an everyday workhorse, check out the gallery below to see which printer might be up to the task.
Prynt's smartphone instant selfie printer lands on Kickstarter for pre-orders
Is 2015 the year that we start rolling back the progress of the last 20 years? In addition to dressing like extras from The Facts of Life, we've started buying Vinyl again and people are even discovering the "joys" of instant photography. In fact, it's not just Polaroid that's getting back in on the act, either, since French startup Prynt is hoping to sell you a smartphone case with a built-in photo printer.
LG outs Pocket Photo mobile picture printer, says it's the smallest of its kind
Hankering for an instant photo solution without the vintage Polaroid look? LG's Pocket Photo, which measures up at approximately 2.8- x 4.7- x 0.9-inches and is touted as the world's smallest mobile picture printer, might fit the bill. Images are slung from smartphones to the Optimus Vu-sized hardware via NFC, Bluetooth or USB with the help of an Android app, which can also be used to apply filters and overlay QR codes and messages. Unfortunately for iPhone-toting photographers, there's no mention of an iOS companion application. Leveraging heat-activated Zink paper, the rig can churn out 2- x 3-inch prints without relying on conventional ink. Pocket Photo is making its way to shelves in South Korea with a roughly $169 price tag dressed in orange, pink and silver accents, but there's no word on a US release. Head past the break to catch a video of the gizmo in action.
Canon expands its PIXMA line with MG2220, MG3220 and MG4220 all-in-ones
In plenty of time for back to school shopping, Canon has added three new offerings to the PIXMA family. The company just uncovered the MG2220, MG3220 and MG4220 all-in-one printers. The trio boasts 4,800 x 2,400 dpi max resolution, FastFront for easy changing of both ink and paper via the face of the machine, borderless 4 x 6-inch prints in under a minute and handles up to 8.5 x 11 sizes. With the MG2220, you can expect the advertised copy, print and scan functionality, while the other models each sport wireless capabilities. The aforementioned perk includes AirPrint, Google Cloud Print and Canon's own Easy PhotoPrint mobile app. If that wasn't enough, two new bits of software will be available with My Image Garden and you'll gain access to Facebook galleries with Print Your Days. The pricier pair also touts Auto Duplex printing to keep costs down and the MG4220 tacks on a 2.5-inch LCD for convenient adjustments for its higher price tag. The outfit didn't offer any details on when these peripherals will hit shelves, but when the time arrives, you can expect prices of $69.99 for the MG2220, $79.99 for the MG3220 and $129.99 for the all-inclusive MG4220. Further details lie in the full PR and a look at all three models can be found in the gallery that follows. %Gallery-160034%
Canon unveils the SELPHY CP900 compact photo printer, allows you to scrapbook from the backseat
If you literally can't wait until you get back home to print your Grand Canyon photos, you're now in luck. Canon has announced the SELPHY CP900 compact printer that makes on-the-go postcard making a bit easier. Making use of the peripheral's added WiFi capabilities, you'll be able to output those images from you hiking expedition from a memory card or with the help of the Easy PhotoPrint app for Android and iOS devices. Of course, you'll be limited to 4 x 6-inch snapshots, but the new accessory will take up less room in your backpack compared to the previous models. Can't find a power outlet? No worries. You can splurge for the optional battery / charger combo for printing mid-safari -- should you so choose. The device also sports a 2.7-inch LCD screen for final adjustments and a wait time of under a minute per copy. Details on a release date are scarce, but the mobile kit will be available in both black and white options for around $100 when it does arrive. For now, a few alternate angles await in the gallery below. %Gallery-160033%
Insert Coin: Instaprint offers portable photo booths for Instagram (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. While the design hasn't changed much since we spied Instaprint precisely a year ago, the creators behind the Instagram-connected photo printers are now looking for cash -- your cash. Pitched as an event or party service, you can assign specific tags or locations to the printer, hopefully assuring all those instant snaps have at least a passing connection to whoever or whatever paid for all that photo paper. The technology is all a bit Polaroid, as the printers themselves are ink-free Zink types, limited only by however many blank sheets you have inside. Instaprint has set itself the heady target $500,000, with $260,000 of that sum going towards existing hardware and future production. The $399 investment option will net you your very own InstaPrint system, while sepia-tinted image obsessives can offer up £1,449 for the pro kit, containing one WiFi hub printer, three more connectable InstaPrint devices and 80 sheets of inkless paper for your premier cat photo collection/ food gallery get-together. See how it all works right after the break.
Canon PIXMA iP4920, MG5320 bring filters, 'creativity' to photo printing
Canon's just released a pair of new PIXMA printers that seem to rely on your lack of Photoshop knowledge. For the PIXMA MG5320 Wireless All-In-One and iP4920 Inkjet Photo Printers, functionality is pretty straight forward, but the outfit's hoping to reel you with the promise that the pair brings "creativity to a whole new level." That "enhanced creativity" comes in the form of "Fun Filter Effects," a set of elementary photo filters, like Fish-Eye and Toy Camera, and the ability to add soft focus and blur backgrounds. What's more, the MG5320 also allows you to print sans-PC from the company's PIXMA Cloud Link. If fisheye functionality is enough to get your creative juices, and cash money, flowing, the iP4920 and MG5320 are now available for pre-order for $100 and $150, respectively, at the source links below. A rather uninspiring press release awaits you after the break.
Polaroid GL10 instant mobile printer now available for pre-order, Lady Gaga-approved
So you still can't stun 'em in a pair of Haus of Gaga-designed camera glasses, but the Polaroid GL10 instant mobile printer is now officially available for pre-order -- and rumored to be making an early debut in the men's accessories section at Bloomingdale's in NYC. The first of the pop star's Grey Label devices to make it to market, the GL10 connects wirelessly via Bluetooth to smartphones (including Android, Blackberry, and Windows phones) and via USB to computers and digital cameras. The little thing weighs 15 ounces, prints 3 x 4-inch classic Polaroid-style or full bleed prints, and boasts a Li-ion battery apparently capable of spitting out 35 photos per charge. Now you can make a real gallery of all those "this is my lunch" pictures you've been forcing on your Facebook friends for the past few years -- that is, if you're willing to drop $170 for a surprisingly understated celebrity-backed photo printer.
iPhone becomes an instant photo printer in this concept design
Freelance designer Mac Funamizu worked his creative magic and developed a concept iPhone dock that merges the best of the iPhone with the technology of yore. Funamizu conceptualized a classic iPhone dock that lets iPhone owners print instant pictures Land Camera-style. The Polaroid-inspired design prints up a colored image on photo paper with a QR code that links to a third-party website like Flickr or Photobucket. If you geo-tagged the photo, you can even add a map to the freshly printed image. This is a lovely concept for fans of the iconic Polaroid Land camera, but sadly, it may never land on retail shelves. For more pictures of this concept design, point your browser to Funamizu's website. [Via Yankodesign]
Instaprint service is the Polaroid of the Instagram generation, no shaking required (video)
Sure Polaroid brought its headline product into 2011 by teaming up with Lady Gaga, but most of us are just fine with using our phones to quickly capture memorable moments. Well, Instaprint aims to recreate the photo craze of yesteryear by tying it in to Instagram -- the wildly popular (and currently iOS-only) app that lets you apply various filters to your photos for quick sharing among friends. The Instaprinter (our term, not the company's) is essentially a modified Zink photo printer with internet connectivity and tie-ins to the Instagram API, that automatically prints items tagged with any hashtag you choose. As of now, the company is planning to rent Instaprint boxes and demo the service at SXSWi, targeting it as a novel way to capture all angles of whatever event you may be hosting -- which to us seems like a fun idea. That is, until someone starts abusing the system and tags a photo of their derriere with #GrandmasBirthday. You can try it out now by tagging your shots with #Instaprint, and see it printed live in the stream embedded after the break.
Canon SELPHY CP800 photo printer takes cue from Flickr with 'Shuffled' collage option
Laugh all you want, Digital Elite, but there still exist those out there who like holding physical representations of their capture memories -- but how does a company stand out in the field of photo printer? Canon's giving it a shot with the SELPHY CP800 and a random standout feature or two. In addition to a 2.5-inch tilting LCD screen and numerous image optimization features, there's also a Shuffle feature that'll take randomly selected shots and create a 4 x 6-inch collage. A neat trick, sure, and it looks okay as our Flickr Collections icon, but even there we have more of a say in what shows up -- and it doesn't waste expensive ink to try again. Still, the less picky out there might enjoy the convenience, and it's not mandatory that you use it. PR after the break and pre-order via Amazon; the magic print box will cost just under $100 on arrival, but when that might be is still an elusive mystery.
Sony intros Alpha DSLR concepts, 'ultra-compact' interchangeable lens model included
PMA is just kicking off in earnest down in Anaheim, and it looks like Sony has arrived in a big way. Looking to make a splash in a DSLR world dominated by Canon and Nikon, the outfit has brought a few of its best and brightest concepts to SoCal. Up first is an ultra-compact "interchangeable lens" concept, which is no doubt Sony's attempt to get in on the fledgling Micro Four Thirds game before it blows up big. Few details on the device are available, but we'll be doing our best to pry whatever specifications we can from the booth representatives in short order. Moving on, there's a conceptual model of the Alpha A700 replacement, complete with an Exmor APS HD CMOS sensor that promises full AVCHD video capabilities. There's also a prototype of a Super Telephoto Lens (500mm F4 G) as well as a prototype Distagon T 24mm F2 ZA SSM, which ought to make wide angle junkies drool profusely. The company's also dishing out a raft of accessories, including underwater housing devices, HD lenses and output cables, tripods / accessory packs and a Compact PictureStation photo printing kiosk. Stay tuned for some hands-on action from the show floor. %Gallery-86122%
Pandigital crams Zink technology within Portable Photo Printer
It has been a hot minute since we've seen anything fresh from Pandigital, but evidently the outfit has been spending the past few months with none other than Zink. The two are linking hands today to announce the Portable Photo Printer, which is said to be the first-ever 4- x 6-inch Zero Ink printer. As with other Zink gear, this one also requires no ink cartridges or ribbons, and no PC is needed in order to load and print shots. Detailed specifications are still missing, but we are told that a preview LCD, memory card slot, USB port and a touch-based UI for printing are included. The MSRP for the printer is pegged at $149.99 (with paper at $39.99), and it should start leaking out to limited markets as early as today.
Epson's PictureMate Charm is the cutest photo printer we ever did see
Epson's PictureMate line is one with a long-standing history, but as with most everything else in consumer electronics, the latest in the lineup seems to have shrunk. The appropriately named PictureMate Charm is a kinda-sorta portable printing solution, delivering 4- x 6-inch color prints in as little as 37 seconds. The mini printer also boasts a 2.5-inch LCD, a multicard reader, optional Bluetooth support (via a separate adapter) and room for either 150 glossy sheets or 100 matte sheets of 4- x 6-inch paper. It'll ship next week a buck-fifty, but the replacement ink and sheet packs will probably drive you into bankruptcy.
Sony announces DPP-FP97 and DPP-FP67 photo printers
Not content with just showing off new TVs, home theater systems, Blu-ray players, and cameras, Sony also unveiled at PMA two new photo printers for giving your digital memories a more tangible existence. The $120 DPP-FP67 and $200 DPP-FP97 create 4 x 6 prints in 45 and 67 seconds, respectively. Additionally, the FP97 (above and to the right) also sports HDMI out and a 3.5-inch LCD. No fancy Bluetooth connectivity like Dell's Wasabi, unfortunately, but the pair does support a variety of cards including SD, SDHC, MMC, xD and of course, Memory Stick. Look for these to help you finish that picture album when they hit retail channels sometime in May.
Keian Japan P71-A2-JP: part photo printer, part photo frame, all modern marvel
Just when you thought you'd seen it all, along comes a photo printer that is also a photo frame (or vice versa) to completely rearrange your concept of reality. The P71-A2-JP from Keian Japan houses a 7-inch, 480 x 234 LCD for doing the photo frame thing, complete with SD card and Memory Stick support, a USB host plug and even a little bit of MP3 playback. What's surprising is that there's a full-on photo printer in back to print out those shots worth cherishing a bit longer than ten seconds on a repetitive cycle. The 300 dpi prints probably won't blow minds, and that screen is depressingly low-res, but all-in-all this is a pretty neat little solution to a problem you didn't have.
Canon debuts Selphy ES3, ES30 portable photo printers
Does having a handle instantly make something portable? Canon sure seems to think so, and it's hoping the lug-ability of its new ES3 and ES30 Selphy printers will be enough to rope you into buying its special integrated ink and paper cartridges for years to come. For the most part, two printers are identical, although the ES3 does boast a slightly larger 3.5-inch LCD (as opposed to a 3-incher), as well as an added 1GB of internal memory, which Canon claims is a first for a compact photo printer. Otherwise, you can expect a 15-in-1 memory card reader on each, along with PictBridge support, and a number of frame, clip art and calendar functions to impress your friends with. If that's got you convinced, you can pick up both of 'em now, with the SELPHY ES3 running $199.99 and ES30 setting you back $149.99.
Casio introduces PCP-1200 and PCP-250 touchscreen photo printers with flip-down keyboards
Photo printers don't really do it for us, but Casio's two newest models pack in enough bells and whistles to make us at least pay attention, if not actually print out photos -- the PCP-1200 (pictured) and PCP-250 both feature fold-down keyboards for titling, print 2400 x 1200 dpi res on up to A6-size paper, take virtually every memory card format you can throw at them, and allow you to draw on the images using a stylus. The 1200 sports a 7-inch screen, while the 250 gets a portrait-oriented 3.5-inch display -- yeah, we'd actually be totally into these if they were coming to the States and had pricing info. Oh well.
Sony intros two new HDMI-equipped photo printers
While it's likely not the first thing you look for in a photo printer, Sony's addition of an HDMI out to two of its new models will likely help move a few more units, especially among those without an HDMI-equipped camera. Getting that welcome addition is the company's DPP-FP95 and DPP-FP75 models, which are apparently virtually identical except for color and screen size, with the former boasting a 3.6-inch LCD and the latter packing a slightly smaller 3.2-inch display. Otherwise, you can expect support for Sony's trademark BIONZ technology on each, along with support for wireless transfers to a PC with the addition of a Bluetooth dongle. No word on pricing or availability just yet though.
