In this guide to the best photo printers of 2019, we look at the top devices for ensuring your photos look their best when you make physical copies of them.
No matter if you're a professional photographer, or merely a keen amateur that likes to take holiday photos, you'll want the very best photo printer your budget can stretch to – and we're here to help.
These days, there's a huge range of photo printers to choose from, so our best photo printers guide is here to make things more simple. We've picked the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to photo printers – from affordable desktop photo printers for everyday use, to expensive studio-quality professional photo printers and even wireless printers that can be used with a smartphone.
The best photo printers come in every shape and size, from budget photo printers that are easy to use, portable devices and even professional-level photo printers. Fortunately, this means that no matter what you’re looking for, you should be able to find the best photo printer for your needs.
Not only have we collected the very best photo printers for a huge range of budgets and use cases, our very own price comparison tool will also scour the internet for you and deliver the best prices.
Image Credit: Epson
1. Epson Expression Photo XP-960 photo printer
A small-in-one with exceptional A3 photo quality
Print speed: 8.5ppm | Paper capacity: 100 sheets | Paper size: up to A3 | Weight: 8.7kg
This smooth and compact 3-in-1 device has the welcome ability to print on A3 paper and uses not four, but six inkjet cartridges to achieve superior colour accuracy. It means your ink costs are rather high, but it’s worth it for the resulting photo prints. The scanner is A4-size, there’s no fax and print speeds are slow, but for the scanner is high resolution and for sheer print quality, the Epson Expression Photo XP-960 is hard to beat.
Read the full review: Epson Expression Photo XP-960
Image Credit: Canon
2. Canon Pixma iP8750
Six inks for superior photo prints
Print speed: 14.5ppm | Paper capacity: 150 sheets | Paper size: up to A3 | Weight: 8.5kg
This low profile printer looks as though it should have a scanner, but it is a print only device and what it does, it does well. It can take up to A3 size paper and turn out crisp colour documents and vivid photos all for a very reasonable initial cost. It uses six inkjet cartridges for more natural colour shading, so this adds a little to the ongoing per-page cost, but if you’re looking for a print-only device, this is money well spent.
Image Credit: Epson
3. Epson SureColor SC-P800 photo printer
On a roll with this large format photos printer
Print speed: 3ppm | Paper capacity: 100 sheets | Paper size: up to A2 | Weight: 8.7kg
This A2-size print-only device will suit any business that needs to turn out professional quality large format colour documents. It uses Epson’s nine-colour UltraChrome HD inkset for lifelike colour shading, which come in high capacity 80ml cartridges. Add the paper roll option and this machine can handle high print runs, or turn out impressive panoramic posters. Unsurprisingly, it takes up quite a bit of room and the cost is high, although considerably lower that outsourcing your prints.
Read the full review: Epson SureColor SC-P800
Image Credit: Canon
4. Canon Pixma Pro-100S photo printer
Affordable A3 photo printing
Print speed: 15ppm | Paper capacity: 100 sheets | Paper size: up to A4 | Weight: 8kg
Canon’s entry-level A3 photo printer is aimed at anyone who needs to print A3+ size posters and brochures to a professional standard. To achieve this the Pixma Pro-100S uses eight individual dye-based inkjet cartridges and has the ability to recognise a wide range of paper stock in sizes up to A3. Unlike its predecessor, the almost identical Canon Pixma Pro-100, this model now has Wi-Fi built in.
Image Credit: TechRadar
5. Epson EcoTank ET-7750 photo printer
Cartridge-less photo printing at its best
Print speed: 28ppm | Paper capacity: 100 sheets | Paper size: up to A3 | Weight: 10.5kg
It looks a little ungainly with the refillable ink tanks ruining the symmetry of this otherwise compact all-in-one, but it’s the refined EcoTank system that sets this model apart from the competition. If you can swallow the high price tag, your ongoing ink costs will be very low and Epson’s five-colour printing guarantees excellent image quality, especially with photos on photo paper.
Read the full review: Epson EcoTank ET-7750
Image Credit: HP
6. HP Envy 5055 (5010 in the UK) photo printer
Home photo printing on a budget
Print speed: 10ppm | Paper capacity: 100 sheets | Paper size: up to A4 | Weight: 5.4kg
This humble all-in-one can scan and copy, but its real strength is in printing photos. Frustratingly, there’s no Ethernet port, or USB port for printing from a flash drive and it churns very slowly, but the results are surprisingly good for such an affordable inkjet. The supplied starter cartridges are rather light on ink, but if you replace them with high-capacity carts, then the running cost is competitive too.
Image Credit: Canon
7. Canon Pixma TS9150 printer
Premium photo inkjet looks as good as it prints
Print speed: 15ppm | Paper capacity: 120 sheets | Paper size: up to A4 | Weight: 6.7kg
Sitting at the top of Canon’s Pixma range, the TS9150 looks like a premium product as you might expect, with a giant touchscreen display nestling up-front. It also boasts a high-resolution printing and scanning and Canon’s excellent six-ink system. By using black pigment ink alongside dye-based colours, photographic prints look especially realistic.
Image Credit: TechRadar
8. Canon Pixma G4510
Refillable tanks mean affordable photos
Print speed: 13ppm | Paper capacity: 100 sheets | Paper size: up to A3 | Weight: 10.5kg
Canon’s most affordable printer to include ink tanks instead of cartridges is a modest 4-in-1 that could work well in a small office that needs to run out lots of colour documents. It prints very slowly and cannot print on both sides of the page, but in all other respects, it holds up well. The cartridge-less system is very economical and the box includes enough ink for 6,000 mono and 7,000 colour pages.
Read the full review: Canon Pixma G4510
Image Credit: Canon
9. Canon Pixma TS6050
All-in-one functionality at a tempting price point
Print speed: 15ppm | Paper capacity: 100 sheets | Paper size: up to A4 | Weight: 26.8kg
Canon has done well to bundle so much functionality into this discrete, desk-friendly design. It looks smart and the price point only makes it more tempting. It’s a little slower and the print resolution is a little lower than its more expensive sibling, the Canon Pixma TS8050, but the print quality is strong for the money and it’s a pleasure to use thanks to the touchscreen control panel.
Image Credit: HP
10. HP Envy Photo 7855 (7830 in the UK)
A feature-rich photo printer for the office
Print speed: 15ppm | Paper capacity: 125 sheets | Paper size: up to A4 | Weight: 7.6kg
HP’s oddly shaped all-in-one includes every feature from a fax facility, to an SD card slot, while giving you easy access to them via a colourful touchscreen interface. The coloured inks are combined in one cartridge and if you subscribe to HP’s Instant Ink service, it will be automatically replaced just before you run out. It feels a little flimsy, but photos prints in particular, look vibrant.
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