Home Printers for Family Use and Photo Printing (2024)

FAQs

What type of printer produces the highest quality photo prints? ›

The best photo printer overall: Canon Pixma Pro 200

With minimal adjustments from us, the Pro 200 produced the most natural skin tones and the richest black and white tonalities. The print quality is comparable to Canon's more expensive Pro 300 model and, in our test, a bit better than the Epson P700.

While most printers can print images, the best ones will accurately and vividly reproduce colors while still retaining detail from your original photo. Inkjet printers also tend to be better suited for printing photos, and some inkjets even include special photo cartridges to give you an even better color reproduction.

Our top overall pick is the Epson SureColor P900, but we stand behind the others, too, for specific use cases and budgets. All of the models listed here have gone through our rigorous testing process, which evaluates not only output quality, features, and connectivity but also ease of use and cost-effectiveness.

Physical Storage Space: Printed photos require physical storage space, which can be challenging for those with limited space. Additionally, printed photos can become damaged over time if not stored properly. Costly Printing: Printing photos can be expensive, especially if you want high-quality prints.

Canon printers typically produce high-quality photo prints, with great color accuracy and detail. Their professional series can deliver superior photo prints. Epson printers are generally good at photo printing, offering accurate colors.

Inkjet printers are made for photo printing, offering far better color accuracy and sharpness compared to laser. Yes, printing photos with a laser printer is still possible, but the colors will look duller and some of the finer details may be lost.

Giclee printing is a well-known method that's best for printing professional images on canvases that will later become part of galleries or displays in art museums. The giclee printing method uses archival ink to produce deep, rich colors and detail that bring standard prints to life.

Although a number of different sizes of photo printers are on the market, most are smaller than typical inkjet printers. Photo printers can't use standard 8.5-x-11-inch paper. Photo printers are lousy at printing black text, which makes an inkjet printer far more versatile.

Pay close attention to the printer's resolution, color gamut, and ink technology to ensure stellar print results. Resolution determines the clarity and level of detail in the printed image, while the color gamut refers to the range of colors a printer can accurately reproduce.

Which printer gives best photo results? ›

In our experience, the best photo printer is the Canon Pixma G620 - a speedy inkjet unit that delivers incredible photo print-outs. For alternatives, we recommend checking out the HP Envy Pro 6420 and refillable and economical Epson EcoTank ET-8550 for photo printing at home or in the office.

Fortunately, ink jet colorants (dye and pigment) are very stable and typically can last 100+ years at room temperature, so dark fade is usually not a limiting permanence factor for ink jet photo prints as long as high-quality paper is used.

Most inkjet photo printers can print photos at a very high resolution. Photo prints with greater DPI will look better but also consume more ink.

Traditional printers require ink cartridges, but many mini photo printers operate without them. These printers use ZINK (Zero Ink) technology, which embeds color crystals in the paper itself. When heated, these crystals change color to form the image.

The best use for an inkjet printer is for bright colors and sharp images. The printer blends colors and gives sharp photo outlines, better than a laser printer can. Inkjet printers can also print onto a variety of paper types, so you can enjoy glossy photos or high-quality matte ones to frame.