A couple of months ago I watched a documentary about people who practiced ‘extreme couponing’ and how much they were able to save each year by finding the most discounts on their everyday purchases. I gave it a try and realized that, to do this correctly, you need to have a lot of time to clip coupons, shop deals, etc. I still wanted to save money on everyday things I purchase, so I decided to see what expenses I could cut.
I ended up realizing that I spend over $25 a month getting photos printed at the grocery store. I decided that buying a home photo printer would be a great investment, as you can pick one up for anywhere from $60 to a professional version for $600. The cost savings alone could justify this kind of purchase, and it’s something I’ve always wanted to be able to do, so I started researching to find the best photo printer for my needs.
Here is some of the research I came up with.
Affordable Printing on the Canon SELPHY CP800 Black Compact Photo Printer
Print an entire photo album in less than an hour
Tired of driving all the way to the pharmacy to have your photos printed? The Canon CP800 prints high quality photos in a fraction of the time that it would take to go to the printers.
- High quality glossy-finished photos, perfect for putting together that family photo album
- Prints in Black and White, Sepia, Desaturated, and High-DPI/Resolution color
- Prints in credit card size (perfect for wallet prints!) and postcard size (great for scrapbooking and framing!)
The Canon SELPHY CP800 Black Compact Photo Printer was the first model I looked at in my quest to find the best photo printer for my family. Canon has always been a trusted name in photography (in my camera was made by Canon) so I figured this was a good place to start.
The SELPHY allows you to print photos in either color or B&W, and you can choose between two sizes: credit card size and postcard size. Something else I liked about it is that it had a nice LCD screen where you could preview the images you were printing. There are several things you can do while viewing your photo on the screen: you can remove red-eye, you can fix distortions in the backlighting, and there is a face-detection option.
The manufacturer claims that the photos that this printer creates can last 100 years and are water-resistant. If this is true, that is a pretty cool feature.
Something else that is nice about this model is you can use any of the memory options to print, whether it is a USB drive, direct connection to you camera, a memory card, or it can even connect via Bluetooth if your camera has this functionality.
PROS:
- Very easy to use
- Compact and visually-appealing design (which is important to me)
- Photo quality is outstanding
- Very quick printing compared to other models
CONS:
- I wish it could print more than 2 sizes
- My camera doesn’t have Bluetooth, so I didn’t get to try that connectivity option (not necessarily a con, just letting you know that I could judge that aspect).
Beautiful Images from the Epson PictureMate Charm Compact Photo Printer PM 225
Print, high-quality and high definition images on the Epson PictureMate
The Epson PictureMate blew me away with the quality of the photographs it produced. I printed an entire set of my beach photos while watching my favorite TV show. It’s also going to save you a lot money!
- Highest quality images from a compact photo printer
- High resolution screen with image editing software
- Compact, fold-up design allows for portability
- Prints high-resolution photos in less than 37 per photo
- Prints in a variety of sizes for wallets, scrapbooking, and framing
- Prints in borderless, black and white, sepia, high-res color and other formats
- Photo editing software removes red-eye and optimizes colors
The Epson PictureMate Photo Printer was the second model I researched in my best photo printer search. This was one was priced a little bit higher than the Canon one I reviewed above, but there a couple reasons for this, and I’ll explain why.
First, the Epson PictureMate had many of the same features that the Canon CP800 had: it can print 4×6 photos and credit card sized photos, it has a LCD screen where you can review the photos you are printing, it has the ability to remove red-eye, motion blurriness, and color enhancement, and it allows for a variety of connectivity inputs.
Something else I liked about the Epson was that the design was sleek and all of the components could be folded in to a neat box when not in use. It’s something that I wouldn’t mind sitting on my desk, which is saying a lot, as I am a fool for good design.
As far as speed is concerned, this photo printer can spit out photos at around 37 seconds per print. This is definitely one of the fastest speeds on the market for this category of printer.
So what really separates the Epson from the Canon is the fact that you can choose from a much larger variety of print sizes (this does mean you have to buying varying paper sizes, but they make it convenient because you are able to print multiple pictures on the same sheet (for instance, if you want 8 wallet size, etc).
PROS:
- Unlike the Canon CP800, you can print on a wider variety of photo sizes and paper sizes
- Very quick printing at 37 seconds per photo
- Ability to choose bordered or borderless, black and white, sepia and color photos
- Superb quality photos
CONS:
- Can’t really think of one
Lowest-Priced Printing on the Polaroid CZA10011 PoGo Instant Mobile Printer
The Polaroid PoGo Mobile Printer is the lowest priced (at $45.99) photo printer we have reviewed.
The Polaroid CZA10011 PoGo Instant Mobile Printer was the third printer I researched for this purchase. The major standout for this one was the price, followed by the compact size. Also, the design is very minimalistic, which can be nice, but sometime lacking in features.
- Fits in the palm of your hand, your purse, or your pocket!
- No ink cartridges necessary!
Some of the basic features of this product are that it prints on 2×3 paper (which has a sticky backing in case you want to paste the photo on a refrigeration, window, etc), it has a rechargeable battery that lasts for about 15 prints per charge (which was low in my opinion), and it prints borderless photos.
The thing I liked the best about this one was how small it was. You really need to see it in person to believe how small it is. The dimensions for it are 4.7×2.8 inches, so yeah, really small. Of course, this means small photos, but if that is what you are going for then this might be the best photo printer for you.
One thing I thought this product might be useful for is carrying around in a purse to print cell phone pictures. How awesome would it be to be able to just print any and every cell phone photo you wanted while on the go!
This is definitely going to be a fun way to use the printer, but for serious photographers or even families that want to scrapbook, this may not cut it.
PROS:
- Very inexpensive at $45.99
- Very compact, mobile (could fit in a purse easily)
- Rechargeable battery
CONS:
- Only one printing size (2×3”)
- Photo quality not as good as more expensive models
- You don’t have to buy ink, its already on the paper
Print Your Own Photos with the Canon SELPHY CP780 Compact Photo Printer
Prints higher quality photos then your pharmacy or grocery store printer
The SELPHY CP780 brings out the best of the SELPHY line, including an LCD screen for reviewing and editing images, multiple printing size for wallet, post card size, and more, and multiple color printing schemes.
- Lightning fast printing (faster than older SELPHY models)
- High quality prints
- LCD screen for editing and previewing images
- Multiple connections options
The Canon SELPHY CP780 is a part of the SELPHY line of photo printers and it very similar in features to the CP800 that I reviewed above. There are a couple of things that are different about the CP780, so we’ll highlight what those differences are then break it down into prod and cons as we have done with the other photo printers.
The SELPHY CP780 features a 2.5” LCD screen (just like the CP800) that you can view and add last minute touch ups to your photos. It has the same red-eye correct, and image optimization features that will help you put your best photo forward.
It also prints borderless photos in black and white, sepia, neutral tone, vivid and what they call positive film (I wasn’t sure what this was so if a commenter knows please share).
One thing that was different than the Canon reviewed above was that it could print in a variety of sizes. It offers printing capabilities in credit card size, 4×8 and standard 4×6, and labels (both mini and full).
It also had the same connectivity features (Bluetooth, USB, memory cards, mini DV). The design of this model was somewhat different. The color are silver, blue and red, rather than black, and is a little bit larger (since it can printer the 4x8s). It was also a little bit heavier than the CP800.
PROS:
- Like the CP800, easy to use
- High quality printing
- Prints quickly
CONS:
- The paper is hard to find and can be expensive depending on where you get it
The Hewlett Packard Photosmart 5510 Wireless Color Photo Printer serves all purposes…
…and it is all done wirelessly from your computer or camera
The HP Photosmart 5510 is a great printer and really goes to show how HP is cornering the printer market. They are able to build great devices that are high quality and at a better price than competitors.
- 5 minute install – simply connect to your wireless network
- Prints a variety of document types on several types of paper
- Includes scanner for saving and digitizing documents
The HP Photosmart is more than just a photo printer, it can also print documents as well, so there is that added benefit.
The main thing I liked about the 5510 was that it was truly wireless. You can simply plus this into the wall and start printing. You can also print from your iPad or iPhone because of its awesome wireless capabilities. If you are printing from a camera without networking capabilities, you can of course connect using USB or a memory card.
The photo printing quality on this thing is also amazing, for the price. One thing you’ll want to note is that, since this prints both documents and photos, you’ll need to switch out the kind of paper you are using based on what you are printing.
PROS:
- Very affordable considering the quality
- Wireless connectivity (so convenient, especially if your printer isn’t close to your computer).
- Prints photos and documents
- Small, sleek
CONS:
- Photo quality isn’t quite as good as the Canon and Epson models
HP Deskjet 5440 Photo Printer – All-in-One Printing
The 5440 can do it all if you need more than just photos
The HP Deskjet 5440 Photo Printer is similar to the HP reviewed above in that it can print more than just photos. This will also print documents, labels, etc and does so very quickly and with notably good quality.
- The 5440 can print documents, labels, envelopes AND photos
- It has the fastest printing speed of all of the reviewed printers
- It can print on the largest variety of paper
The price on this one is a good bit higher because of a bit higher quality prints and improved speed. This model can print 4×6 photos in about 27 seconds, which is higher than any of the other photo printers I’ve reviewed.
The 5440 can print photos of several different sizes, including 4×6, 8.5×11, and 8.5×24. As far as quality goes, this one rivals some of the Epson and Canon photo printers that are designed specifically (and only) for printing photos.
It even has some of the features that the Epson and Canon models offer that can remove red-eye and adjust color and saturation.
The HP just goes so much further because it can print pretty much anything that you would need to print. So if you are looking for a high quality printer that can produce photos, documents, labels, brochures, pamphlets etc, then I would call the HP Deskjet 5440 Photo Printer the best all-around photo printer.
PROS:
- All in one printer that can do anything and everything well
- High Quality photos
- Fast printing
- Cheaper to buy ink since you can use the same ink for photos and docs
CONS:
- Larger than any of the other devices I’ve reviewed
So what was the best photo printer for me?
I ended up going with the HP Photosmart 5510 Wireless Printer. What I liked was that I could print high-quality photos and substitute this for my current document printer, which is from the stone ages. The wireless feature is what really sold me, as I like to keep my desk as clutter free as possible. I actually put mine on a bookshelf across the room, and it looks and fits very nicely there. Since I got the printer, I haven’t had to visit the drugstore to pick up my photos, which has saved me a lot of time and money. Also, the photos I get from my HP are better quality than what I used to get, so all around; I think I made the right choice. Thanks for reading!