The best photo printers from Epson, Canon, and HP in 2024. Part 1

If you like to share photo printouts or create physical photo albums, you might want to buy an Epson, Canon, or HP photo printer. When manufacturers optimize printers for photo printing, the results are often superior to the best printers available.

When manufacturers optimize printers for photo printing, the results are often superior in image quality.

Compared to sending photos to a lab or printing at your local stationery store, you get faster feedback and more control when you create photos on your own photo printer. If you decide a photo would benefit from a color or exposure adjustment, you can make changes quickly and print again with minimal delay. A printer that handles photos well provides instant gratification and convenience, and saves you money on printing in the photo lab.

A printer that handles photos well provides instant gratification and convenience, and saves you money on printing in the photo lab.

With the availability of high-quality portable printers, you can even take your printer with you on the road. A small, lightweight printer helps you preserve your memories. Here’s the first part of a list of the best photo printers that will fulfill most needs.

Epson SureColor P700

The Epson SureColor lineup goes far beyond the limitations of conventional four-color inkjet printers. The P700 printer can use 10 ink colors to work with medium shades and tones that other printers can’t, and create professional-quality photo prints.

The P700 can use 10 ink colors to work with medium shades and tones that other printers can’t, and create professional-quality photo prints.

Epson’s UltraChrome Pro10 ink can recreate a wider color gamut closer to the original photo, with great results. Epson claims that color photos printed with this ink can last up to 200 years, and black and white photos — up to 400 years.

Color photos printed with this ink can last up to 200 years and black and white photos — up to 400 years.

Epson SureColor P700 automatically switches between photo black and matte black to provide the best results for photos and documents. SureColor series printers use cartridges. If you like the look of the P700 but want a large-format version with the same great image quality, the SureCoplor P900 is the way to go. The P900 can handle 43cm wide rolls of paper.

Epson EcoTank Pro ET-8500

Epson EcoTank ET-8500 — is a fantastic all-in-one inkjet printer capable of producing photo-quality images. It features a six-color ink system that adds gray and photo black to the standard palette of most inkjet printers. Epson claims that photos printed with this Claria ET Premium ink can be stored for up to 300 years in a photo album, making the images an asset for generations.

The Claria ET Premium ink can be used for up to 300 years.

EcoTank ET-8500 features a high-resolution flatbed scanner and can produce color copies with excellent accuracy. The Epson inkjet photo printer — is a business solution and can print color documents at up to 12 pages per minute and produce up to four 4 x 6 photo prints per minute.

EcoTank ET-8500 may be a bit pricey for home use, but if you demand the best while keeping ink costs low, this printer is hard to beat. According to Epson representatives, the included ink will last for two years. When it’s time to refill, you can refill it from inexpensive bottles. Epson also sells the EcoTank ET-8550 large-format model.

An EcoTank ET-8550 is also available.

Canon MegaTank Pixma G620

Canon Pixma MegaTank Pixma G620 — is an all-in-one inkjet printer with two additional ink colors. With special gray and red ink, it can handle photos better than the average inkjet printer that offers only cyan, magenta, yellow, and black ink.

Canon Pixma MegaTank Pixma G620

Like the Epson SureColor series, the Canon MegaTank Pixma G620 printer uses inks designed to last — up to 100 years. The best photos can retain their beauty for a century when stored in a photo album.

The best photos can stay beautiful for a century when stored in a photo album.

As an all-in-one printer, the MegaTank Pixma G620 can also scan and make color copies of photos and documents. Because it’s an inkjet printer, you’ll rarely need to refill your ink supply, and when you do, you’ll refill the tanks using inexpensive bottles rather than cartridges.

At the end of the day, the MegaTank Pixma G620 is an all-in-one printer.

Canon MegaTank Pixma G620 — is an affordable photo printer with low operating costs. The only drawback may be the slow print speed. Color documents print at four pages per minute.

Are laser printers good for printing photos?

Generally speaking, laser printers cannot match the image quality of inkjet printers or sublimation printers. The difference is obvious when you compare them to photo printers, which often use different colored inks and print finer dots.

The difference is obvious when you compare them to photo printers, which often use different colored inks and print finer dots.

Because ink — is a liquid, it mixes better than the waxy toner that laser printers use. Photo printers also support a greater variety of paper types. Paper for laser printers must be able to withstand high temperatures, and glossy coatings may not.

The best color laser printers, however, handle photos much better than earlier models. While we don’t recommend buying a laser printer solely for printing photos, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301fdw — one of the best color laser printers for printing color photo documents. If you need a good photo printer that’s as fast as some laser printers, check out the fast Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850.

The Epson EcoTank Pro ET-5850.

Can photo printers print documents?”

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Virtually any desktop inkjet printer can print photos, documents, and labels with acceptable quality. This is what makes an inexpensive inkjet printer such a tempting purchase. For example, the EcoTank 2800 from Epson — is an inkjet printer with excellent image quality at an affordable price. Some photo printers are versatile enough to handle document printing, but not all. For example, portable photo printers often require small size paper with an adhesive backing. For documents, you need letter-size or legal-size paper.

A few photo printers are versatile enough to handle document printing, but all do.

Desktop photo printers can print documents and provide the same high print quality for text and images, making color documents look great. A potential drawback is the cost of ink. If you buy a cartridge-based photo printer, like SureColor printers, you won’t want to waste ink on monochrome documents and labels with high cost per page.

A photo printer based on inkjet tank technology, such as the Canon Pixma MegaTank Pixma G620 or Epson EcoTank ET-8500, will provide low operating costs for printing photos and documents.

A photo printer based on inkjet tank technology, such as the Canon Pixma MegaTank Pixma G620 or Epson EcoTank ET-8500, will provide low operating costs for printing photos and documents.

Should I buy a photo printer?

The cost of a photo printer — is a personal decision. If you print photos frequently and value your collection, it’s worth considering an upgrade. Each photo printed increases the value of the investment. Don’t forget about the cost of ink and paper.

The cost of ink and paper is a personal decision.

If you don’t print photos that often or rarely need photo-quality prints, you can print most photos on budget printers with good features. A photo lab or office supply store can make high-end prints if you need top quality photos. However, there are more options with a photo printer.

Portable printers are easy to carry, so they can be used to organize fun photo booths at events. Printing photos from a smartphone can evoke nostalgic memories, like the old instant film photos that manifested before our eyes. Many people love mobile printers for the same reason.

Desktop photo printers allow for much faster and higher quality printing, but they take up a lot of space and have a higher cost. An all-in-one inkjet photo printer is versatile and durable, providing good value in the long run. Artists and photographers will love owning a photo printer. You can make subtle adjustments to images to get the best print, experiment with different types of paper and explore different sizes. The photo printer will give you the quick feedback you need to create the results you want.