Photo Printers

What is the Best Printer for Printing Photos?

Below we look at which printers are suitable for printing photos.

Dot Matrix Printers

A common dot matrix printer is suitable for printing text documents but not for printing photos. It makes a lot of noise, is slow, has a limited colour palette, and the print quality is generally limited. Its main features are simplicity and operational durability.

Laser Printers

Although colour laser printers can print photos, their quality is only average compared to inkjet printers or photo printers. Laser printers are more suitable for the large-scale printing of documents. They will often have a lower resolution and a more narrow colour range.

Inkjet Printers

With the classic inkjet printer, you can get very good results when printing photos. Depending on what you plan to do with your prints, know that a single drop of water can wash away the ink. Furthermore, the ink and maintenance of the printer head can become quite costly.

Dye-sublimation Photo Printers

Dye-sublimation printers are the best for printing photos, but they are not good for printing text - thin lines of letters would not be readable. They use a dry printing process, where the colour intensity of each individual point is graduated according to the temperature. Manufacturers guarantee high image durability, smooth and clear colour transitions and detailed resolution. 

Dye-sublimation photo printers exist in two versions:

• Desktop Photo Printer - Suitable for having at home, offers plenty of printing features and a wide range of connectivity options.
• Mobile Photo Printer - It has limited print settings but connects it to your phone or other mobile devices. You can take it anywhere and print photos almost immediately after shooting.

Price and Printing Costs for Dye-sublimation Printers

The purchase prices of desktop dye-sublimation printers are somewhat higher than those of conventional office or home printers. For the compact size of the mobile photo printer, you can expect to pay even more. However, the cost of printing is generally influenced mainly by how much is being printed, and it is almost maintenance-free - the ink does not dry out and the photo printer's head does not need to be flushed regularly.

Buying a dye-sublimation photo printer is, therefore, a profitable investment in the long run when printing photos frequently. Otherwise, you can use a classic multifunction printer for occasional photo printing.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Desktop Photo Printers

Advantages and Disadvantages of Mobile Photo Printers

Additional Printer Selection Criteria

• Print speed
• Photo size
• Optional photo surface
• Battery capacity
• Compatibility with your devices
• Photo editing functions