When it comes to printing images, deciding on the right printer can make a huge difference in the quality and detail of your photos. There are various types of printers available, each designed for different needs, including inkjet, laser, and dye-sublimation printers. Whether you’re printing family snapshots or artistic photography, a dedicated photo printer guarantees that your prints reflect the true beauty of the original image.
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Definition: Photo printer
A photo printer is a specialized device designed to produce color-accurate and high-quality prints of photographs. Unlike standard printers, which are normally built for general document printing, photo printers utilize advanced ink or dye technologies, which allow for a wider color gamut and finer gradation.
When it comes to print resolution, a DPI (dots per inch) of 300 to 600 is recommended for close-up images like those in brochures and 150 to 200 DPI for canvas prints. However, large prints like billboards still look good in lower resolution (150 DPI or less) from far away. For a helpful guideline on print and file size, click on the button below.
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Types
In order to achieve high-quality photos, laser printers are out of the picture since they’re best suited for bulk document printing. This leaves us with inkjet printing and dye-sublimation printing, which is also known as dye-sub printing and dye diffusion thermal transfer (D2T2).
Photo inkjet printers use liquid printing ink that is sprayed onto the coated printer paper without the ink mixing. This process creates extremely smooth gradients that are perfect for high-quality photos. Additionally, these printers often use additional color cartridges for a wider color gamut.
As mentioned in our thermal printer article, thermal printing is usually done in black and white; however, dye-sub printers make this problem solvable by heating the ribbon ink, which causes the dyes to transition from solid to gas, and then coating the paper layer by layer. This technology is mostly reserved for industry-level printers, but can be found in the Canon Selphy and the POGO portable photo printer series.
Instant photo printers
Speaking of portable printers, with the rise of smartphone photography and the decline of digital cameras, these printers are popular for printing out images on the go. They typically can be connected via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and work with any smartphone or other devices.
Instant photo printers like the Canon Selphy CP1500 print up to 10.16 × 15.24 cm (4 × 6 in), and each instant printer typically offers its own photo editing app. You can even purchase portable printers for wide shots, e.g., the Instax Link Wide Printer. However, cost-per-print can be quite expensive ($0.50-$0.75) compared to a real printer, e.g., A6 printing at BachelorPrint costs $0.09 per regular B&W page. Also, depending on the model, the battery may not last long.
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Benefits & disadvantages
Below, we have listed common benefits and disadvantages that come with photo printers.
Pros
- Some photo printers are small enough to take on trips or special events like weddings, which makes them perfect for instant photo sharing.
- With your own photo printer, you can print photos on demand at home without having to go and wait for a printing service to do it for you.
- Printers specifically built for photo printing have a higher print quality and detail due to finer gradation.
- Photo printers can often accept memory cards from digital cameras directly or connect via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, so you don’t even need to use your PC to print your digital photographs.
Cons
- A true dye-sublimation photo printer is far slower than an inkjet, and the special paper and ribbon ink it requires make it much more expensive over the long haul.
- When it comes to inkjet photo printers, maintenance is quite high due to the printing ink that you need to repurchase, and when not used often, it can dry out.
- Dedicated photo printers typically can’t handle standard document printing tasks as well as a multifunctional inkjet printer.
FAQs
An inkjet printer is ideal for photo printing, while a laser printer is better suited for document printing.
When you want to print out photos, an inkjet or a dye-sublimation printer is the only option. An inkjet is generally the better option for photo printing at home.
Disadvantages of photo printers are the cost of supplies like inkjet paper, ink, and dye ribbons. Also, maintenance requirements are high in comparison to laser printers.
Many photographers use a professional-grade, large-format inkjet printer. For beginners, a regular inkjet printer is ideal.
