Manufacturers are trying to increase their sales and technology inkjet printers is maturing. There are many brands and models available. How can you choose the best photo printer for you? You need to print sharp photos from 3x5 to 4x6 or larger 8.5x11 or even 11x13. It also needs to be affordable in ink.
Digital photography is booming. It's no longer a hobby for professionals. Individuals are now spending upwards to $1,000 on high-quality digital cameras such as the Nikon digital SLR. Some of these can cost up to $8,000. Even basic point-and shoot cameras can be as large as 12 megapixels, and cost less than $300. They can also produce sharp, clear images photo print paper.
You want to print the images on a photo printer that produces crisp, rich images.
Multi-function versus photo only. While this debate is ongoing, it is important to choose a printer that only prints photos. Multi-function printers can be great. You can use them for all kinds of activities, but they will not produce as high quality images. You will see only photo printers in any photography shop, and not multi-functions.
Photo printers are optimized for printing photos only. They cannot do any other functions, such as scanning, fax send/receive, or answering machines. They can take 4x6 or 8.5x11 photo paper. However, they will not print on regular copy paper. The ink will saturate your page. This is a waste ink and can lead to poor quality output.
A photo printer can also print at a particular DPI. Canon Pixma printers, for example, can print up 9600x2400 color dpi (DPI is dots per inch). FINE technology is also used. This basically means that ink drops are dropped at microscopic levels to create an image. The more drops the image will look cleaner and crisper. Comparing this dedicated printer with a Pixma all in one, your DPI printing drops down to 4800x1200 - half the amount you saw in the dedicated printer.
You should stick with a dedicated printer if you value print quality.
The Canon Pixma Pro 9000 Mark II is a dedicated Canon photo printer with higher quality capabilities that can support 11x14 photos. It has almost the same specs as other Canon photo printers, but can also print on heavier stock paper and fine art paper up until 13x19 in size.
HP is the next mainstay printer. Their dedicated photo printers can produce images as high as 9600x2400 dpi (some with scanning capability) - the same quality as Canon's photo printers.
Another thing to think about is how you can print. Most printers allow you to insert an SDHC card or connect your camera directly. Newer printers offer more flexibility, including Bluetooth and built-in networking. Some printers can also print directly from the Internet. SnapFish, a service that allows you to print from select HP printers, is an example.
You can pair your 12 megapixel camera and a high-quality printer if you decide that this is what you want. Most printers can print directly from your camera. However, there may be some extra bells and whistles.
Don't be misled by salespeople trying to sell extras. In most cases, you won't need or use those extra features.