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Sep 11, 2019  Your photos deserve to exist as more than mere bits and bytes. Here's what you need to know to pick the right photo printer—for snapshots or big, bold art prints—based on your output needs.

Our editors independently research, test, and recommend the best products; you can learn more about our review process here. We may receive commissions on purchases made from our chosen links.

The Rundown

  • Best Overall:Canon Pixma Pro-100 at Amazon, 'Printing photos that will last up to 100 years.'
  • Best Wide Format:Canon iP8720 Wireless at Amazon, 'Printing photos up to 13 x 19 inches in vivid detail.'
  • Best All-in-One: HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 All-in-One at Amazon, 'Providing professional quality at a modest price.'
  • Best Entry Level:Epson PictureMate PM-400 at Amazon, 'Featuring Wi-Fi connectivity for printing directly from phones or tablets.'
  • Best Budget:HP Envy 4520 at Amazon, 'A worthy investment if you want just the bare bones of photo printing.'
  • Best for Portability:Kodak Mini 2HD at Amazon, 'Prints directly from an iPhone or Android smartphone.'
  • Best Mini:Canon Selphy CP1200 at Amazon, 'Print images simply by tapping a button on your smartphone.'
  • Best for Professionals:Canon imagePROGRAF at Amazon, 'Delivering the exceptional print quality desired by photo professionals.'
  • Best for Square Format:Fujifilm Instax SP-3 Printer at Walmart, 'Printing square images up to 2.4 inches that are reminiscent of old Polaroids but with better quality.'
  • Best Design:Canon PIXMA TS9120 at Amazon, 'Extends exceptional quality to whatever print jobs you may have with a print resolution up to 4800 x 1200 dpi.'

See Our Best Photo Printers in Action

Our Top Picks

Best Overall: Canon Pixma Pro-100

4.3

When it comes to photo printers, the last thing you want to sacrifice is quality for budget. Canon’s Pixma Pro-100 might have some first-time buyers questioning the expenditure, but you get what you pay for with this printer. All photo printer brands like to claim fast printer speeds and great color prints, but Canon backs it up with room to spare. One notable difference between photo printers at lower price points is the use of dye inks over pigment inkjet, which won’t stand up as well to the test of time. Before you raise another eyebrow, rest assured that under proper storage conditions, Canon claims photos from the Pro-100 will last up to 100 years. Of course, to make sure you get the best image possible, be sure to use the best resolution for printing photos in addition to a quality printer.

Just three buttons decorate the front of the well-designed silver and gray casing: power, cancel/resume, and Wi-Fi. The Pro-100 offers an 8-color ink system that can handle prints up to 13”x19” inches and the main paper tray can handle up to 120 sheets of plain paper or 20 sheets of thicker stock photo paper. A single-sheet heavy stock input sits at the bottom of the rear of the printer. Weighing just over 43 pounds, the Pro-100 will need a dedicated space but if you’re looking to get serious about photo printing, that seems like a fair trade-off. Setup takes around 15 minutes or so if you’re installing all the utilities and drivers.

Best Wide Format: Canon iP8720 Wireless Printer

4.1

Print photos up to 13 x 19 inches in vivid detail with the Canon iP8720. It boasts a 9600 x 2400 maximum color dpi and a six-color ink system including gray ink, which produces remarkable detail for black and white photos in particular. Its patented print-head mechanism fires ink droplets as small as one pixel for extreme detail. The printing itself is fast, with an average speed of 14.5 images per minute (ipm) for black and white photos and 10.4 ipm for color. Canon also boasts the longevity of its ChromaLife100+ system, claiming that photos printed using Canon-brand photo paper and ink will last up to 300 years when stored in an archival-quality photo album.

Objectively, the Canon iP8720 is not the absolute best on the market, but the highest quality photo printers can cost you at least a grand. For a high-end consumer-friendly product, this printer is the perfect compromise to deliver quality photos at a reasonable price. At a modest 18 pounds, it fits just about anywhere in your home office. Printing is quick and efficient; simply transfer documents over Wi-Fi, or connect using Google Cloud for mobile devices.

Best All-in-One: HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 All-in-One Printer

4.7

For a printer that can do it all, the HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 is one of the best on the market. It provides professional quality at a modest price, making it perfect for a small office team. The OfficeJet 8720 boasts exceptional printing speeds: up to 24 pages per minute for black and white, and up to 20 pages per minute for color. Also, the 4.3-inch touchscreen interface allows you to easily manage print jobs directly on the machine. The printer supports various page sizes, from 3 x 5 inches, up to 8.5 x 11-inch borderless pages.

In addition to the standard functions of an all-in-one printer, the OfficeJet 8720 features hassle-free Airprint, so you can print from any device. Connect through Wi-Fi or utilize their free HP ePrint app to easily connect with your phone or tablet, even without an Internet connection. You can also send faxes. At 33 pounds and 20.9 x 19.7 x 13.4 inches, your printer will need its own station, but won’t take up an unreasonable amount of space in your home or office.

Best Entry Level: Epson PictureMate PM-400

4

For many first-time photo printer buyers, there’s a justifiable case to be made that most casual photographers don’t require a dedicated photo printer. In numerous cases, that’s a fair statement and that’s why an option like the affordable Epson PictureMate PM-400 is a superb choice. Capable of 3.5”x5”, 4”x6” and 5”x7” prints, the PM-400 produces excellent photo quality for the price. Add in Wi-Fi connectivity for printing directly from phones or tablets and you have an inexpensive and convenient option.

Weighing just under four pounds, the PM-400 doesn’t take up a lot of room. Setting up is a snap and the speed for printing standard size 4”x6” prints ranges anywhere from 40 to 42 seconds, which seems more than worth skipping the trip to Walgreens' photo shop.

We’re confident saying this model offers impressively high quality for most types of images. We’d skip looking at anything you might want to display in a gallery, but if that’s the type of result you’re looking for, you’re in the wrong place.

Best Budget: HP Envy 4520

3

Discovering the best budget photo printer is inevitably going to mean tradeoffs. Fortunately, the HP Envy 4520 is a worthy investment if you want just the bare bones of photo printing. In fact, the Envy 4520 is more all-in-one than dedicated photo printer, with both a copier and scanner function. Its well-designed body offers a low-profile printer that won’t get in the way of your desk. The 2.2” touchscreen offers less clutter and confusion, along with easy setup. With included options like Airprint, Google Cloud Print and HP’s ePrint app, you’ve got a truly hands-free photo printing experience. At just 11 pounds, it’s one of the lightest printers on this list, and includes a 100-sheet input tray that pulls out from the bottom of the machine. For photo printers, the paper tray offers adjustable sliders for 4”x6”, 5”x8” and 8”x11” photo prints.

Best for Portability: Kodak Mini 2 HD

At an incredible 3' x 5.2' x 1' in size, the Kodak Mini 2 HD more than lives up to its name. This ultra-portable option prints 2.1' x 3.4' images directly from an iPhone or Android smartphone. The Mini 2 also offers a slew of connectivity options for printing, giving you your choice of Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth or NFC with each print. For enabled smartphones, NFC prints are as simple as touching your phone to the printer.

With each smudge-proof print, 4Pass printing takes over. This technology allows Kodak to incorporate 16.7 million colors to most closely match the original photo source. At the end of each print, 4Pass adds a specialized layer to each photo. Once complete, each photo dries instantly and stays bright for up to 10 years.

Charging the Mini 2 is done via a power adapter (not included) or through USB. Taking around 1.5 hours to charge, once fully juiced up, the printer is good for around 20 prints. Prints take around 60 seconds to complete.

Want to take a look at some other options? See our guide to the best portable photo printers.

Best Mini: Canon Selphy CP1200

Given that most dedicated photo printers are often too large to be carried around, the Canon Selphy CP1200 is a welcome choice. However, it comes with one caveat. The CP1200 only prints 4”x6” images. If you’re looking for mostly Facebook and Instagram-ready prints, the trade-off is worth the price point. Size disappointment aside, we love Canon’s functionality, especially the ability to print images simply by tapping a button on your smartphone through Canon’s Selphy app.

In fact, Canon’s entire buying proposition may be based on the idea that you have a smartphone that you regularly use for photographic purposes. They’re banking on you finding happiness with prints that closely resemble exactly what you see on your smartphone display. For a printer that’s compact enough at 1.9 pounds to carry around, that’s exactly what we could hope for. As a bonus feature for compact prints, Canon features a clear overcoat on each print that helps protect against dirt or liquids.

Capable of printing up to 54 prints on a single charge, options for postcard, passport and square label are also available to complement the 4”x6” selling point. Printing wirelessly is a snap via Wi-Fi, and for you Apple uses, Airprint. The printer also offers an optional battery for traveling. (Don't have money to travel? See the world without ever leaving your couch!)

Best for Photo Professionals: Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000

Marked with the recognizable red line that normally adorns Canon lenses, this PRO-1000 printer delivers the exceptional print quality desired by photo professionals. The LUCIA PRO 11-color plus Chroma Optimizer ink system achieves crisp images with remarkable glossiness across all media types. It features four monochrome inks that minimize bronzing and create deep blacks for dramatic grayscale prints. On top of it all, Canon’s FINE (Full-Photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering) technology enables printing with microscopic droplets and high resolutions up to 4,800-by-2,400 dots per inch.

Printing photos up to 17 x 22 inches, the PRO-1000 delivers the largest size photos of the imagePROGRAF line. It prints quickly and quietly, producing a color bordered 13 x 19-inch photo in 2 minutes and 30 seconds. It’s also easy to connect to with USB 2.0, Ethernet and Wi-Fi options available. The latter means you can use with the Canon PRINT app to wirelessly send files from your smartphone or tablet, as well as monitor ink levels and printer status remotely.

At 28.5 x 17 x 11.2 inches and weighing a hefty 70.5 pounds, this machine is a beast by all measures. But if it’s quality you crave, it’ll deliver frame-worthy art…assuming you took a frame-worthy photo to begin with.

Best for Square Format: Fujifilm Instax SP-3

Compared to its predecessor, the SP-2, the SP-3 wireless printer handles the larger, Instax Square film format without adding much size to the printer itself. You’ll have to pony up a little more money, as the film itself is more expensive but other than that it’s a wonderful choice.

Measuring 5.1 x 4.6 x 1.8 inches and weighing a light 11.1 ounces, you can slip the printer into your bag without a problem. It’s battery powered (chargeable via a microUSB port), which makes it even more portable, and will supply about 160 prints per charge. It prints square images up to 2.4 inches that are reminiscent of old Polaroids but with better quality. You can use the Instax Share app to send pictures to the printer, as well as add filters and make small edits. However, if you’re looking to make larger edits, we recommend downloading a dedicated editing app.

Best Design: Canon PIXMA TS9120

Helping friends through hard times. Gone are the days of having to tuck your printer out of sight to keep it from disrupting your décor. But the Canon PIXMATS9120 offers more than just a sleek design: the all-in-one printer extends exceptional quality to whatever print jobs you may have with a print resolution up to 4800 x 1200 dpi. The six individual ink systems, including a Photo Blue ink tank, results in vibrant photos that can be customized with filters using the 5.0” LCD Touchscreen. To accommodate your on-the-go lifestyle, you can print from your smartphone or tablet using Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi allows you to print from any room in the house. Featuring front and rear paper feeding capabilities, the printer has an auto-expandable output tray and can even print directly onto inkjet printable discs to create gifts or commemorate special moments. The compact, two-tone printer is available in three colors, including gray, gold, and red.

Tested by

How We Tested

We bought five top-rated photo printers and our reviewers tested them for 25 hours. We asked our testers to consider the most important features when using these photo printers, from their photo quality to their size. We've outlined them here so that you, too, know what to look for when shopping.

What to Look for in a Photo Printer

Photo quality - If you’re buying a dedicated photo printer, your main consideration should be photo quality. While all claim to produce excellent color accuracy and detail, some are still better than others. Look for a printer that uses dye ink over pigment ink to ensure crisp and vibrant colors.

Photo format -Planning to print out your favorite Instagram photos? You’ll be fine with a square format photo printer. But if you want to print photos larger than the 4-by-6-inch standard, you should look for a wide format printer, most of which can print out pictures up to 13 by 19 inches.

Size - Printers can take up plenty of space, so it’s important to consider how much room you have. Portable and mini printer options can be as small as an iPhone, but larger professional and wide-format models can demand up to 17 x 27 x 12 inches of space. And the fact that they can weigh around 40 pounds means you won’t be moving it around very often.

Test Results: Canon Pixma Pro-100 (Best Overall)

4.3

What We Like

  • Rich-color and high-resolution prints

  • App is easy to use

  • Easy to replace ink

What We Don't Like

  • Very large footprint

  • Require a CD to set up easily

At 43 pounds and just over two feet wide, Canon Pixma Pro-100 will definitely take up a hefty amount of desk space — and size was one of our space-conscious testers’ biggest grievances. One reviewer, who lives in a cozy New York City apartment said, “Even if it were the best printer on Earth, I wouldn't have room for it.” She suggested people “with office space” opt for this model. Thankfully, this printer makes up for its big footprint by producing great prints. One tester said, “I thought the pictures it printed were lovely, with rich color and high resolution, and I ended up printing a bunch of things out for personal use.” One person did find that the printer would occasionally disconnect from her computer midway through printing, which, she warned, could cost you some wasted ink. She was never able to discover what was causing the issue.

Our reviewers noted that you need a CD drive to set up this printer quickly. If you don’t have one, you will need to select the appropriate drivers online, which can take additional time. One of our testers mentioned that it took her 30 to 40 minutes to finish the setup process. She did say, however, that “the app that comes with the program, My Image Garden, makes setting up collages and images quite straightforward, which was nice.”

Test Results: Canon iP8720 Wireless Printer (Best Wide Format)

4.1

What We Like

  • Great-quality prints

  • Can print borderless images

  • Wireless printing

Card

What We Don't Like

  • No display for navigating menu

  • Very large footprint

“This printer creates prints that are easily better than many of the places you can order them,” raved one of our testers. Other highlights, according to our reviewers, include its wireless capabilities and the fact it can print borderless images. The negatives? One of our testers said, “I would've loved to see an integrated display for navigating the menu and checking up on ink levels.” And while the printer itself is fairly large, one of our testers loved that it can be packed up and stored easily. Overall, though, the photo quality won our reviewers over. “Canon's plug-ins are fantastic for dialing in exactly what's needed to get an accurate print,” one of our testers declared.

Cmake -D CMAKEBUILDTYPE=RELEASE -D CMAKEINSTALLPREFIX=$cwd/installation/OpenCV-'$cvVersion' -D INSTALLCEXAMPLES=ON -D INSTALLPYTHONEXAMPLES=ON -D WITHTBB=ON -D WITHV4L=ON -D OPENCVSKIPPYTHONLOADER=ON -D CMAKEPREFIXPATH=$QT5PATH -D CMAKEMODULEPATH='$QT5PATH'/lib/cmake -D OPENCVPYTHON3INSTALLPATH=/.virtualenvs/OpenCV-'$cvVersion'-py3/lib/python3.7/site-packages -D WITHQT=ON -D WITHOPENGL=ON -D OPENCVEXTRAMODULESPATH=././opencvcontrib/modules -D BUILDEXAMPLES=ON.make -j$(sysctl -n hw.physicalcpu)make installcd $cwdAnd that’s it! Install opencv python mac pip. By now you should have OpenCV installed successfully in your system.

Test Results: HP OfficeJet Pro 8720 All-in-One Printer (Best All-in-One)

4.7

What We Like

  • Very good color printing

  • Clear scanning

  • Duplex automatic document feeder

  • Super easy setup

What We Don't Like

  • Bulky

  • Some inconsistency in printing text

Our tester loved this all-in-one printer for its easy setup, extensive wireless capabilities, high speeds, and 'rich and consistent' color printing. Our reviewer explained, 'It offers many of the same productivity features and efficiencies as a laser printer, but at a much more accessible price.' While he did note that it's 'a bit of a monster sitting on your desk,' in the end, he felt the 'duplex printing and scanning with its automatic document feeder, fast printing (particularly for color), and a full software ecosystem for PC and mobile,' made it worth the purchase.

Test Results: Epson PictureMate PM-400 (Best Entry Level)

4

What We Like

  • Sharp colors

  • Clear quality

  • Compact design

What We Don't Like

  • Unattractive

  • Not a ton of features

Our testers were impressed with the quality of the photos from this printer. One person even said she was “pleasantly surprised” after her first printing job. She added, “Compared to using photo paper within a standard inkjet printer, the quality is noticeably clearer, less grainy, and has sharper colors. A real win with this printer.” And unlike other printer models out there, this one doesn’t take up a lot of space. “Because of its size, it's great for an apartment or small office where you have the option to store or hide it when it's not in use,” one reviewer noted. “I'd equate this to the size of a standard shoebox.”

The Epson PictureMate PM-400 also gives you the convenience to print from an app on your device, which our testers loved. One person said, “The app connectivity is pretty great. All of my photos are stored on my current phone — like those of us who use their phones as their only camera — so it's simple, easy access to my entire selection of photos.”

Test Results: HP Envy 4520 (Best Budget)

3

What We Like

  • Quiet

  • Wireless printing

  • Clean, compact design

What We Don't Like

  • Poor print and scan quality

  • Big jobs take a long time

  • Not a lot of features for price

The big selling points of the HP Envy 4520 for our testers were the low price, compact design, and simple setup. One of our reviewers said, “It’s compact and easy to store. You can have it sitting in a corner plugged into an outlet with no issues.” On the other hand, one of our testers reported, 'The print quality from the HP Envy 4520 hovers somewhere on the lower side of average.' Plus, one of our reviewers cautioned that the price of replacement ink is quite expensive: 'So, while the printer itself might seem like a bargain, especially if acquired on sale or used, it will still cost a fair bit in the long run,' he explained.

For quick prints at home that rival the quality you’ll get at the drugstore, the Epson PictureMate PM-400 is the best photo printer you can buy. No, it can’t do large format fine art prints for your gallery show, but it’s all the printer more casual users need for turning digital photos into tangible memories.If you print photos often, a home printer offers instant gratification, convenience, and can even save on print costs in the long run compared to going through a lab. From high-end (which can handle those gallery prints) to, here are the best photo printers for 2019. At a glance. Best photo printer overall:.

Best instant photo printer:. Beat all-in-one photo printer:. Best inkjet photo printer:. Best portable photo printer:The best photo printer: Epson PictureMate PM-400Why should you buy this? Quick prints with great colors and detail.Who’s it for?

Casual photographers who want convenience and high-quality prints.Why we picked the PictureMate PM-400:If you want to easily print borderless 4 x 6-inch photos for your memory albums or scrapbooks, you can’t beat Epson’s PictureMate PM-400. Compact and lightweight, this printer easily stashes away in a drawer when it’s not needed. It takes approximately 36 seconds to print one 4 x 6 photo, and the high-resolution image quality (5,760 x 1,440 dpi) is superb. The dye-sublimation ink creates vivid, scratch-resistant, smudge-proof prints — provided you use Epson’s paper, but you can print to non-Epson paper, too, without the same guarantee. The PM-400 also supports 3.5 x 5 and 5 x 7-inch paper.The PM-400 can print photos from your smartphone or tablet using the Epson iPrint mobile app, either on the same Wi-Fi network or directly via AirPrint or Google Cloud Print. It also supports peer-to-peer printing with computers via Wi-Fi Direct. A built-in SD card reader and 2.7-inch color LCD allow you to browse and print off your camera’s memory card, removing the need to use a computer.Depending on your usage, the PM-400 may be a bit pricey to maintain, and print sizes are limited when you compare it to a larger inkjet printer.

However, the PM-400 is easy to use and portable, and makes some of the best prints we’ve seen from a small printer.Read our The best instant photo printer: Fujifilm Instax SP-3Why should you buy this? Print from your phone in seconds, or automatically from Instagram hashtagsWho’s it for? Anyone who wants the nostalgia of instant film with the convenience of digital photography.Why we picked the Fujifilm Instax Share SP-3:With its Instax brand, Fujifilm played a large role in jumpstarting the instant camera industry after it was all but lost during the rise of digital cameras. Instax cameras use real instant film to create a print that’s fully developed in a couple of minutes, and the Instax Share series printers can create these same film prints straight from digital pictures stored on your phone or tablet.

The Share SP-3 is Fujifilm’s newest model and our favorite yet, thanks to its use of the Instax Square format which creates 2.4-inch square prints.In addition to manually selecting photos from your phone to print, the Share SP-3 introduced the Hashtag Print feature which can automatically make prints from an Instagram hashtag. This could be great for birthday parties, weddings, and other events where guests are all sharing images using the same tag.It takes about 13 seconds to make a print (plus a couple of minutes for it to fully develop) and the battery is rated for 160 prints in total. Compared to an Instax camera, which prints every photo you take, an Instax printer lets you be more selective about what you print, and this could save you money. However, while we haven’t tested the SP-3, our experience with other Instax printers has taught us that they can quickly become addicting.

Printing images from your phone is surprisingly fun, and this can lead you to go through film rather quickly. The best multifunction photo inkjet printer: Canon Pixma TS 9521CWhy should you buy this? It’s a versatile printer that’s equal parts work and play. Copy, scan, and print documents, photos, and patterns for all manner of projects.Who’s it for? Home users looking for a versatile, all-in-one photo printer.Why we picked the Pixma TS9521C:The Canon Pixma TS9521C isn’t a photo printer; not really. It’s billed as a “craft” printer, hence the trailing C in its name.

It can print on everything from envelopes and greeting cards to CDs and DVDs (because those are still things, apparently). But within the realm of all things crafty, printing photos is certainly something it can handle — and with built-in scan and copy functions, it can also handle much more.One of the cool things about the TS9521C for photography is that in addition to printing up to 11 x 17 inches, it can make 12 x 12-inch borderless prints. Speed is rated at 15 images per minute. You can also make double-sided prints thanks to the duplexing functionality, and the paper tray holds up to 100 sheets for printing documents, so it can keep up with the needs of a home office.The all-in-one offers several ways to connect to it, including wirelessly with Apple AirPrint. There’s a built-in SD memory card slot if you want to take photos right from your camera and turn them into prints without going through a computer first.

Finally, the printer can be controlled with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and even If This Then That. For the price, it’s hard to find a printer that will do more. The best inkjet photo printer: Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000Why should you buy this? A six-ink, wide-format photo printer that you can actually afford.Who’s it for? Photo enthusiasts who want to make gallery-quality prints.Why we picked the Epson Expression:There’s no shortage of great wide-format photo printers on the market. The problem is, they can get very expensive. Enter Epson’s Expression Photo HD XP-15000, a wireless wide-format color printer that can handle borderless prints up to 13 × 19 inches at a price you might actually be able to afford.As tends to be standard for photo printers, the Expression Photo HD XP-15000 uses more ink than the standard CMYK setup. In addition to cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, Epson added red and gray inks.

An additional color ink means even more accurate color prints, while the gray ink improves the tonality of black-and-white photos. While professional printers often use even more inks, the quality difference can be hard to spot — and the Expression XP-15000 remains much more affordable.It also supports duplex (two-sided) printing and features a 200-sheet front paper tray, making it useful for documents in addition to photographs. The printer connects over USB or Wi-Fi, and it also supports mobile printing standards like Apple AirPrint and Android Printing, as well as Wi-Fi Direct.If you want even better photo quality, look at Canon’s Pixma Pro (like the, and ) and Epson’s SureColor series (like the ). But for the price, it’s hard to argue against the XP-15000. The best portable photo printer: LifeprintWhy should you buy this? It puts a unique twist on instant photographyWho’s it for? Mobile photographers who want to embed some fun in their prints.Why we picked the Lifeprint:The Lifeprint is a relative newcomer in the world of Zink printers. Like others, it works with an app that lets you select and print photos from your phone, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve to make the process more enjoyable. Zink is a portable printing technology that doesn’t use ink. Instead, it uses thermal paper that contains dye.

When heat is applied, the color image appears. In our experience, we find the colors to be a bit off, making them look unrealistic and garish.

Maybe that’s a fair price to pay for the immediacy of the format, but it’s not ideal.The Lifeprint combats this with proprietary software to ensure colors are printed properly. But its biggest feature is something called “Hyperphotos.” A Hyperphoto has invisible embedded elements that act like a hidden QR code. View the photo under the lens of your phone’s camera inside the Lifeprint mobile app, and the photo comes to life as a video.

Utilizing augmented reality, you can watch the video play out overlaid on the photo as you hold it in your hand. This is what Lifeprint means when it says you can “print your videos.” You can make Hyperphotos from Instagram or Facebook videos, GoPro footage, animated GIFs, or iOS Live Photos.Note that Lifeprint now offers a that prints on a new 3 × 4.5-inch Zink paper.

Lifeprint has also released a, which is fitting. Its augmented reality technology is the closest we’ve yet come to replicating the animated photographs of the make-believe magical universe. Are laser printers good for photo printing?Generally speaking, laser printers are not as good as inkjet printers for photo printing, especially compared to high-end photo-specific models. Inkjets use more colors of ink for better print quality and can support a much greater variety of paper types.

Laser printer paper has to be able to withstand high temperatures, which photo paper is not designed to do (it may also be too thick for a laser printer’s paper feeder).The have greatly upped their photo game, however. While we wouldn’t recommend buying a laser printer for photography, if you want a laser printer for other tasks and just occasionally need to print a picture, you’ll probably be fine with one. Can photo printers print documents?While mobile photo printers like the Instax Share can’t print documents (well, you could save a screenshot of a document and print that, if for some reason you wanted to), desktop inkjet photo printers like the Epson Expression above certainly can — but they may not the best tool for the job. Photo printers have a much higher cost per page than laser printers. If you print a lot of text-only documents, laser is the way to go.

For more limited document printing, you can find a cheap inkjet printer for around $30. But for documents that combine photos, graphics, and text — or if you want to take advantage of thicker paper stocks — a photo printer will do a great job. Is it worth buying a photo printer?When it comes to mobile printers, we think they’re a lot of fun. Being able to make prints from smartphone images at parties or events is a great way to leave guests with a personalized souvenir, and kids love them.When it comes to desktop photo printers, for most people — even most photographers — the answer is probably no. It’s quite easy to get very high-quality prints from the, and unless you’re printing a large volume, it’s also cheaper.

Cost aside, not all of us have room in our homes for desktop printers, nor do we want the hassle of maintaining them. Outsourcing our print jobs is a great way to avoid that headache.But printing at home, when, can give you the best results, and lets you experiment will all manner of different paper types. It may not be for the faint of heart, but if you’re the type of person who likes having ultimate control over your creative work, owning your own photo printer is a must.Editors' Recommendations.