Reviews related to : Photo printers

Manufacturers have worked hard over the last few years to bring photo-lab quality prints to your home.

Many of the resulting devices are dedicated compact units that you can take with you on your travels, a good few of them not requiring connection to a computer to operate - simply connect your pict-bridge camera or slot in your memory card and you're away!

This was actually announced over a year ago but due to a change of agency it was only when sometime later I spoke with them that one was forthcoming. The reason for speaking was another such printer recently reviewed from another manufacturer.
ZINK technology means no ink so the shiny white paper looks just like ordinary photo paper used in standard printers but of course it is not. The unit is 11.5x7.5x2.2cm and it weighs 183 grams. It has an internal battery that is recharged by supplied micro USB to USB lead. The HPSprocket app is downloadable from the iOS or Android store and connection is via Bluetooth. In the small box is the Sprocket and a sample pack of 10 sheets of the special paper.
A 15x10cm (post card) sized printer, however instead of the normal box shape this is rather like a radio or cassette player as it has a built in handle and is a very thin shape the card (printing stock) handling is unique.
The Canon Selphy ES30 measures 22cm wide 23cm tall and 12cm deep. You will need maybe 10cm clear in front of the unit as the card stock is turned in mid air from its landscape stored position to its portrait printing position. It weights less than 2.4kilos even when it has a full pack of 50 cards stored inside. This can be connected to a PC using a standard USB cable or direct to a camera using Pict Bridge both these sockets are towards the base of the left side.
I first saw a pre production unit of this tiny printer at the start of the year, I got a working unit around a month or so ago, here just in time for the Christmas party season is my review.
It is very small and runs in a built in rechargeable battery so you can happily print with no mains power around. It is 12x7x2.2cm and weights 220grams. It will fit easily in a bag or at a push in a pocket. The special coated paper comes in packs of ten or thirty. The sheets are 7.5x5cm. Images can be printed direct from a camera or phone using Bluetooth or by direct connection using Pict Bridge.
A 15x10cm photo printer with a tiny footprint. It does not use conventional printer ink so the output is always dry when it emerges, it also prints onto postcards – remember them – so ideal to send from your holidays.
It is 19x13x8cm when closed up. There is a 5x3.5cm TFT on top of the unit and this can be at any angle from horizontal (when it takes no space sitting on top of the unit) to vertical.
This is purely a photo printer and one that’s maximum paper size is 15x10cm. However it is extremely easy to use it does one job, it does it well and it does it quickly.
While this can of course be connected to a PC it is not essential. It can just work anywhere there is a 13amp power plug. It is 21x16x14cm when closed. In use the first figure the width does not change. The last figure the height increases by 13cm when the lid is opened to form a backplane for the stored paper waiting to be printed, and this together with the front dropping down to reveal the card slots and tray for the images adds 11+12cm.
While this may look like just another All In One it does have the odd surprise of two. Certainly the silver grey top and black for everything else is unlikely to pass the lounge police unless he/she is of the Goff persuasion.
The Epson RX585 all-in-one printer is 43x43x19cm but once you put paper in the tray (vertical at the back) this adds 14cm to the last figure the height. Installation is reasonable although it does have several (linked) parts and once started just make a cup of coffee and look in on it a few times.
This is a six ink printer that also has a display and accepts inputs from various card types and USB sticks. However it is not only USB and Ethernet but it can also print via Bluetooth.
This is quite a low slung unit at 45x41x16cm, only the final measurement could be greater if you have the TFT raised vertically it would add 7cm to the height. As paper is stored flat in the base and delivered on top of this store no further space is required. The depth includes the 3cm that the power lead sticks out the back of the unit.
Although taking photographs with your digital camera is fun, even more enjoyment can result from creating your own prints and sharing them with others.
While the printing of photographs could be carried out using a basic inkjet or multifunction device, for increased functionality and ease of use you might prefer a dedicated photo printer such as the HP Photosmart A826 Home Photo Centre model.  Despite being fairly compact, measuring 275 x 263 x 244mm (H x W x D) and weighing 2.63kg, the photo printer is not particularly portable as it lacks a carry handle.
This is grey and cream in colour inkjet printer. It’s rather low slung and could even be acceptable in the lounge. Also, it is quite quiet when in use, even in economy mode.
The Hewlett Packard is 43x35x14cm, paper is stored face down in the base and delivered face up on top of the paper storage tray so no extra space is required. There is also a built in 15x10cm paper tray that photo paper can be left stored (face down) in and only when you select photo tray is it moved back into place. After printing of the 15x10 photo images it is moved forward out of the way. In fact the whole paper storage on the D5160 is quite novel.
This is not a SELPHY but a Pixma but it only prints 15x10cm images. It looks rather like a projector or a fan heater of a few years ago – rather than a printer, however the images it produces are good.
The is 22.5x22x7.5cm and weights 2.2kilos. It is white with gun metal blue sides. A carry handle pulls out from the back allowing it to be easily moved but this is a mains only unit so the power brick and lead need to come with you.
This is a small 15x10cm printer that prints from almost all cards, direct from cameras via Pict Bridge or from a PC using a USB lead and yes for regular readers I did review it the autumn of last year, however the huge price reduction is the reason for a second look.
This however it a totally new review of the and I only cribbed after I had researched the bulk of the article, so while it is partly the same the actual review was totally new. HP PhotoSmart A516 my original article This is really small at 21x10x10cm when shut, in use the back tilts backward by 3cm at the top to allow storage of a few sheets of 15x10cm paper waiting to be printed.
It is only very occasionally I get to see an A3+ printer. This prints quickly even at that large size. However the overall size of the unit is not as big as some other A3+ models.
Certainly you will need a good amount of desk space for the A3+ printer from Epson, the dimensions are 60x30x20cm when closed, you will probably need to add another 30cm to the middle depth figure to have paper inserted in the 'stand up' rear and the paper output tray at the front extended. Maybe another 18cm to the 20cm height for the paper waiting to be printed.
This black box can – should it be required - occupy a very small space. However the quality of images and text printed are good, so if you have a only a small space this printer could fit it.
The is 44x30x12cm when closed however add another 22cm to the last figure when paper is in the vertical tray at the rear waiting to be used. I discovered the small footprint when moving some stuff around during a reorganisation and for most of the review it sat on the end of it's box and performed without any problems.
I – as regular readers will know – am no style guru, but the cream and grey HP PhotoSmart D7160 looks low slung and stylish to me. In fact say it quietly some ladies may even allow it into the lounge.
This is a that comes with some rather nice HP photo software to help you improve your images without hassle. You then have the ability to print, email or even backup the output. photo printer It is 44x40x12cm, apart from the 5x4cm TFT display that could raise the 12cm height by another 5cm should your preferred viewing angle be at 90 degrees, mine is less than half that but it will depend on where the printer is placed.
It does seem that new printers are arriving quicker than ever. We take a look at a new Canon budget offering.
PIXMA is Canon-speak for inkjet printers.  Joining this range of Canon printers is the model.  This rectangular box shaped unit, decked out in highly reflective black (giving you a mirror in an emergency and a repository for occasional fingerprints), measures 442 x 237 x 152mm and weighs in at 3.3kg.
This printer has an extra that is becoming – slowly – more common, the ability to print onto CD’s and DVD’s. I do not mean on a piece of paper that you then stick onto the CD but direct onto the CD.
The is not small at 40x45x24cm the first and last figures need to increase slightly when paper is inserted in the vertical back position and the space behind needs to increase when CD's are printed as the tray is taken out the rear of the printer before printing. So the figures I give are really the desk footprint of the unit. It weights around 6.5kilos.
Having taken the photographs, why wait to see the printed results when portable printers are available.
While a look-alike lunch box might not top your list of preferred equipment when considering your photographic needs - stranger things have happened.  When you realise that this particular lunch box is really a portable printer that provides photo-lab capabilities, you might have a rethink as to its suitability.  This matt silver box, with a useful carry-handle, is the Epson PM240 photo printer.
With several types of paper and a stopwatch in hand, a new printer is put to the test.
One of the names that immediately springs to mind with regards to printers is that of Epson.  Tucked away in a corner somewhere I still have my original Epson LQ800 model that was popular many years ago before inkjets and lasers took over the market but that is another matter.  So forgive my brief bout of nostalgia and lets get on with today's topic which is the printer.
After looking at a range of 15x10cm printers it’s nice to be back to an A4 offering that is quick, produces excellent output and can also print direct onto CD’s, alas it refuses to make the tea.
It is 43x30x18cm and weights close to 7.5kilos. This is a six ink offering and I suspect most would use it for printing photos and this it excels in. However first the details of text pages using my default 200 word document it prints 14PPM in what is termed 'fast' mode. Printing a more normal 1500 word document spread over four pages in the same mode produced 9.5PPM.
This 15x10cm printer can also be used to charge your camera and to transfer images to the PC. However with the optional battery it can print when away from mains power.
Unlike the other recent mini printers that I have reviewed from Canon, Epson and HP this can only print direct from the camera, the PC or via Pict Bridge, so no card slots. It is 20x18x10cm without the paper tray inserted this adds another 15cm to the 18cm depth. You will also need around 12cm clear at the rear when printing as the 15x10cm sheets are pulled from the tray and then out of the rear to prepare for the four pass Dye Sub printing.