Inkjet Printer: Finding the Best for Photo Printing

by CJ

I own a digital camera and I need to buy an inkjet printer, which is known to print exceptional photos. While others choose to download the pictures they capture into their social networking sites, I want to keep them the traditional way, in albums. This way, my kids could recall the memories we’ve shared and they can show these to their families, someday.

Gone were the days when we had to rely on photo printing and developing stores to have copies of our treasured mementos. These were the times when printers were just new and not user friendly. Their quality of color was not as good as those in photo shops and just like the paper they use in photo printing, these printers were expensive, then.

Now that digital cameras are common to every home, coincidentally, the price of photo printers has, relatively, gone down. Instead of having them printed in shops, you can do this in the comfort of your own home with your own inkjet printer. The models of this kind of printer produce better quality pictures in a jiffy.

Before buying one, you need to know what features to look for in an inkjet printer.

1. You have to determine how many photos you need to print in a year. More often than not, users download pictures they’ve taken, into their sites. At times, they forward the photos through emails. They rarely print them out except for the ones they find most important or special.

2. Next, you have to decide the size of photos you want to print and whether you like them borderless or with borders. Majority of photo printers produce 4” x 6”, 5” x 7” or 4” x 12” pictures. Some multifunction printers come up with 8 ½ “x 11 or 8 ½ “x 24” borderless pictures. The more professional and pricey photo printers produce 13” x 19” photos.

3. If you need a printer just to print photos, you can go for a digital photo printer that makes use of a memory card. You don’t need a personal computer for this.

4. If you want to check out a photo before printing, there are models that have image displays right on the printer.

5. If you, also, need to print large pictures, your printer must have a good dpi (dots per inch) rating. A high dpi enables the printer to produce images that are sharper with colors that look realistic.

Choosing a brand and model of an inkjet printer can be a bit confusing but to give you an idea, Canon and HP are the leading among the group while Epson, Lexmark, Sony and Kodak come close behind.

Below are most favored inkjet photo printers:

1. Canon Pixma iP4500 Photo Inkjet Printer

Though its output is impressive, it is available at a very reasonable price. It has a 9600 x 2400 color dpi resolution. It makes use of 2 trays, one for regular paper and the other for glossy photo paper. It has a 31 page per minute speed for black and white and 24 page per minute for color prints. Its size and weight is just right. It, also, has a 5 color ink system.

2. HP Photosmart D5460 Inkjet Printer

This is a bargain not only for its low price but also for the good quality printing that comes with it. The price of its cartridges is low, as well. What gives it an edge is the extra darkness of the black color that gives a richer and more distinct text against a white background.

3. Epson Stylus C88+ Ink Jet Printer

This is a powerful printer that has a 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi. It makes use of Durabrite Ultra pigment ink. It has a 23 page per minute speed for black and 14 page per minute speed for color prints. It has individual ink cartridges so you only need to change the color that is consumed.


Now, with all the options available, you are on your way to printing your most cherished photos.