Choosing a photo printer for home

The idea of ​​acquiring a photo printer for home is not so rare among lovers of printed pictures, even in the digital age. An overview of the models allows you to assess the scale of the proposals on the market: there are inkjet options with good color printing and laser ones, with CISS and others, which allow you to get excellent results at a minimum cost. It is worth learning in more detail about what to look for when choosing a photo printer that is ready to work at home.

A photo printer for home, although not included in the list of basic types of office equipment, is still a rather useful device. This device is a type of printing equipment designed for special tasks. Photo printers use an expanded set of colors for more realistic reproduction of the finest nuances and midtones. In addition, the ink used itself is not subject to fading, it is more resistant.

When buying a home model, it is important to understand that the best choice will be a printer with an advanced set of functions, more like an MFP. This versatile device can produce prints on paper with different weights.

All printers suitable for photo printing are divided into several categories according to the technology used in them. All of them are compatible with digital image formats, allowing you to get a clear and vivid image in the form of a print on paper. It is worth considering the various options in more detail.

In inkjet printing technology, the dye is passed in liquid form through special nozzles. This makes the image very bright and clear. Such devices have an affordable price, do not differ in complex controls, and are well suited for printing simple photographs. Inkjet models of printers are wide-format and conventional - the latter can create images only in a certain size range, usually 10x15 cm.

Their printing speed is slower than that of other devices, so these options are not used in professional studios. For home use and a small number of prints, documents, an inkjet printer is quite suitable.

The most economical are the models on which the CISS is installed. The continuous ink supply system allows for fewer cartridge changes, each reservoir has a volume of approximately 100 ml. Such an element can be either stand-alone, plug-in as an external component, or built-in. In this case, refueling will also be much easier.

The most common and affordable photo printers. Laser printing technology involves the use of a special toner for refilling - a powdery dye, which is first transferred to paper and then baked using a beam. This type of printer has many advantages. Among them are:

• long service life;
• simplicity and reliability of technology;
• high quality printing;
• speed of creation of an impression;
• low noise level.

A device with a system in which the ink is replaced by a special type of film is called sublimation. This type of printer is a relatively new product in the photo printing market. An impression on paper is formed by heating a color film to high temperatures. Dye-sublimation printers are convenient for printing images from memory cards and flash drives, but they are quite expensive compared to other models.

The most popular manufacturers of professional and home photo printers are well known for a long time. Among them, such market giants as Canon, HP or Epson stand out. Here's what to consider when choosing a brand.

• HP. Hewlett-Packard needs no introduction. It produces devices in the middle and premium price categories, specializing in the manufacture of inkjet photo printers and compact models. The purchase of such equipment will help to ensure comfortable printing at home without haste and in high quality.

• Epson. Manufacturer with the widest range of photo printers. Among them there are models with CISS for color printing in economy mode and with Wi-Fi for wireless connection to PCs or mobile devices. Epson produces ergonomic photo printers that are easy to use, versatile, and can handle a wide variety of paper types.

• Canon. One of the most renowned manufacturers in the world. It specializes in the release of the PIXMA series of photo printers with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

The review of the best models is also noteworthy. The top three for home use will look quite heterogeneous. But each of these photo printers is the best at its job.

This is a portable model with a built-in Bluetooth module that supports wireless connection with user's devices. Thermal printing is carried out quite quickly, the image is high-quality and bright, resistant to fading. The HP Sprocket Mini Photo Printer prints black and white and color photographs with a maximum size of 50x76 mm. The model can hold 10 sheets of special paper at once.

This model supports printing on sheets of A4 size and smaller, can handle ordinary and special photo paper. The printer produces crisp, smudge-free, color-free prints. Inside there is a reservoir for 4 containers with ink. The consumption of paint is not the lowest, but due to this, the richness of colors is achieved. The resource of the model reaches 6000 pages, works almost silently, has a tray on top of the case.

A powerful laser printer with a compact footprint and premium print quality. The technician produces up to 8-12 sheets with impressions per minute, and can work with different types of paper. Supported formats A4, A5 and non-standard, data can be transferred directly from a smartphone or laptop.

When choosing a printer for printing photos at home, it is imperative to take a responsible approach to finding the optimal solution with good performance. The modern market offers both budget models with cheap consumables, and cutting-edge options that can print images directly from the camera. There are a number of important selection criteria.

1. The type of printing mechanism. The most inexpensive consumables are from laser printers, but when buying a device you will have to spend a lot of money. In the long term, the investment will pay off and the speed of the impression will be high.If the budget is initially limited, it is better to consider sublimation or inkjet devices - their capabilities will be sufficient to obtain the desired results.
2. Photo size. Large format models are well suited for printing portraits and landscapes, but they are not very useful in everyday life. It is good if the chosen printer can provide the creation of photographs in the most popular formats: 9x12 and 10x15 cm.
3. Availability of options. Among them - document printing, support for an extended color palette, PictBridge for printing directly from the camera, USB interface, microSD slot. The wider the range of available functions, the easier it will be to adapt the operation of the printer to different needs.
4. Compactness of dimensions. The smallest photo printers are dye-sublimation printers. They're the choice for fast, vibrant, lasting prints - the same technology used in instant cameras. But an A4 sheet with a document cannot be created on such a device - universal inkjet and laser models are more suitable here.

To print pictures on a photo printer, just follow the simple guidelines. First of all, you need to purchase suitable consumables: film or ink, toner cartridge. For Canon, HP, Epson photo printers it is recommended to use branded paper, other models support work with sheets of different manufacturers. If necessary, photos oriented for printing are preprocessed and edited using special programs and filters.

The printing process on a standard device consists of several steps.

1. Open the control panel in the photo manager.
2. Select the "Print" tab.
3. Enter settings for specific photos. Here you can change the layout, determine the size of each picture, the type of paper, resolution (clarity) - at least 300x300 pixels for the 10x15 cm format. Usually, a large set of necessary layouts is already provided in the proprietary software from the manufacturer. For compact printers, mobile apps play this role.
4. Match selected options to sheet dimensions.
5. Start printing. A photo from an inkjet printer will have to be dried for an additional 15-20 minutes. When using water-soluble ink, do not leave pictures in the light or in rooms with high humidity.

By following these tips, you can master all the necessary printing processes, even without the necessary knowledge and experience, already at the first use of the device.

The following is an overview of the HP Sprocket model printer.