What home photo printer under $300 is good for learning and testing prints?
Asked 7/10/2013
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I’m getting back into DSLR photography and want a home printer that’s good enough to help me evaluate my photos without constantly wondering if the printer is the weak link. I don’t need archival output, wireless features, or an all-in-one. A straight paper path would be nice, and I’d like to print up to about 8.5x11 if possible. My budget is around $300. Are there any relatively inexpensive photo printers that are suitable for experimenting and improving my work?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
13y ago
2 Answers
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I'd recommend either the PIXMA Pro 100 that DavyCrockett mentioned or if you want something cheaper and don't mind being limited to 4x6, one of the Canon Selphy die-sub printers will give really nice quality and a fixed cost per print of around 25 cents.
For the cost, the Selphy is the best bang for your buck, though if you use good papers, the Pixma will do a better job, particularly if you calibrate it, but also will cost more (the paper alone for a similar 4x6 will run you more than the $.25 for the Selphy print, even without ink which is typically similar in cost to the paper.)
I personally was using a Selphy as my primary photo printer until I upgraded to a PIXMA Pro 1 (which is the big, big brother of the Pro 100, but I seriously considered the Pro100 as well). I'd also suggest that before you pick up a Pro100 if that's what you think you want, check out TryMyPhoto where you can give Canon a photo and they will send you a print from the Pro 100.
Originally by user11392. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user11392
13y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
For learning and making reliable small photo prints at home, a dedicated photo printer is the safest bet. From the suggestions here, the Canon PIXMA Pro-100 is the strongest recommendation if you want better overall photo quality and flexibility with paper, especially if you use good paper and calibrate your display/printer workflow. It’s physically large and may stretch your budget depending on current deals, but it’s aimed at photo printing rather than office use.
If you mainly want inexpensive, consistent 4x6 prints, a Canon Selphy dye-sub printer is a good low-cost option. It offers very predictable cost per print and solid photo quality, though it’s much more limited in print size.
If budget matters most, even a basic inkjet with a straight paper path and pigment-based ink can be good enough for learning, especially when paired with quality photo paper. That said, a true photo printer should remove more doubt from the process.
So: for best learning tool, look at the PIXMA Pro-100; for cheapest and simplest 4x6 workflow, consider a Selphy.
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