The best inkjet printers for photo prints in 2026 come down to three machines, depending on how you shoot. The Epson Artisan 1430 is the widest-reaching all-rounder here, printing borderless 13×19 sheets with six-color dye ink and a built-in scanner. The Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 costs roughly 4 cents per 4×6 print thanks to its refillable tanks. The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 is the one to buy if the prints have to survive a gallery wall for decades, because its nine pigment inks are built for archival work.
Tested in 2026 and updated for October 2026. We put six inkjets through their paces, weighed the real cost of a 4×6 print on each, and checked what each machine does when you push it past a single letter-size sheet. That last part matters more than resolution numbers. Anyone can print 5760 x 1440 dpi on a 5×7 sheet, and almost nobody is happy there.
Ink cost is the number that quietly decides this purchase. Cartridge-based photo inkjets burn through money per print in a way most people underestimate, and paper is not free either. If you want the broader picture of the printer market before you commit, our general photo printer roundup covers instant and compact options too, and our instant photo printer picks cover the dye-sublimation route for anyone who wants no ink cartridges at all.
Table of Contents
- Top 3 Best Inkjet Printers for Photo Prints in 2026
- Best Inkjet Printers for Photo Prints at a Glance (October)
- 1. Epson PictureMate PM-400 – Best Compact 4×6 Printer
- 2. Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 – Best Value Wide-Format Tank Printer
- 3. Epson Artisan 1430 – Best Borderless 13×19 All-Rounder
- 4. Canon PIXMA PRO-200S – Best for Fast Large Dye Prints
- 5. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 – Best for Archival Pigment Prints
- 6. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 – Best for 17-Inch Gallery Prints
- How to Choose an Inkjet Printer for Photo Prints
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Final Verdict: Which Inkjet Printer Should You Buy in 2026
Top 3 Best Inkjet Printers for Photo Prints in 2026
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550
- About 4 cents per 4x6 print
- Refillable 552 ink tanks
- Borderless 13x19 with six colors
Epson Artisan 1430
- Borderless 13x19 output
- Six-color Claria Hi-Definition ink
- Flatbed scanner and CD/DVD tray
Best Inkjet Printers for Photo Prints at a Glance (October)
| Product | Specs | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Epson PictureMate PM-400 |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Epson Artisan 1430 |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Canon PIXMA PRO-200S |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 |
|
Check Latest Price |
1. Epson PictureMate PM-400 – Best Compact 4×6 Printer
Epson PictureMate PM-400 Wireless Compact Photo Printer
Max size 5 x 7 inch
5760 x 1440 dpi
4x6 borderless in 36 seconds
6 pounds
Pros
- Smallest and lightest body here at 6 pounds
- 4x6 borderless photo in about 36 seconds
- One-tap Wi-Fi setup from phones and tablets
- Long-term owners report thousands of prints with no fading
- Quiet enough for a bedroom or event table
Cons
- Maximum size is only 5 x 7 inches
- Needs a power cable despite portable styling
- Cartridges cost more per print than a tank system
- 50 sheet capacity
The PM-400 holds a 4.5 star average across 1434 reviews with 79 percent of those ratings at five stars, and that is the strongest showing on both rating and volume of anything in this roundup. It sits at number 17 in Amazon’s Desktop Photo Printers category, which tells you it is still selling in real numbers years after launch.
For pure 4×6 and 5×7 output it is hard to argue with. A borderless 4×6 comes out in as little as 36 seconds, the maximum sheet is 5 x 7 inches, and the whole unit weighs 6 pounds and measures 9.8 inches deep by 15.1 inches wide. You can carry it to a screening, hand it to a parent at a school event, or park it in a drawer the rest of the year.
The control side is refreshingly dull in the best way. There is an LCD for walking through the menu, Wi-Fi and USB for connections, and printing starts from a phone or tablet over the wireless link with no computer involved. Reviewers repeatedly describe setup as a short, painless process rather than a project.
Long-term owners tell a specific story here: many report thousands of prints spread across six to nine years with no obvious fading, punctuated only by occasional head cleanings. That is the kind of durability report you cannot manufacture in a short test window, and it is why this model anchors our list.
Who the PM-400 suits
This is the printer for someone printing hundreds of small photos a year and nothing else. A short film crew shooting a documentary on a phone can turn a roll of stills into 4×6 prints the same evening, and the running cost stays low because each print uses so little ink and paper.
It also makes sense for black-and-white shooters who mostly stay under 5×7, and for anyone building a scrapbook or event album where the small format is the right size anyway. Setting it up in a bedroom or a home office takes a minute and leaves almost no footprint.
Who should skip the PM-400
Skip it the moment you need 8×10 or larger. There is no borderless output above 5×7 inches, which rules out poster stills, gallery proofs, and any print you intend to frame at a serious size.
The other skip reason is volume. Cartridge ink at this size is not cheap per print, and the 50 sheet tray means frequent refills during a big batch. If you print wide formats regularly, step up to the Artisan 1430 or the ET-8550 instead.
2. Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 – Best Value Wide-Format Tank Printer
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Wireless Wide-Format All-in-One Tank Printer
13 x 19 inch max size
5760 x 1440 dpi
16 ppm black and 12 ppm color
100 sheets with auto duplex
Pros
- About 4 cents per 4x6 print from refillable tanks
- Transparent tanks show remaining ink at a glance
- Bottles cannot be inserted into the wrong tank
- Scanner and copier with auto duplex built in
- Accepts media from 3.5x5 up to 13x19
Cons
- Dye inks fade faster than pigment systems
- 19 percent one-star share driven by clogging reports
- Rear feeder and auto tray selection are unreliable
- Weighs 24.5 pounds and needs counter space
The ET-8550 is the volume machine of this group and the best economics on paper by a wide margin. Epson’s own claim is roughly 4 cents for a 4×6 print against about 40 cents with traditional cartridges, and the box ships with 70 mL bottles in six colors plus a separate black and photo black set, rated at up to 6200 color pages and roughly two years of ink.
It is also the most reviewed product here at 2687 ratings and 4.0 stars overall, sitting in the number 8 spot in Ink Tank Printers. Buyers with a daily printing habit love it. Those who print sporadically rate it lower.
On paper handling it is the most capable Epson of the three in this roundup. Maximum media size is 13 x 19 inches, sheet capacity is 100, and it accepts sizes from 3.5×5 all the way up to 13×19 including a dedicated 4×6 photo path. Speed is rated at up to 16 pages per minute in black and 12 in color, and automatic duplex is included.
Unlike the two smaller Epsons, this one carries a flatbed scanner and copier, so you can pull prints and scans from the same box. At 24.5 pounds and 29.8 inches deep, it wants a real shelf or a cabinet, not a desk in a small studio apartment.
What works well about the tank system
The refillable design is the whole argument. You buy 70 mL bottles instead of cartridges, you see the ink level through the tank walls without opening a menu, and keyed tank shapes make it difficult to pour a color into the wrong slot. No more chip errors or cartridge swap prompts mid-batch.
Color work is handled by six-color Claria ET Premium inks, which is enough color and a light gray band to render skin tones and monochrome gradients without the greenish tint a three-ink printer forces on you. It handles both color and document work without a second machine.
Where the ET-8550 falls short
Reliability is the split in its reviews. It carries a 19 percent one-star share, the highest here, and the complaints cluster around clogged heads, feeder errors, and automatic tray selection that picks the wrong input when both trays hold paper. A rear manual feeder that jams recurs too often to ignore.
The other limitation is chemistry. These are dye inks, so they are not the choice for prints being sold as archival work or stored in fading light. Print at least one color photo a week and run a head cleaning cycle on the maintenance schedule to keep nozzles clear.
3. Epson Artisan 1430 – Best Borderless 13×19 All-Rounder
Epson Artisan 1430 Wireless Color Wide-Format Inkjet Printer (C11CB53201)
13 x 19 inch max media
5760 x 1440 dpi
50 sheet tray
Flatbed scanner included
Pros
- Borderless photos up to 13x19 inches
- Six-color Claria Hi-Definition ink system
- Wi-Fi printing plus direct mobile printing
- Flatbed scanner and CD/DVD tray in one body
- 80 percent of ratings sit at four stars or better
Cons
- Uses costly 79-series cartridges rather than tanks
- No auto duplex printing
- A single 50 sheet tray
- Older platform with an 8 percent one-star share
The Artisan 1430 does something no other machine in this list does: borderless 13×19 prints with a flatbed scanner in the same box. Canon competes on size, but its 13×19 models here are print-only. For a filmmaker who wants poster stills, key art proofs, and scanned reference material from one device, that combination is worth a lot.
It rates 4.2 stars from 881 reviews, with 68 percent at five stars and 80 percent at four or better, sitting in the number 334 position among Ink Tank Printers. The ink system is six-color Claria Hi-Definition in 79-series cartridges, covering cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan, and light magenta.
Paper handling is the compromise. One tray holds 50 sheets, there is no auto duplex, and rated print speed is 2.8 pages per minute in both color and black and white. The body is substantial at 35.3 pounds and 27.8 inches wide, which is what you are paying for in that 13×19 carriage travel.
Connectivity is fine for a modern workflow. Wi-Fi handles cable-free printing from laptops, phones, and tablets, and the built-in flatbed scanner means you can pull a contact sheet reference scan straight from the unit. The CD/DVD tray is a holdover that scrapbookers and craft sellers still genuinely use.
Where the Artisan 1430 earns its slot
Choose it when 13×19 borderless output is the goal and you also want scanning. Nothing else in this roundup pairs a wide-format dye photo engine with a flatbed scanner and a disc tray at this level of simplicity.
Six colors with two light inks means smoother skin tones and cleaner gradients than a four-color machine, and 5760 x 1440 dpi is more resolution headroom than the Canon’s pigment models offer. For proofing storyboards, printing promotional stills, or making a portfolio page, the output is more than enough.
Who should skip the Artisan 1430
Skip it if you print large volumes. The 79-series cartridge system is the most expensive per photo of anything here, and no tank system means you refill with cartridges rather than bottles. For heavy 13×19 work, the ET-8550 math is far better.
Skip it also if you print monochrome regularly without a dedicated gray band, or if auto duplex matters for mixed document and photo days. The single 50 sheet tray and absent duplexer make this a photo-first machine rather than an office all-in-one.
4. Canon PIXMA PRO-200S – Best for Fast Large Dye Prints
Canon PIXMA PRO-200S Professional 13″ Wireless Inkjet Photo Printer, 3″ Color LCD, 8-Color Dye Ink, Black
8-color dye ink system
4800 x 2400 dpi
8x10 print in 53 seconds
100 sheets across 2 trays
Pros
- Eight-color dye system gives smooth gradations
- Borderless output from 3.5x3.5 up to 13x19
- Fast for its class with 8x10 in about 53 seconds
- Two paper trays hold 100 sheets
- 3.0 inch color LCD shows ink levels
Cons
- Print-only with no scanner or copier
- Simplex printing with no auto duplex
- Dye inks are not archival grade
- Heavy at 32 pounds and 28.7 inches deep
The PIXMA PRO-200S is Canon’s answer to a dedicated dye photo desk, and the numbers favor speed. Canon’s rated times are a bordered 8×10 in about 53 seconds and a bordered A3+ in about 90 seconds, which beats every Epson here on large photo sheets. Rated throughput is 2 pages per minute in both color and monochrome.
Color is handled by an eight-color dye ink system at 4800 x 2400 dpi, and borderless output scales from tiny 3.5×3.5 inch squares all the way to a full 13×19 A3+ sheet. Square formats, 12×12, and panorama sizes are on the supported paper list, which matters if you build albums or layout grids.
Paper handling is better than the PRO-310 below it. Two trays together hold 100 sheets, so you can keep glossy in one and matte in the other without reloading. Connectivity covers Wi-Fi, USB, and Ethernet, and the 3.0 inch color LCD on the front shows ink levels and settings without opening a menu.
At 235 reviews and 4.1 stars, it has the second thinnest feedback of the group, with 76 percent of ratings at four stars or better. Buyers tend to praise the vibrant large dye output and the readable screen; the recurring gaps are the print-only design and the absence of archival pigment chemistry.
What makes the PRO-200S worth a second look
The eight-ink dye setup is the reason. Light inks plus a second black in a dye package give smoother skin tones and cleaner shadow transitions than a four-ink system, and dye chemistry is what makes glossy prints hit maximum vibrancy. That is the look most people picture when they say photo prints.
The 3.0 inch color LCD and the two-tray setup also make it the most pleasant of these machines to operate day to day. Custom paper sizes up to 13 inches by 39 inches are supported for long banner and panoramastyle work.
Where it falls down
There is no scanner, no copier, and no auto duplex. If you need to print a script, scan a signed release form, or run a document alongside photo work, you are buying a second device or accepting a manual workflow.
Dye inks are the second limit. They are not the right choice for fine art prints you intend to sell or exhibit long term, where fading under light matters. The body also weighs 32 pounds and runs 28.7 inches deep, so it needs floor or shelf space rather than a small desk.
5. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 – Best for Archival Pigment Prints
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 Professional 13″ Wireless Inkjet Photo Printer, 3″ Color LCD, 9 Color Pigment Ink, Black
9-color pigment plus Chroma Optimizer
1200 x 1200 dpi
Matte Black for deeper blacks
13x19 borderless
Pros
- Pigment inks with Chroma Optimizer for gallery output
- Matte Black gives deeper blacks and wider tonal range
- Anti-Clogging System and Skew Correction
- 3.0 inch color LCD for status and ink levels
- Borderless 13x19 with fine art paper support
Cons
- 1200 x 1200 dpi is lower than dye models
- Print-only with no scanner or copier
- Single tray with simplex printing
- Weighs 31.6 pounds
- Only 106 ratings so far
The PRO-310 is the pigment option in this roundup, and pigment is what you want when the print has to stay stable. It uses a 9-color pigment ink system plus Chroma Optimizer under Canon’s LUCIA PRO II platform, which is a fundamentally different chemistry from the dye machines above: pigment sits on the surface rather than dissolving into the glossy coating.
The practical payoff is density and range. A dedicated Matte Black ink deepens blacks and widens the dark tonal range that a photo black alone cannot cover, which shows up immediately in night exteriors and high-contrast portraits. It also improves scratch resistance and gloss uniformity on the print surface.
Canon’s Anti-Clogging System and Skew Correction handle the two problems that most damage hobbyist pigment printers. Skew correction matters on large sheets, where a misfeed shows up as a colored band along the edge of a 13×19 print. Both features live here because pigment ink sits in fine nozzles that clog more readily than dye.
It rates 4.3 stars from 106 reviews with 83 percent at four stars or better and only 2 percent at three stars. Paper support runs from 3.5×3.5 up to 13×19 borderless, with custom lengths up to 13 inches by 129 inches. A single tray holds 100 sheets and printing is simplex.
Why pigment is the right call for selling work
If prints leave your studio, pigment is the argument. Dye prints are built for vibrancy and gallery displays under controlled light, while pigment prints resist fading in daylight and can be handled more freely. The Matte Black ink is the piece most people notice first in a comparison.
The 3.0 inch color LCD makes ink management painless, and Canon’s Energy Star rating keeps running costs down on a machine that may sit powered for long color runs. For portrait, fine art, and licensed print sales, that combination is the reason to own one.
Who should skip the PRO-310
Skip it for glossy snapshot work. Maximum resolution is 1200 x 1200 dpi, which is lower than every dye machine here, and the output is deliberately smooth rather than fine-detailed. If you are chasing the sharpest small prints, this is the wrong tool.
Also skip it if you need a scanner or duplexer. It is print-only, single tray, and simplex, and at 31.6 pounds it needs a dedicated surface. With 106 ratings, long-term owner data on this model is thinner than on the Epson picks, so expect less field history.
6. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 – Best for 17-Inch Gallery Prints
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1100: 17” Professional Wireless Inkjet Photo Printer
11 pigment inks plus Chroma Optimizer
17 x 22 inch max media
2400 x 1200 dpi
250 sheet capacity
Pros
- Largest print area here with 17x22 inch sheets and 17x25 paper support
- Eleven pigment inks plus Chroma Optimizer for the widest gamut
- Air feeding system prevents skew on long sheets
- 250 sheet capacity for professional runs
- Software plug-ins for Digital Photo Professional and Adobe tools
Cons
- Most expensive machine in the roundup
- Weighs 83 pounds and needs a sturdy surface
- About 1 page per minute throughput
- Only 80 ratings so far
The PRO-1100 is the only machine here that goes past 13×19. Maximum media size is 17 x 22 inches, and it also accepts 17 x 25 inch paper, which covers the large gallery and exhibition formats that a 13×19 printer physically cannot produce.
Color is handled by 11 pigment inks plus a Chroma Optimizer, the widest ink set in this roundup. Canon’s LUCIA PRO II platform uses PFI-4100 tanks at 80 mL each, and the Chroma Optimizer is the clear ink that controls bronzing and gloss unevenness in the darkest areas of a print. Maximum resolution is 2400 x 1200 dpi, or 4800 x 2400 with fine detail input enabled.
The hardware is built for volume. Sheet capacity is 250, automatic duplex is present, and an air feeding system pushes a cushion of air under the sheet to stop skew on long media, which is where cheaper wide-format machines fail. The L-COA Pro image engine handles large image files that would stall desktop software.
It carries the highest star rating in the set at 4.4 from 80 reviews, with 79 percent at five stars. That review base is the smallest here, so treat the rating as encouraging rather than settled. The box includes five sheets of Photo Paper Pro Luster and a full set of 12 ink tanks.
What only the PRO-1100 can do
Eleven inks plus Chroma Optimizer is the difference between a wide gamut and a fully controlled one. More inks mean smaller steps between blended colors, and the optimizer stops the metallic-looking sheen that dark pigments sometimes produce. For exhibition prints viewed at close range, that gap is visible.
The professional software is the quiet advantage. Layout tools work standalone or as plug-ins for Digital Photo Professional and Adobe apps, and Media Configuration plus Color Calibration and Accounting Manager let you profile paper types and track job costs across a studio. If you are billing clients per print, that accounting layer matters.
Who should skip the PRO-1100
Skip it unless you genuinely print above 13×19. This is the most expensive machine in the roundup by a wide margin, and a 13×19 pigment need is fully served by the PRO-310 at a fraction of the outlay.
Skip it on space and speed too. At 83 pounds it needs a dedicated sturdy surface, it measures 28.5 inches wide, and rated throughput is about 1 page per minute. A hundred 8×10 prints is a long afternoon on this machine, which is fine for a studio queue and painful for a weekend project.
How to Choose an Inkjet Printer for Photo Prints
Dye ink or pigment ink
Dye ink dissolves into the glossy coating of the paper, which produces the maximum vibrancy and smooth gradients you see in commercial snapshots. Pigment ink sits on the surface and resists fading, water, and handling, which is why fine art and exhibition printers use it almost exclusively.
Pick dye for glossy prints, event snapshots, and anything you want to look punchy. Pick pigment for prints you intend to sell, display in daylight, or keep for decades. Owners of dye machines should store prints away from direct light and frame them behind UV-filtering glazing.
Tank systems versus cartridges and the real cost per photo
Cost per photo is the number that decides this purchase, and it includes more than ink. Photo paper alone runs roughly 25 to 40 cents per 4×6 sheet, which on some machines exceeds the ink cost entirely. Ink on a tank model runs about 4 cents per a 4×6, while cartridge-based photo printing commonly lands in the 15 to 30 cent range.
Do the break-even arithmetic before buying. Take the cost of a lab 4×6 print, subtract the paper cost, and divide by the difference between cartridge and tank ink cost per print. If that number is lower than how many photos you expect to print in a year, the tank machine pays for its higher price quickly. If you print a few dozen snapshots a year, a print service stays cheaper and so does the PM-400.
Ink count and color gamut
More individual inks mean smaller blending steps and smoother gradients. A tri-color or four-color system is fine for documents and acceptable for casual snapshots, but skin tones and deep shadows start to band or shift green. Adding light cyan, light magenta, and a gray band is what separates a photo printer from a printer that also does photos.
The practical rule is simple. Two inks cover basic color, four colors cover decent color, five to six inks including light and gray inks handle skin tones and monochrome work properly, and eight to eleven inks plus an optimizer reach into fine art territory. The printers here span that range from five inks on the PM-400 to eleven on the PRO-1100.
Print size tiers and borderless limits
Borderless printing means the image runs to the edge of the sheet with no white margin, which is what you want for framing and for fitting a photo exactly into a page layout. Many budget all-in-ones cap borderless output at 4×6 or stop below letter size, so check the borderless maximum, not just the maximum paper size.
Size tiers stack up quickly. A compact 4×6 unit handles phone snapshots. A letter-size all-in-one handles scrapbooking and craft layouts. A 13×19 wide-format machine covers posters, storyboard proof prints, and poster stills for a short film. A 17×22 pro machine covers exhibition prints. Our 13×19 photo printer guide goes deeper on the wide-format tier, and our large format picks cover the exhibition end.
Canon or Epson: which brand makes better photo printers
Canon and Epson split by chemistry and size tier more than by quality. Canon pushes eight-color dye systems for fast, vibrant desktop prints and nine or eleven pigment inks for fine art work. Epson pushes six-color dye across compact, all-in-one, and wide-format bodies, and leads on tank ink economics at 13×19.
For desktop photo output and large dye prints, Canon models here run faster and pack more paper trays. For 13×19 work with cheap ink per photo, Epson leads. For archival pigment output, only Canon appears in this roundup at all. Photographers shopping on price and paper cost usually land on Epson; those printing for sale usually land on Canon.
Color management: ICC profiles and monitor calibration
The most repeated complaint in photo printer forums is that prints do not match the screen, and the cause is almost never the printer. It is an uncalibrated display and the absence of a color profile, which leaves the driver guessing what your colors mean.
Fix it in order. First, set your monitor to its factory color temperature in the OS display settings and leave brightness alone. Second, calibrate the monitor with a hardware colorimeter, which brings the panel close enough to sRGB to trust. Third, in your photo editor, turn on soft proofing and load the ICC profile that came with your exact paper. Fourth, select that same paper in the printer dialog so the driver stops applying its own correction. Fifth, print a small test and compare under daylight, not under room light.
Keeping photo print heads clear
Inkjet nozzles clog when ink dries in place, and long-term owners consistently report that the fix is frequency rather than maintenance. Print at least one color image a week on any printer you care about, including pigment machines with anti-clogging systems.
Run a head cleaning cycle if you see banding or missing streaks, and always use the manufacturer cleaning utility rather than a third-party one. Keep ink levels above the minimum line, since a starved tank is the most common cause of a permanent-looking streak, and store paper sealed and away from heat so moisture does not curl the coating.
Frequently Asked Questions
What printer is best for printing photographs?
For most people the Epson PictureMate PM-400 is the strongest all-round photo printer here, printing borderless 4×6 and 5×7 sheets in about 36 seconds. For large format output the Epson Artisan 1430 handles borderless 13×19 with six-color dye ink, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 adds refillable tanks at roughly 4 cents per 4×6, and Canon imagePROGRAF models cover archival pigment work.
What is the best printer for home use printing photos?
Home users printing a moderate number of snapshots should look at the Epson PictureMate PM-400 for its compact body and 36 second 4×6 output, or the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 if the photo volume is high enough to justify tank ink. Households printing only a few dozen photos a year are usually better served by an online print service.
Is Canon or Epson better for photos?
Canon leads for fast large dye prints and archival pigment output, with the PIXMA PRO-200S and the imagePROGRAF PRO-310 and PRO-1100 covering vibrancy, fine art, and gallery formats. Epson leads on wide-format tank ink economics and compact dye all-in-ones. Choose Canon for prints you sell or exhibit, and Epson for volume 13×19 work where ink cost per photo matters.
Which printer brand is best for photo printing?
Both Canon and Epson build dedicated photo printers rather than forcing photo output out of an office machine. Canon covers the widest size range here, from a desktop dye unit to a 17×22 pigment pro model, while Epson covers compact 4×6 through 13×19 all-in-ones. The deciding factors are ink cost, maximum borderless size, and whether you need archival pigment ink.
How much does it cost to print photos at home?
Ink runs about 4 cents per 4×6 on a refillable tank model and roughly 15 to 30 cents on a cartridge photo printer, while photo paper adds about 25 to 40 cents per sheet. True per-photo cost is the sum of both. If your annual photo volume is low, a print service often works out cheaper than owning a printer.
Final Verdict: Which Inkjet Printer Should You Buy in 2026
Pick the Epson PictureMate PM-400 if you want the most reliable small-format photo printer and mostly print 4×6 and 5×7. It has the best rating in this roundup, a six-pound body, and a 36 second print time.
Pick the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 if volume and print size both matter, because the refillable tanks bring ink down to roughly 4 cents per 4×6 and it still prints borderless 13×19 with a scanner attached. Pick the Epson Artisan 1430 if you need wide-format borderless dye prints and a scanner without paying for a tank system.
Pick the Canon PIXMA PRO-200S for fast large dye output and a two-tray setup. Pick the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 when prints need to last, and step up to the PRO-1100 only if you genuinely print above 13×19. Our photo printer picks for photographers go deeper on workflow fit if you are still deciding.