Let’s cut to the chase. If you haven’t printed out your work, are you even a photographer?
As rewarding as it may be to get praise and rapturous applause in the comments of Instagram, does it really reward your creative soul the way a traditional print does? There’s a magic in this physical media. It takes your artistic vision away from the computer and into real life in such a way and with such a scope that remains to this day, truly unique. You could say it’s the best way to feel like you’re ‘there’, without actually being ‘there’.
Of course, there are a few ways to get your shots printed. You can support the high street and take your trade down to your local studio… if you’re still lucky enough to have one.
If you don’t have that privilege, you can look to the internet, where a bit of faffing around on an uploading screen will get you a variety of print sizes, formats and options.
Then there’s a spot of DIY. Thanks to increased printing tech, you can actually get yourself set up to reel off stunning high-quality prints of your own digital camera work without leaving the house or flicking the internet on – and even save money doing it All you need is a decent printer.
If you’re new to this and you only take the occasional snap for fun, then there are some great budget photo printers available to buy. However, if the idea of spending big on your passion with one of the most important purchases you can make doesn’t freak you out, then have we got some outstanding printers for you:
The best advanced photo printers
Do your part for saving the planet with the EcoTank. It's an A3 printer with four dyes and a pigment ink that can be poured directly into tanks - cutting down on single-use cartridges. It claims it can do up to 3400 photos, includes an SD card slot or Wi-Fi linkup and even has a 6.8cm LCD to preview your shots. Oh, it can also scan and photocopy… just in case you still can't let go of the 1990s… I wonder how successful a list of fax machines would be….
This inkjet is one of the finest in Canon's range. It comes with a 10-ink pigment-based system for excellent colour reproduction and rattles off A3-sized prints - though it's not the fastest. It does allow you to print direct from both your computer and popular web-based services such as Facebook, Dropbox or OneDrive for example. It's a great printer from great lineage that offers great image quality - bonza!
You're going to notice a pattern here. The best printers around this price range and for the requirements are either Epson or Canon - Epson's turn this time. The SC-P400 A3 printer uses seven UltraChrome HiGloss inks with a gloss optimiser that creates a tiny ink drop size for precision colour transitions. It's compact, it has full Wi-Fi and it produces stunning images.
Canon's turn in the spotlight again, the baby brother to the Pixma 10s, you still get A3 prints, an eight-ink dye-based system and the ability to print directly from cloud-based storage like Dropbox. The inks are Chromalife 100+, which give enhanced colour reproduction, and you're able to print a full A3 image in 90 seconds, making this one of the quickest on the list – remember though, nothing good comes truly quick.
The flagship model in the SureColor range, this actually lets you take it up a notch and print A2 images for an extra level of punch. It has full Wi-Fi options to allow printing from all your devices, includes a paper roll option and takes advantage of 9 UltraChrome HD inks for world-class colour rendition and print quality. There's also a 2.7in touchscreen making setup and control a breeze. It's pricey, but you can bet clients and walls alike will love the results.