The process of printing photos at home has long passed into the category of ordinary and familiar things. The whole action is relatively fast, and the quality of the photos is almost impossible to distinguish from similar images taken in the darkroom.
Let's try to identify the most successful photo printers for the home: rating, an overview of models and expert opinions, along with reviews from the owners of these devices.
Another point that requires special attention is the type of printer. Which device is better - laser or inkjet? Despite a number of indisputable advantages of laser models and their abundant dominance of the computer market, they, alas, are not able to replace inkjet options. Here, not only cost is taken into account, but also printing technology. If you need to get extremely high-quality and rich photos without spending the lion's share of the family budget, then inkjet options are indispensable. Nevertheless, if you have the financial ability to purchase such an expensive laser "toy" for the home, then why not.
Choosing a brand
Not many companies produce photo printers for the home. There are only three venerable brands that hold a solid part of the computer market: Epson, Canon, and Hewlett Packard. But this does not mean at all that there is nothing to choose from - each price range is represented both quantitatively and qualitatively by various models. Therefore, as for the alternative, it is always there.
If you are interested in professional photo printers for home or office, such as those that support the A0 format, then the giants Xerox and Mutoh are added to the above brands. In any case, any printer from the mentioned companies can be bought, as they say, “from the fly”, because these manufacturers can fully answer for the quality of their products.
Consider the clear leaders of each segment and try to choose the best photo printer for the home.
List of the best models for home darkroom (rating):
- Epson L800 (inkjet).
- Canon PIXMA iP7240 (inkjet).
- HP Color LaserJet Pro CP1025nw (Laser).
Epson l800
The acclaimed CISS technology (a system eliminated of cycling with continuous ink supply) made a lot of noise in inkjet printing. The revolutionary development allowed to significantly reduce the cost of one photograph. The company even launched a whole line of devices of this kind on the market, calling it the Epson Printing Factory, and the Epson L800 home printer is a significant example of this line.
The model is compact and very easy to use. The device is considered to be semi-professional, but the 6-color printing and the company-wide CISS will be a delight for home amateur photographers and small photo laboratories.
Advantages of the device:
- good print speed (38 A4 pages / minute) in standard mode;
- high print quality - 5760 x 1440 pixels per inch;
- 10 x 15 cm photo of maximum quality in 12 seconds;
- high cartridge yield - 1800 pages A4 color / 9900 b / w;
- full - time continuous ink supply system (CISS).
Cons of the model:
- noise during operation;
- no network interfaces;
- price.
Owner reviews
Owners speak very warmly about the L800. They liked the high print speed coupled with high-quality output photos. Some complain about the high price and noise of the device, but after one or two weeks you get used to the noise, and the money spent pays off with rare purchases of ink, unlike analogues without CISS.
Estimated cost - 20 000 rubles.
Canon PIXMA iP7240
Photo printers for home from the company "Canon" has always been compact, coupled with manufacturability. A small box with dimensions of 451 x 128 x 368 mm can find its place in any corner of your home. Also, one more reason to forget about the location of your printer is the absence of any network wires. Communication is carried out via wireless protocols (Wi-Fi), and connection is done without problems - any operating system will determine the model in a matter of seconds (a set of drivers is included in the standard set of Windows and Mac).
The slight noise of the device and the abundance of automation in the model are encouraging - the trays will open only when you send the photo for printing.
PIXMA printer advantages:
- price;
- enviable resolution - 9600 x 2400 pixels per inch;
- a drop with a minimum ink volume of 1 ml;
- two feed trays independent of each other;
- duplex works in automatic mode;
- the presence of Wi-Fi wireless protocols;
- AirPrint technology support.
Cons of the model:
- too easily soiled glossy case;
- high cost of consumables.
The feedback on the model is mostly positive. The owners appreciated the photo printers for the PIXMA series home: high-quality printing, the absence of any wires and intelligent automation. Some were disappointed by the cost of consumables, but all inkjets sin this, so this moment is difficult to consider as a critical flaw.
Estimated cost - 6,000 rubles.
HP Color LaserJet Pro CP1025nw
This laser photo printer for the home is capable of producing extremely high-quality prints on special photo paper. You do not need to make high demands on it, it is still a home model, but nevertheless, the device will please you if not the print speed (4 pages A4 color / minute), then the quality of the output photo is for sure.
As in the previous case, the model is equipped with the ability to transmit data via wireless protocols. But if there is no desire to overpay for Wai-Fi, then you can buy a similar option with a network interface.
Advantages of the model:
- good cartridge life - 1000 pages A4 color / 1200 b / w;
- It is possible to select the desired interface (Ethernet, USB or Wi-Fi);
- printing on special photo paper up to 180 g / dm (glossy or matte base);
- work with the web interface;
- gamut of halftones and color reproduction at a high level;
- price (for laser model).
Disadvantages of the device:
- low printing speed of color photos;
- lack of a USB cable;
- "Brakes" before printing and after.
User opinions
The owners warmly accepted the CP1025nw in their reviews. They liked the quality of the photos and the fact that, unlike inkjets, you can significantly save on consumables. Also, users note that photos, in addition to quality, also have a good shelf life of a year or two, and the photo is still saturated and unfaded.
Estimated cost - 15 000 rubles.