Best Photo Printer 2021 – Buyer’s Guide

Thanks to the ZINK technology, this is one of the latest photo printers which don’t require any ink. All of the colours required are embedded onto the specialist paper, so as long as you have a stash of this, you are good to go.

It is around the size of a smartphone, so great if you need something ultra-portable. If you need to personalise the photos, you can do so through the HP Sprocket app. Adding text, emojis and other effects is easier than ever, and no longer requires specialist Paint skills on your laptop.

The back of the ZINK sheets is stickable, which is great if you want to make a collage of photos on your wall. They are 5 x 7.6 cm (2 x 3 in) in size, giving them the perfect professional feel and also making them ideal if you have a photo album.

It connects to your phone via Bluetooth 5.0 and wakes automatically when you require it to get going. Multiple phones can connect at the same time, so all of your friends can print when they need to, which could come in handy at a festival or party.

The noise it emits is barely audible, and the photo quality is fab. The paper is a bit pricey to buy, especially if you’re going to be using it a lot, but the convenience is going to be well worth this for many photo-lovers.

As you would expect from a brand like this, this is a quality photo printer which gives incredibly good 2”x3” format results.

Polaroid is seen as the leaders when it comes to instant photography, so it is no surprise that this printer also gives instant pictures. Just connect your iOS or Android phone to the unit via Bluetooth and then select the pictures you want to print off.

ZINK paper combines both the paper and ink, so you don’t need to buy cartridges or carry around other bits and pieces to get the results. Because it is wireless, you also don’t need cables for power or connectivity. The battery will support 50 prints on one charge.

The Polaroid app will allow you to customise the photos before they develop, with the addition of borders, emojis, filters or text. So if you want to add a physical caption or want to make a collage on your wall with photos which all have the same effect, you don’t have to have high technical ability or expensive editing suites on your computer.

A very advanced piece of equipment to ensure your photos come out just how they should, you can have the physical picture in just ten seconds.

Thanks to the intelligence filter, there is no need to spend hours editing your photos. It automatically touches up any little imperfections, so you get a quality picture each and every time. Many other instant printers suffer from the colours being too dull/pink/overexposed, but this is corrected without you having to lift a finger.

There is still the option to edit them if you want, though. Why not add a Real Time or Limited Edition Template to give your photos a unique edge, or even convert it into black and white?

The battery is one of the best, as it can cope with around 100 prints before needing recharging. It is one of the few which will connect via Wi-Fi as opposed to Bluetooth, which makes it suitable for use with the majority of phones/tablets but can also mean connectivity issues if you don’t have internet access.

Just be aware that it is one of the few which doesn’t use ZINK paper, so there is a little more setting up to do (but they can generally be bought for cheaper).

Not an awful lot separates the Sprocket 200 from the Sprocket Plus when it comes to reviewing the two, except that the 200 is that little bit older, larger and therefore cheaper.

But it is still worth a very high position on our rundown. It is palm-sized and very easy to connect to your phone or tablet so you can get going.

It is available in black and white, and the speckled almost marble design gives it a very different touch to the others on the market.

The photos aren’t as vivid as they are on the phone screen, and come out with a little bit of a pink tinge and dull, but this does actually add that vintage Polaroid instant pic look which is great if you want a fun product as opposed to detail and clarity.

You may think it is well worth the money saving aspect, as seeing in general there isn’t much of a difference overall. We would have to agree, especially if you aren’t fussed about having the absolute latest technology.

Canon makes some of the best inkjet printers which give you great photo and document printing, so we had no doubt that this model would print out great looking pictures.

The 2 x 3 Inch photos are ready in seconds, and the ZINK paper means you don’t need to bother with refilling ink or replacing cartridges. They are also stickable, so you can decorate your flat, bedroom or locker at work with precious memories without damaging the walls or buying frames.

You can customise the pictures before they print using the dedicated Canon Mini Print app, and add on-trend filters or doodles. We also loved the tiling feature which is pretty unique; four or nine prints can be produced which all fit together to make one larger picture, in case you want something bigger than the usual 2×3 inch photos.

It is one for those who are bothered about aesthetics, or who want the printer to match their phone. The colours available are white, black or rose gold. You get ten free sheets of the speciality paper with the purchase, so you’re good to try it out as soon as it arrives.

Price-wise, it is one of the cheapest around. The app is a little less easy to navigate than some of the others but still takes you through the printing and setup process clearly. You have to zoom in and out to get the photo size you’re after, which can be a bit annoying if you’re trying to edit it and forget to go back to the ordinary size or want a perfect crop. But overall, the price makes it a steal.

You can use other brands of Zink paper with this Canon, but do be aware you need to keep the blue card which comes with the dedicated paper.

One of the most compact to carry around, and it opens up into a wedge to print off the photos, which makes it slightly different. This keeps it nice and protected when in transit.

All you need to do is take the photos on your phone, and then open the Smile App Editing Studio to put your own personal touch on them if you wish. Then, they can be printed in under 30 seconds, and ready to stick or place wherever you wish.

It uses Zink paper, so there are no cartridges or films to replace. And as it connects to your phone via Bluetooth, it will be compatible no matter if you have an iPhone, Android or Windows model. Around 40 prints can be done on a single charge, and it takes two hours to fully charge again, which actually makes it one of the poorest for battery life, but it is by no means the worst or particularly bad.

Now for something very different. While all of the others on our list use Bluetooth/WiFi to communicate remotely with your phone, this one needs the two physically connected.

It turns the phone into a hand-sized instant camera, and you can print photos which are saved to your phone or uploaded to social media with little fuss.

A fab feature we love in the app is that you can embed a video within your photo. When this is shared with friends, they can use the app to unlock the video, which makes it a fun way of sharing memories (and saving videos).

It only works with an iPhone, and is definitely one of the least compact models on the market. But if you want something which doesn’t rely on tech to work, and therefore is easy to use, it could work well. Although we would like to see it a bit cheaper because of this lack of tech.

By far the cheapest photo printer on our list. Able to print photos from your Android or iPhone, it is also the largest, but doesn’t rely on wireless communication to get the job done.

It is a pretty clever bit of kit despite this. You can fold it down when not in use to make it easier to transport, but when you do want to print, KiiPix folds out. You then place your phone on top, push the button and turn the crank. The photo rolls out on the paper.

Because it prints whatever was on your phone’s screen, it can make it a lot easier to adjust the picture before printing. What you see on the screen is what you get, so you can add filters and effects and also turn up the brightness and contrast if you wish.

The size of the paper is credit-card Instax paper, so perfect if you want the instant camera look. Because it is a manual operation, there are no batteries, no charging cables and no need to rely on Bluetooth or WiFi, so great if you want to take it on holiday or to a festival for instant physical memories.

As it takes the image displayed on your phone screen, any cracks or imperfections will affect the outcome. Placing the phone correctly can be fiddly, and you really have to make sure the brightness is up to full etc. so there is a lot of setting up involved. But it is budget-friendly, so worth a go if the price of others makes your eyes water a bit.