The 3 Best Photo Printers of 2024 | Reviews by Wirecutter

06 Aug.,2024

 

The 3 Best Photo Printers of | Reviews by Wirecutter

This inkjet printer consistently delivers great results using long-lasting pigment inks. The P700 can print on all types of media up to 13 inches wide, and it was the fastest printer we tested.

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For photography enthusiasts who are looking to create professional-quality prints at home, we recommend the Epson SureColor P700 .

A photo printer is the final step of your digital-darkroom workflow, capable of transforming your image from an idea into a tangible, gallery-worthy art piece that can last a lifetime.

If you need to make very large prints, this 17-inch printer delivers bigger prints that are just as excellent as those of our top pick, using the same pigment inks.

This cheaper printer produces vibrant prints but uses dye-based inks, which may not last as long as pigment-based inks.

This printer consistently delivers excellent prints with long-lasting pigment inks. It also offers a user-friendly color touchscreen. Be aware that it ships with less-than-full ink cartridges.

The Epson SureColor P700 produces beautiful, high-quality color and black-and-white prints that accurately reflect the original image across many types of media using archival, pigment-based inks meant to last a lifetime.

It also includes two features that you won&#;t find in competitors: a color touchscreen that&#;s useful for performing maintenance and observing the printing process, and a see-through panel and an interior light that allow you to watch the print being made, which is truly captivating.

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If you&#;re watching your budget, the Canon Pixma PRO-200 creates vibrant prints that are perhaps a tad less color accurate than those of the Epson SureColor P700.

Compared with most printers, it is relatively easy to operate, with handy on-screen operating cues and QR-code links to more complex instructions.

This printer and the dye-based inks it uses are less expensive than our top pick and its inks. However, dye-based inks typically don&#;t last as long as pigment inks; although they may last through your lifetime, they might not endure for generations to come.

The Epson SureColor P900 offers everything we love about our top pick but can use paper up to 17 inches wide, instead of maxing out at 13 inches wide as the P700 does. It makes excellent color and black-and-white prints that can last hundreds of years. It also has a color touchscreen for printer maintenance or operation, as well as an attractive, relatively compact design that lets you watch the progress of your prints.

Unlike its smaller cousin, our test P900 shipped with full ink tanks, though it consumed a large amount during setup. Also different: For this model, you have to pay extra for the roll-feed adapter if you want to print that way, and the component adds more depth to the printer. However, the P900&#;s only real competitor&#;the Canon ImagePrograf PRO-&#;doesn&#;t offer a roll-feed option at all.

The Best Online Photo Printing Services for

Since , PCMag has tested and rated thousands of products to help you make better buying decisions. Read our editorial mission

Below are all the top photo printing services we tested, followed by some helpful ideas about the factors you should consider when choosing the right service to give your digital keepsakes physical form.

The highest-rated services are Nations Photo Lab (best overall), Walgreens Photo (best for speed), and Walmart Photo (best price). You'll notice that Shutterfly is not included. In testing, Shutterfly produced only mediocre print quality while charging twice the price of Snapfish, which delivered similar results. EZPrints , the online photo printer for Target, also failed to make the cut.

Online photo printing services take your pictures and turn them into printed keepsakes, delivered to you through the mail or picked up at a local store. PCMag has been testing and rating these services for more than a dozen years. We upload photos to each service, edit them, choose prints, and wait for them to arrive or pick them up. We rate the best online photo printers on the quality of the prints, price, how easy their ordering system is to use, and the packaging used for delivery or ease of pickup. As with all PCMag testing and rating, we rely on high editorial integrity and objectivity, as outlined in our mission statement .

Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks

Best Print Quality Overall

Nations Photo Lab

4.5 Outstanding

  • Excellent print quality

  • Protective delivery packaging

  • TIFF file support

  • Good selection of photo gifts

  • Comparatively expensive

  • Web interface isn't the slickest

Nations Photo Lab has been delivering high-quality prints since , when three professional photographers couldn't find a lab with the quality, pricing, and turnaround times they required. The company they created now serves both pros and amateurs, and it delivered the best quality prints in terms of sharpness and color accuracy in our test orders. Shipped photos arrive in the sturdiest packaging of the services tested, equaled only by Printique's.

This photo printing service is for both professionals and picky consumers who don't mind paying just a little more for better quality than you get with budget-minded services. It's also a good option if you're looking for photo greeting cards, wall art, and gifts.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

36 cents

Largest Print

30 by 45

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

40% Off Your Next Order With Code 40PCMAG Nations Photo Lab

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Nations Photo Lab Review

Best for Speed

Walgreens Photo

4.0 Excellent

  • Fast printing

  • Sharp image quality

  • Basic online image editing

  • Can upload photos from social networks

  • Online album sharing

  • Expensive

Our test one-hour photo order from Walgreens Photo was ready the fastest of any similar service we tested, in just nine minutes. It's two cents cheaper per 4-by-6 print than CVS Photos, its main pharmacy photo-printing rival. The Walgreens Photo site lets you grab photos from your social networks, do a little editing, and share galleries with friends.

Walgreens Photo is for those who need pictures printed pronto and don't mind paying a little more. Of course, if you don't have a Walgreens nearby, look to CVS or Walmart.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

39 cents

Largest Print

24 by 36

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

Today&#;s Best Deal

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Walgreens Photo Review

Best for Low-Cost Enlargements

Walmart Photo

4.0 Excellent

  • Inexpensive

  • Fast service with same-day local pickup option

  • Clear web interface

  • Smartphone ordering app

  • Doesn&#;t accept HEIC or TIFF image files

Walmart offers 5-by-7-inch and 8-by-10 prints at a lower price than any competitor we tested. It's by far the cheapest for local pickup, too, at just 12 cents per 4-by-6 print. Walmart Photo also delivers decent print quality in acceptably protective packaging and uses a well-designed ordering interface.

Those looking for a bargain on larger prints or on photos they can pick up locally on the same day should consider Walmart. Walmart Plus members will also want to use it since they get free shipping.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

14 cents

Largest Print

24 by 36

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

Today&#;s Best Deal

Learn More

Walmart Photo Review

Best for Quality Prints and Paper

Mpix

4.0 Excellent

  • Clear interface and options

  • Good print quality

  • Online gallery sharing

  • Film processing

  • Glossy prints cost more

  • Prices on the high end

  • No TIFF or HEIC support on the desktop

Mpix is one of the more expensive mail-order photo printing services we tested. It delivers fine prints in some of the strongest packaging of any service, and its giclée and metallic paper are truly impressive, almost giving your shots a 3D look. The service also uses long-lasting Kodak photo paper.

Because Mpix costs more than the budget players in our roundup (like Snapfish and Walmart Photo) and offers more high-end options, it's best for professionals and serious amateur photographers.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

36 cents

Largest Print

20 by 24

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

30% Off First Order Mpix

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Mpix Review

Best for Free Prime Shipping

Amazon Prints

3.5 Good

  • Inexpensive

  • Quick delivery that's free for Prime subscribers

  • Better print image quality than some competing low-cost photo printing services

  • Unintuitive interface

  • Doesn't import photos from social networks

  • Doesn't accept high-megapixel photos

Amazon Prints produces superior image quality compared with other low-priced photo printers EZPrints, Shutterfly, and Snapfish (though Walmart Photo is better in price and quality). The service's prices for 5-by-7 and 8-by-10 enlargements are the cheapest of those we tested. For Amazon Prime subscribers, free and fast shipping is a strong incentive. The company also produces a good selection of gifts emblazoned with your photos.

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If you want the lowest prices for enlargements, Amazon Prints is for you. And as mentioned, using Amazon Prints is a no-brainer for Amazon Prime subscribers, who pay nothing for fast shipping. Non-subscribers pay just $4 for ground shipping on orders under $15.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

17 cents

Largest Print

20 by 30

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

$0.00 Amazon

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Amazon Prints Review

Best for Convenience

CVS Photo

3.5 Good

  • One-hour local pickup

  • No prepayment required; pay on pickup

  • Good ordering interface

  • Oversaturated colors and streaking in some test prints

  • Expensive

CVS produced sharp photo prints in testing, though the quality isn't as consistent as what you get from Walgreens Photo for one-hour local pickup.

Use CVS for your photo printing if you need photos in a hurry and live near a CVS. You won't get the best quality pictures, but for fastest turnaround, CVS is a good option.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

42 cents

Largest Print

24 by 36

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

Today&#;s Best Deal

Learn More

CVS Photo Review

Best for Sturdy Packaging

Printique

3.5 Good

  • Superior website usability and features

  • Highly protective packaging for shipping

  • Letterbox cropping and border options

  • TIFF and large files supported

  • Less sharp prints than those of most competitors

  • Few printed gift options

Printique comes from Adorama, a name long trusted by professional photographers. The company delivers photo prints on a good choice of paper. It and Nations Photo Lab used the sturdiest shipping material of the services we tested. The site also has one of the clearest, most capable interfaces for assembling and organizing your order.

Pros who use Adorama will be comfortable with this service, and anyone who needs to be absolutely sure the photos will arrive unharmed should consider it. Pricing is on the high end, but the ordering interface is tops.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

32 cents

Largest Print

40 by 60

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

Today&#;s Best Deal

Learn More

Printique Review

Best for Low-Cost Prints

Snapfish

3.5 Good

  • Inexpensive

  • Well-designed, fast, modern web interface

  • Lots of print surface options, including blankets, mugs, and more

  • Online gallery sharing

  • Only fair image quality

  • Average shipment packaging

  • Lacks TIFF and high-megapixel file support

The well-known Snapfish charges much less than any competitor per 4-by-6-inch print: just 10 cents. And if you use the mobile app, prints at that size are free, and you only pay shipping (which is on the high end). Snapfish also offers a wide selection of gifts and decor items to print your photos on, and the web and mobile interfaces are capable and well designed.

For any shutterbug who wants the lowest-cost prints available, Snapfish is the service for you. If quality is important, however, you should use a different photo printing service.

Lowest Price for 4-by-6 Print

10 cents

Largest Print

20 by 30

Metal Prints

Canvas Prints

Photo Editing

TIFF Support

Online Slideshows

Mobile Apps

Same-Day Pickup

GET IT NOW

Today&#;s Best Deal

Learn More

Snapfish Review

Buying Guide: The Best Online Photo Printing Services for

Which Photo Printing Service Has the Best Quality?

Print quality is the most important factor when ordering prints. How accurately do the photos reflect the images you shot? Most of the prints we received during testing, especially at the smaller 4-by-6-inch size, revealed acceptable image quality, but there are noticeable differences in lighting and saturation.

Nations Photo Lab and Mpix deliver the highest quality in terms of color, sharpness, and paper stock. You see different quality in 8-by-10 blowups compared with the small 4-by-6s. You can see the differences in the detail-rich city scene below. (If you're on a PC, you can right-click the image and view it in a new tab for a larger version.)

(Credit: PCMag)

And here's a 4-by-6 portrait comparing the services:

(Credit: PCMag/Justin Pietropaoli)

Paper is another consideration. Many services use Fuji Crystal archive, which is perfectly good, but higher-end services like Nations Photo Lab, Mpix, and Printique use truly professional-quality Kodak Endura paper, which is thicker and rated to last longer.

Where Can You Get Cheap Photo Prints?

You don't have to break the bank to get printed photos. For 17 cents or less per photo, you can have 4-by-6-inch prints from several services here. The lowest prices are from Snapfish (10 cents), Walmart (14 cents), and Amazon Prints (17 cents). Shutterfly and Snapfish have one of the cheapest options of all: If you use their mobile apps, you get 4-by-6-inch prints for free and only pay for shipping (though their shipping charges aren't cheap). Shutterfly caps this offer at 100 photos per month, while Snapfish says the offer is unlimited.

Of the photo printing services we tested, the most expensive mail-order photos cost 36 cents for a 4-by-6 print&#;that's from Nations Photo Labs and Mpix (plus shipping). You get better paper quality for that higher price. Local one-hour pickup options usually cost more. CVS Photo charges 42 cents apiece for 4-by-6s for local pickup, and Walgreens charges 39 cents for the same, though Walmart Photo charges only 14 cents, the same price as mailed prints.

Even if you want enlargements in popular sizes, such as 5-by-7 and 8-by-10, you don't have to spend a lot. Amazon Prints and Snapfish charge only 69 cents for a 5-by-7 print. Amazon Prints charges just $2.09 for an 8-by-10 print, and most other services charge a still-reasonable $2.99 to $3.99 for that size.

Wall art prints cost more, but prices still aren't exorbitant. All the services named above sell 16-by-20 prints for about $20, and some charge closer to $15.

One thing to keep in mind is that most photo printers offer special discount pricing from time to time, especially around the holidays.

What's the Best Photo Printing Service for Gifts and Greeting Cards?

Why stop at ordinary photo prints when you can put your pictures on mugs, playing cards, and even pillows? The best online photo printing services sell an assortment of objects that you can personalize with photos. All offer greeting cards, calendars, and photo books. Most also sell cases, blankets, and coffee mugs.

(Credit: Walmart)

Holiday greeting cards mean so much more when they include a photo or photos of your family, and most of the services here can produce them for you at reasonable rates. You can usually get 5-by-7 flat cards in the range of about 50 cents apiece (from Walmart) to about $3 from a high-end service. A few photo printers sell folded cards for a bit more. Typically, you pay less per card with a larger order volume. Premium options like foil printing, special cutout shapes, and linen card stock can be had at premium prices.

Shutterfly has the largest selection of photo gifts, with flowerpots, blankets, cell cases, pillows, shower curtains, and even pet food bowls. Walmart Photo will sell you a necktie with your picture on it or multiple copies of one shot. I'm still waiting for someone to offer photo-embellished rugs and lampshades. Puzzles and magnets are also popular options.

Where Can You Get Large Canvas Prints?

Nations Photo Lab sells canvas prints starting at $73.50 for an 8-by-10 stretched on a 3/4-inch frame; Snapfish canvases start at $39.99 for 8-by-8s; and Printique surprisingly undercuts that at $29.99 for an 8-by-8.

But there are other companies that sell large canvas prints that don't sell more traditional photo prints (which is why they aren't eligible to be listed above). Two we like are CanvasChamp and CanvasPop. CanvasPop has 12-by-16 canvas prints wrapped on a 3/4-inch frame for $90. The company also offers retouching and restoration services. CanvasChamp sells prints up to 54-by-54 inches and is more budget-oriented than CanvasPop, with prices starting at just $4.25 for a 5-by-7 or 8-by-8-inch canvas, but the quality doesn't match that of CanvasPop.

A canvas print created by CanvasPop. (Credit: PCMag)

Where Can You Get Mounted Prints?

Most of the photo printing services here offer a choice of hard backings for larger prints, and they'll also frame your picture, which increases the price significantly.

Suitable for wall hanging are prints on styrene standouts, gator board, and metal prints (more on this last type of print below). Mounting options from Nations Photo Lab include black styrene and gator board, which start at $5.15 and $7.52 for a 5-by-7, respectively. Gator board is stronger than standard foam plastic, and it's easy to hang on the wall because it's impregnated with wood fibers. All these types of backing are available from many of the online photo printing services included here.

Mpix offers a CollageWall option that lets you group related shots with a matching background. These start at $79.99 for a 2-by-1-foot array consisting of five photos; that price can go over $1,000 for a 10-by-3-foot wall display with dozens of component photos. Printique sells similar decor.

Framing adds the ultimate wall art touch to your large photos. It also adds cost. A framed 3.5-by-5 from Mpix costs $25.99. For matting, you pay an additional $10. Printique charges $104.79 for framed and matted prints at the 5-by-7 size, while Snapfish starts at $29.99 for that size.

Metal Prints and Wood Prints

Metal prints are an elegant and more permanent option than paper photos. Your photo is printed directly onto a metallic surface for more vivid colors and contrast. Prices go up considerably, however. For example, Nations Photo Lab charges $18.40 for a 4-by-6-inch metal print and $35.50 for an 8-by-10. Mpix has an option to print to paper using an effect called Metallic Print, so you can get a similar look at a lower price.

Some photo printing services now also offer wood mounting, a warm, homey choice. Walmart has both Rustic and Natural wood options, which start at $26.98 for a 5-by-7. The prints come with mounting holes in the back, and the printing process allows the wood grain to show through your image.

Using Photo Printing Services to Make Photo Books

Almost all the best photo printing services can make professionally printed books with your photos. Photo books are popular for special occasions, such as graduations and milestone anniversaries.

At the low end of the price spectrum, Printique charges $14.99 for a 4-by-4-inch softcover book of up to 20 pages, while Mpix charges $19.99 for a 5-by-5 book. Nations Photo Lab makes lightweight softcover Buzz Books with 40 photos for $19, while its hardcover books start at $45.75 for 5-by-7-inch books with 24 pages. Mpix sells so-called Premium hardcover books with sewn bindings starting at $39.99 for a 20-page 5-by-5-inch book and Classic hardcover books starting at $19.99.

Nations Photo Lab provides clear book designing options. (Credit: Nations Photo Lab/PCMag)

As you can imagine, prices go way up if you select larger book dimensions and more premium materials. For example, a 20-page 12-by-12 book with Deep Matte stock costs $135.99 from Mpix, and each extra page costs an additional $3.20.

Shutterfly has a free service that curates your photos and designs a book for you if you feel you're not up to the task yourself. The site has one of the best design tools, with three options: Make My Book; Custom Path, which lets you personalize every page; and Simple Path, which instantly lays out your photos.

If you're comfortable with photo editing software, Adobe's Lightroom Classic offers excellent photo book design tools and lets you send your project directly to a professional printer. Lightroom uses the book-only Blurb service. Another photo-book-only option is the well-designed Mixbook service. Google Photos includes an easy photo book creator and lets you order softcovers and hardcovers. A 7-inch square softcover is just $14.99 with 49 cents per extra picture over 20 (that includes the front and back). Google Photos can even auto-create suggested photo books based on your trips and occasions.

Editing, Ordering, and Sharing Photos

When ordering photos online, you want a friendly and navigable website. For example, most photo printing services let you simply check off all the sizes you want on a single-page grid. Others make you select a size for printing before choosing the images you want and then start over again if you want more sizes.

Walmart Photo lets you add multiple print sizes for each photo or for all at once. (Credit: Walmart/PCMag)

Some online photo printers offer basic photo-editing tools so you can brighten or darken an underexposed or overexposed shot, for example. Several services automatically apply color correction. Mpix offers retouching for $8 for one head in a photo and can remove braces or whiten teeth for the same price.

Online Sharing

A few photo printing services let you share your images online. Amazon, Mpix, Printique, and Shutterfly are particularly strong in this area. Shutterfly even lets you create online mini-websites for your photos. Snapfish and Walgreens Photo let you share online galleries that can be viewed as full-window slideshows. Amazon Photos provides unlimited free online storage for Prime subscribers.

Film Processing

This may seem a passé topic, but there's a contingent of photographers who still prefer to shoot on film. I recently needed film processing for one of those disposable underwater cameras that I used while snorkeling. Companies here that still process film include Mpix and some CVS and Walgreens locations.

For a film-only service with more options, including black-and-white film, check out The Darkroom, United Film Lab, or Bushwick Community Darkroom. These organizations can create digital copies of your photos, so you can edit and share them more easily, but getting prints costs extra.

Ordering Print Photos From a Mobile App

The most popular camera these days is one that's always with you&#;your . Smartphones have come a long way in terms of image quality, with some capturing images with 20 megapixels of resolution or higher. With most photos now being taken by phones, it only makes sense for a photo printing service to offer a mobile app to get the images straight from your to the print service.

Shutterfly's app gets you free prints for the price of shipping only and adds the ability to order photo gifts, while the Snapfish and Walgreens Photo apps can import photos from social networks, perform some editing, and let you share photos with friends. Nations Photo Labs has a mobile app that lets you order prints not only from the but from any of your social accounts.

Comparing the Shipping Packaging of Photo Printing Services

If you're not in a rush to get your photos, ordering them by mail (rather than for local pickup) gives you the widest range of options for print finishes and other details like paper stock. It usually doesn't take an inordinate amount of time to get your prints. The shipping cost for our order of 22 photos ranged from $4 to $10, although the reason for the price difference was stark&#;packaging. Our orders from Nations Photo Lab and Printique arrived in strong cardboard boxes, which gives the best protection.

Clockwise from top left: Walmart Photo, CVS Photo, Walgreens Photo, Mpix, Printique, Nations Photo Lab, EZPrints, Amazon Prints, Shutterfly, and Snapfish. (Credit: PCMag)

If you want faster delivery, most of the best photo printing services offer second-day and overnight delivery&#;but that's calculated from the day your photos are printed. So "overnight" doesn't necessarily mean your photos arrive the day after you pay for them, regardless of how much you pay for overnight shipping. Still, it could mean your pictures arrive a few days faster than if you selected standard shipping.

If you want your pictures pronto, Walgreens Photo is the service we recommend using, though CVS Photo and Walmart are also options. Target Photo no longer lets you pick up prints at its store locations; Target now sends you to EZPrints, which we don't recommend due to poor quality.

Get More From Your Photos

Please don't hesitate to share your experiences with photo printing services in the comments below. To learn more about improving your photos, check out our collections of quick tips to fix bad photos, beyond-basic photography tips, and the best photo editing software. And if you're set on printing your own pictures, our list of the best photo printers is a good place to start.

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