The number of inks plays a decisive role in the photo printer.There are also talents such as printing banners and CDs.TechStage simplifies the search for the ideal photo specialist.If you take photos, you want to print them out in super quality.And if mobile printers are too small for cell phones (list of the best), then a real printer is needed.Modern printers or multifunction devices can also print smaller formats borderless at the same time.All manufacturers advertise that their printers can produce "photo quality" photos on paper.In principle, that is also true, but not entirely.This is how a color laser printer fails for true photo printing.The technology is designed for the flexible handling of normal paper and also achieves a high level here.What it lacks: It cannot produce borderless photos.That could possibly be gotten over, but there is another factor: Because a laser printer is also limited in media management.Since toner is fixed to the surface with heat, real photo paper cannot be used.But they are the prerequisite for a true photo feeling to arise.Only an inkjet printer can handle this thick photo media, which consists of many layers - at least if it is to be used in the home or small office.There are alternatives for the high-end professional areas.But they are very expensive and are therefore left out here.Printers use the CMYK color space (cyan, magenta, yellow, key = black component).However, this is smaller than the color representation according to RGB (red, green, blue), on which the digital recordings and display devices such as monitors are based.A loss of color nuances during printing is therefore unavoidable.Photo printers try to mitigate the deficit with more ink colors, but it cannot be completely compensated.Printers with five inks therefore represent a compromise: Here the colors blue (cyan), red (magenta) and yellow (yellow) are joined by a photo black.The text black that is usually also present consists of pigment ink and is not used in photo printing.The extra photo black ink increases the contrast.This gives the image content more depth and liveliness.In practice, this method works well and is suitable for users who are looking for a printer for all application scenarios - such as the Canon Pixma TS705 for around 90 euros, which can only print.Or the corresponding multifunction device - Canon Pixma TS6350 - which also scans and copies, but also costs about 80 euros more.The fact that the multifunction device is significantly more expensive is not least due to the current supply bottlenecks, which are making these all-round multifunction devices much more expensive because the available quantities have collapsed.Now rare, but formerly very common, are photo printers with additional light inks for red and blue - called light magenta and light cyan.They buffer color differences in areas that catch the viewer's eye - such as exaggerated skin tones or areas of the sky.While four-color printers often simply produce spots here, corresponding six-color printers can bring more nuances and smooth transitions to the paper.Manufacturer Epson continues to offer models with bright additional colors - such as the single-function printer Epson Expression Photo XP-55 for around 155 euros or the comparable multifunction device Epson Expression Photo XP-8700, which is in a similar price range.Canon, on the other hand, relies on different solutions for domestic photo printing: With the multifunction device Canon Pixma TS8350 from 180 euros, in addition to the CMYK inks and photo black, an additional photo blue ensures a more detailed color representation.The model with built-in ink tanks, Canon Pixma G650, which starts at around 300 euros, uses gray and red as extra ink colors. Thanks to the gray ink, prints in gray scales get finer gradations.At the same time, the gray ink ensures that color casts in the gray levels are avoided.They are easily created when mixing CMY together, as one color - often red - is over-represented.In addition to the printing mechanism and the ink colors used, certain features are also part of a good photo printer.Photo fans don't want to constantly switch back and forth between normal and special paper.Therefore, a good photo printer should either have a separate tray for photo media or have a rear feeder, which is particularly well suited for heavy photo media thanks to its straight paper path.The aforementioned Canon Pixma TS8350 has a rear feeder, while the Epson Expression XP-8700 has an extra photo compartment.It should be noted that most photo trays have a size limit that is below the printer's maximum print size.The Epson model only fits papers up to 13 x 18 centimeters in the compartment.But it still has a single-sheet feed tray for particularly thick media.Touch control panels are also convenient for operating the photo printer without the PC.Devices that can only print often only have buttons on the device instead of a real panel.Multifunction devices are usually better equipped in this respect.However, this is not automatic here either.The only remedy is a closer look at the desired device.True photo specialists can handle not only paper, but also CDs and DVDs.This requires appropriate media that bring a printable coating.Although this function used to be more important than it is today, one or the other user will still be looking for a photo printer for this very reason.An example is the already mentioned Epson Expression Photo XP-8700.Epson also offers a cheaper multifunction device in the Expression Premium XP-7100 from 100 euros, which, however, only provides photo black as additional ink for photo printing.The variety of print media that can be used also speaks for the use of a photo printer.In addition to different photo media, some printer models with ink tanks are surprising because they can also print banners.With the aforementioned Canon Pixma G650, this is possible over a length of up to 1.2 meters via the rear paper compartment.The Epson Ecotank ET-8500, which starts at a whopping 600 euros, even has an extra feeder that can be used to process banner lengths of up to two meters.Banner paper is not classic photo paper, but it offers a smooth surface and high paper thickness.That's why the colors come into their own here, too.Photo printers are slow, there's no other way to put it.Because the combination of high resolution and photo paper is inevitably at the expense of the pace of work.Depending on the printer model, an A4 printout can take five or more minutes.If no information on the photo printing speed can be found in the technical data for the desired printer, then the general printing speed data will provide information.A leisurely printer will make even slower progress in photo printing.The cost of photo printing is more important than the printing speed.They are and will remain high.An A4 printout can cost several euros in the sum of ink and paper.This is true even when long-range cartridges are used.Therefore, individual cartridges are a must for photo printers.Here you only replace the empty printed color, while with combination cartridges the entire unit fails, even if only one color chamber is empty - an absurdity with photos.And also the reason why no devices from HP can be found in the article.The manufacturer is currently using combination cartridges with three colors and an integrated print head for printers with the designation suffix "Photo" - such as the HP Envy Photo 6230, which is available from 100 euros.The costs can only be significantly reduced with an ink tank printer, since the ink comes from bottles that are comparatively cheap to buy afterwards.Even if the consumption data for photo printing from the manufacturers usually remain vague, they give an indication of the follow-up costs: Canon speaks of a range of 3800 photos in the format of 10 x 15 centimeters with the six-color Pixma G650 printer.Based on the RRPs for the replacement bottles, this results in an ink price of around 2.4 cents per photo.That is gigantic low, even if the manufacturer does not comment exactly on the test method used.Manufacturers usually refer to their own routines.But one thing is clear: a cartridge photo printer does not achieve such a low ink price.If DIN A4 is not sufficient as the maximum possible print format, then there are a number of A3 photo printers to choose from.They usually also cover the oversize A3+ format and can therefore also handle printing paper that is slightly larger than A3 (297 x 420 millimeters) to create prints with crop marks.The selection criteria that apply to the A4 range can also be applied to the A3 counterparts.Entry here is around 300 euros, as shown, for example, by the multifunction device Epson Expression Photo XP-970, whose six-color printing unit relies on the light variants of red (LM) and blue (LC) in addition to CMYK.The all-rounder variant, which uses the additional ink photo black for photo printing, can be found in the Canon Pixma TS9550, for example, which starts at 270 euros.The group of A3 photo printers is not only intended for domestic photo enthusiasts, but also includes many models for professional users such as graphic designers, photographers and artists.In addition to photo media, you also want to use fine art paper.Although these have a rough surface, they are particularly heavy at a good 300 grams per square meter.This allows ink to sink into different layers, creating a three-dimensional effect when printed.This only works with a paper path that is as straight as possible, which these photo printers provide via a rear feed.The printers are priced at well over 300 euros - as shown by the Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000, for which a good 360 euros are due.Another example is the Canon Pixma Pro 200 for a good 500 euros.Tank printer lovers will also find what they are looking for in the A3 area.Here, however, the device prices are high even for the models that rely on an additional photo black for the photo output, such as the Epson Ecotank ET-7750, for which retailers are currently asking around 880 euros.Since this is a multifunction device, it should be noted that the built-in scanner does not accept A3 templates, but is rather limited to DIN A4.Anyone who is interested in a photo printer is currently more or less limited to the manufacturers Canon and Epson.However, the two manufacturers have so many models in their range that almost every printer wish can be fulfilled.Brother and HP, on the other hand, focus on printer models with four inks.Basically, if the photo printer is to have an all-round character, devices with a five-color printing unit should be considered.True photo printing specialists work with six or more inks.In any case, photo printers are an expensive affair: Device prices start at a good 100 euros, but are only the purchase side.Since high resolutions are always required for photo printing so that a grid cannot be seen on the printout, a lot of ink ends up on the paper.In addition, there are the special photo media that create the classic photo impression.This means that several euros quickly accumulate per printout.If you don't let the cost put you off, you won't be disappointed with the print quality.Because the photo output devices deliver high-quality results.If the colors of the print differ greatly from those on the screen, a calibrated monitor can help.You can either adjust the color yourself using a colorimeter or you can purchase a pre-calibrated display.We show more on the subject in the Printers section.There we have published our best list of ten small, mobile photo printers and explain how to find the ideal printer for homeschooling or which multifunction device is right.- The links marked with are commission links (affiliate links).If an order is placed via such a link, TechStage receives a commission.This does not result in any additional costs for the buyer.