Despite the prevalence of digital photo sharing, analog forms of documentation such as scrapbooking and journaling have continued to thrive. In fact, instant cameras have found their way back to the consumer market in recent years, as more and more people have been looking for a more tangible way to document and share their memories. Aside from using an instant camera to capture and develop your photos instantly, another option is to use portable photo printers that allow you to print pictures directly from your smartphone, tablet, or digital camera.
Portable photo printers are virtually the same across different brands, but there are a few things you should consider before buying a photo printer:
Contents
What to consider when buying a photo printer
- Frequency of use
- Cost
- Output quality
- Connectivity
In order for you to get the best photo printer that will fit your needs, you have to figure out which features are important to you. Here’s a list of the things you should consider before purchasing one:
1. Frequency of use
One of the things you should consider is how often you will use your printer and how much you are planning to print. Are you going to use it to document everyday adventures or are you going to reserve it for special occasions or travel?
Consider the volume of prints it can produce on a single charge, the average printing time per photo, and other factors that you need to allow you to fully utilize your portable photo printer.
2. Cost
It would be wise to note that there are wireless photo printers that are affordable, but have refills that are a bit higher in price. Likewise, there are portable photo printers that are priced higher, but have film or refills that are sold in bulk at a cheaper rate.
3. Output quality
Would you prefer something higher in resolution or would a basic print suffice? Would you like the option to get your photos printed on paper with various patterns and designs? Or would a plain old photo be okay with you? Do you want a photo that looks like something out of an instant camera or do you want it to appear like a regular photo?
There are plenty of options for you to explore, so think carefully about the print options you’d want your camera to have.
4. Connectivity
Another thing you should consider is how you plan to connect your photo printer to your device. Most photo printers come Wi-Fi enabled so you can connect your mobile phone or tablet to it and print your photos. There are others that come with bluetooth options and cables.
Choose one that you think would best fit your printing needs.
Best Portable Photo Printers
- Fujifilm instax SHARE SP-2 Smartphone Printer
- Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer
- Kodak PM-210G – Photo Printer
- VuPoint Solutions Photo Cube Mini Wireless Pocket Photo Printer
- Canon SELPHY CP1200 Wireless Compact Photo Printer
- Kodak PD-450W Photo Printer
- Canon SELPHY CP1300 Wireless Compact Photo Printer
Fujifilm Instax SHARE SP-2 Smartphone Printer
Best portable photo printer for multiple printing
Adorama Price: $149.95
With its built-in reprint button, the Fujifilm Instax SHARE Smartphone Printer SP-2 makes producing multiple photo prints incredibly convenient. This device offers high-speed printing at around 10 seconds per print and offers up to about 100 prints per charge. It also allows you to easily upload your photos to your social media accounts through its dedicated Share app and comes with built-in design templates and filters that you can use for quick editing before uploading and sharing your photo.
Refills come in packs of 10 and are able to replicate the color of a subject or scene—even skin tone, whether under natural light or using flash. With its ultra fine grain structure, you get high quality glossy images up to 320 dpi.
Key Specs:
- Film/Paper Type: Fujifilm INSTAX mini instant color film
- Image Size: 2.4in x 1.8in
- Supported Image Size (Dots): 800 x 600
- Image Formats: JPEG, PNG
- Printing Method: 3-color exposure with OLED
- Printing Levels: 256 levels per color (RGB)
- Printing Resolution: 320 dpi
- Printing Time: 10 seconds (approx.)
- Printing Capacity: 100 prints (approx.)
- Charging Time: 90 minutes (approx.)
- Connectivity Options: Wi-Fi
- Dimensions: 3.5in x 5.2in x 1.6in (excluding projections)
- Weight: 8.8oz
Polaroid ZIP Mobile Printer
Best portable photo printer for travel
Adorama Price: $129.99
Weighing just about 6.6 ounces, the pocket-friendly Polaroid Zip Mobile Printer is ideal for travel. It produces 2×3” full-color prints, which is ideal if you want to print out small photos to keep inside your wallet or use for specific craft projects.
Polaroid Zip makes use of a patented ZINK photo paper that allows you to print totally smudge-proof photos without the need for ink. This type of paper also features a peel-off back so you can use the photos as stickers.
Key Specs:
- Film/Paper Type: ZINK Zero Ink Premium Photo Paper
- Image Size: 2in x 3in
- Printing Method: ZINK (Zero Ink Printing Technology)
- Printing Time: >1 minute
- Paper Capacity: 10 sheets
- Charging Time: 1.5 hours
- Power: Built-In Rechargeable Lithium-Polymer Battery (500mAh)
- Battery Life: Up to 25 prints
- Connectivity Options: Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
- OS Compatibility: iOS and Android
- Dimensions: 2.9in x 4.7in x 0.9in
- Weight: 6.6oz
Kodak PM-210G Photo Printer Mini
Best portable photo printer for print durability
Adorama Price: $99.99
Kodak PM-210G combines easy connectivity and print durability to give users an excellent photo printing experience. It has both NFC Tap and Wi-Fi Direct, which allows you to connect your phone to any compatible device through the app in an instant.
Because of its overcoating and laminating process, you won’t have to worry about leaving fingerprints on the picture or humidity damaging your prints. This photo printer was also created to capture the texture of the human face down to the last detail, which makes it perfect for printing ID photos as well.
Key Specs:
- Film/Paper Type: Kodak All-in-One Cartridge (Ink and Paper)
- Image Size: 2.1in x 3.4in
- Image Formats: JPEG, PNG
- Printing Method: Dye-Sublimation Thermal Transfer
- Printing Levels: 256 levels per color
- Printing Time: 60 seconds
- Printing Resolution: 291 dpi
- Power: Built-in 620mAh Battery / DC 5V/1.0A
- Connectivity Options: Wi-Fi (Apple); NFC, Wi-Fi Direct (Android)
- Dimensions: 3.12in x 6.15in x 0.97in
- Weight: 8.82oz
Canon SELPHY CP1200 Wireless Compact Photo Printer
Best portable photo printer for all-around use
Adorama Price: $129.99
If you’re looking for a photo printer that offers the versatility of printing in multiple sizes and on different types of paper, then the SELPHY CP1200 wireless compact photo printer may be worth checking out. Its size and design allow you to print on whichever of the 43 built-in ID sizes and four paper sizes you prefer—Card Size (2.1x 3.4″), Postcard (3.9x 5.8″), L Size (3.5x 4.7″), or Square Label (2.0x 2.0″).
Canon Selphy CP1200 has a built-in Wi-Fi button that conveniently connects you to any wireless network of your choice. It is also compatible with a number of photo printing apps like AirPrint™2, Wireless PictBridge9, or the Canon PRINT Inkjet/Selphy app for Android, iOS, and Windows RT. You also have multiple options for connecting your printer with your mobile device. Image transfer can be done via memory card, USB, or directly from a camera.
Other features that make the CP1200 stand out are its tilting LCD screen for easier viewing, a Portrait Image Optimize feature for automatically correcting red eyes and minor exposure issues, and dual power supply options (plug your device to a socket for continuous power or use a battery pack for maximum portability).
Key Specs:
- Film/Paper Type: Any photo paper
- Image Sizes: 2.1in x 3.4in / 3.9in x 5.8in /3.5in x 4.7in / 2in x 2in
- Supported Image Size (Dots): 300 x 300
- Printing Method: Dye-Sublimation
- Printing Levels: 256 levels per color
- Printing Time: 39 to 47 seconds
- Paper Capacity: 18 Sheets (standard paper tray)
- Connectivity Options: Wi-Fi, Wireless Lan, USB, Memory Card Support
- Dimensions: 7.1in x 5.4in x 2.5in
- Weight: 30.4oz
Kodak PD-450W Photo Printer
Best easy-to-use portable photo printer
Adorama Price: $139.99
The Kodak PD-450 Photo Printer makes use of a dock printing system for ease and convenience. All you have to do is place your Android phone on the 5-pin dock or plug your Apple device in with a lightning cable, hit the “One Touch” button, and wait for your photo print to come out.
You can also print directly from your digital camera using the built-in PictBridge technology and edit your photos on your phone prior to printing with the templates and filters available on the Kodak Photo Printer App.
- Film/Paper Type: Any photo paper
- Image Size: 4in x 6in
- Image Format: JPEG
- Printing Levels: 256 gradation (16.7M Colors)
- Printing Method: Dye-Sublimation Thermal Transfer
- Connectivity Options: USB, Wi-Fi
- Dimensions: 6.6in x 3.9in x 2.7in
- Weight: 26.81oz
Canon SELPHY CP1300 Wireless Compact Photo Printer
Best portable photo printer for family use
Adorama Price: $129.99
A newer and more updated version of the Selphy CP1200, the SELPHY CP1300 wireless compact photo printer is another option you can look into if you want the reliability of the CP1200, but also want to take advantage of the improved features.
Among these features are Party Shuffle Print, which allows you to gather pictures from multiple devices simultaneously through Wi-Fi. It also has a bigger, 3.2-inch tilting LCD screen which allows you to view your printing option better even from a distance. It also has an updated user interface which makes it easier for you to figure out what a particular control is for.
Key Specs:
- Film/Paper Type: Any photo paper
- Image Sizes: 2.1in x 3.4in / 3.9in x 5.8in /3.5in x 4.7in / 2in x 2in
- Printing Technology: Dye-Sublimation
- Print Resolution: 300 dpi
- Printing Levels: 256 levels per color
- Printing Time: 39 to 47 seconds
- Paper Capacity: 18 Sheets (standard paper tray)
- Connectivity Options: Wi-Fi, Wireless LAN, USB, Memory Card Support
- Dimensions: 7.1in x 5.4in x 2.5in
- Weight: 30.4oz
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