PickedTech
Buying guide

The Best Photo Printers in 2026

For serious photographers, the Epson SureColor P700 ($699) is the pick Wirecutter and PCMag agree on: archival pigment inks and prints up to 13 inches wide. For 4x6 prints at home, the Canon Selphy CP1500 ($159) is cheap to run.

By PickedTech Editorial TeamLast updated Prices & specs checked Oct 2026

Disclosure: PickedTech is reader-supported. Some links on this page are affiliate links, and we may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. This never affects which products we recommend or how we rank them. How we make money.

How this page was made: this is a research-based guide built from manufacturer spec pages, official prices and published lab measurements from the outlets we name and link. We haven’t tested these products ourselves, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.

Quick answer

For serious photographers, the Epson SureColor P700 ($699) is the pick Wirecutter and PCMag agree on: archival pigment inks and prints up to 13 inches wide. For 4x6 prints at home, the Canon Selphy CP1500 ($159) is cheap to run. Best overall: Epson SureColor P700, $699. Best budget pro: Canon Pixma PRO-200S, $429. Best pro-grade: Canon imagePrograf PRO-1100, $1,149.99.

Last updated Prices checked Oct 2026

Key facts at a glance

Key facts (prices checked Oct 2026)
PickProductBest forPrice
Best overallEpson SureColor P700photographers who want archival prints$699
Best budget proCanon Pixma PRO-200Svibrant prints for less$429 to $549
Best for wide printsEpson SureColor P900very wide prints$1,075 to $1,145
Best pro-gradeCanon imagePrograf PRO-1100the best print quality$1,149.99
Best home all-in-oneEpson Expression Photo XP-8800family photos plus everyday printing$304.89
Best 4x6Canon Selphy CP1500cheap 4x6 prints$159

Photo printers split into three groups: pro-grade printers for large, long-lasting prints; all-in-ones that print good photos and documents; and small snapshot printers for 4x6 prints.

Which should you buy? Our quick picks

$699; 13-inch, pigment inks
Check price (opens in a new tab)
Best budget pro
Canon Pixma PRO-200S
$429 to $549; dye inks
Check price (opens in a new tab)
Best for wide prints
Epson SureColor P900
$1,075; 17-inch
Check price (opens in a new tab)
$1,149.99
Check price (opens in a new tab)
Best home all-in-one
Epson Expression Photo XP-8800
$304.89
Check price (opens in a new tab)
$159
Check price (opens in a new tab)

How do they compare?

Photo printers compared (Wirecutter and PCMag; prices checked October 2026)
PrinterPrice seenMax paper widthInkBest for
Epson SureColor P700$69913 inPigmentPhotographers who want archival prints
Canon Pixma PRO-200S$429 to $549—DyeVibrant prints for less
Epson SureColor P900$1,075 to $1,14517 inPigmentVery wide prints
Canon imagePrograf PRO-1100$1,149.9917x22-inch sheets—The best print quality
Epson Expression Photo XP-8800$304.89——Family photos plus everyday printing
Canon Selphy CP1500$1594x6 and other small sizes—Cheap 4x6 prints

The picks in detail

Best overall

1. Epson SureColor P700

Best for: photographers who want archival prints

Wirecutter’s[1] top pick and a PCMag[2] Editors’ Choice. It uses archival pigment inks, has a color touchscreen and takes media up to 13 inches wide and 129 inches long, with borderless banners. PCMag praises the excellent quality and the automatic switching between media and black inks. Running costs are high and the cartridges are small; it ships with less-than-full ink cartridges, and Wirecutter says every printer it tested needed a complex setup process. $699 at Amazon when Wirecutter checked.

Price (Oct 2026): $699 Source

Pros

  • Archival pigment inks
  • Prints up to 13 inches wide
  • Picked by Wirecutter and PCMag

Cons

  • High running costs
  • Small cartridges
  • Complex setup
Check Epson SureColor P700 price (opens in a new tab)
Best budget pro

2. Canon Pixma PRO-200S

Best for: vibrant prints for less

Wirecutter’s[1] budget pick. Its dye inks give vibrant prints, but they won’t last as long as the pigment inks in the Epson P700. $549 at Amazon or Walmart, $429 at Best Buy when Wirecutter checked.

Price (Oct 2026): $429 to $549 Source

Pros

  • Vibrant dye inks
  • Cheaper than pro pigment printers

Cons

  • Prints fade sooner than pigment
Check Canon Pixma PRO-200S price (opens in a new tab)
Best for wide prints

3. Epson SureColor P900

Best for: very wide prints

Wirecutter’s[1] pick for very wide prints and PCMag’s[2] best pro-grade printer for roll paper (Editors’ Choice). It takes 17-inch paper versus the P700’s 13, prints cut sheets up to 17x22 inches and banners, and PCMag calls its ink costs competitive. The roll-paper adapter costs extra. $1,075 at Amazon when Wirecutter checked; $1,145 at Dell when PCMag checked.

Price (Oct 2026): $1,075 to $1,145 Source

Pros

  • 17-inch prints
  • Competitive ink costs
  • Roll paper support

Cons

  • Roll adapter costs extra
  • Expensive
Check Epson SureColor P900 price (opens in a new tab)
Best pro-grade

4. Canon imagePrograf PRO-1100

Best for: the best print quality

PCMag’s[2] best overall pro-grade photo printer (Editors’ Choice). PCMag praises superb quality, scratch resistance and longevity, air-feed paper handling, an anti-clogging nozzle system, and sheets up to 17x22 inches. It’s only slightly faster than its predecessor and doesn’t take roll paper. $1,149.99.

Price (Oct 2026): $1,149.99 Source

Pros

  • Superb print quality
  • Long-lasting prints
  • 17x22-inch sheets

Cons

  • No roll paper
  • Small speed gain over its predecessor
Check Canon imagePrograf PRO-1100 price (opens in a new tab)
Best home all-in-one

5. Epson Expression Photo XP-8800

Best for: family photos plus everyday printing

PCMag’s[2] best home all-in-one photo printer (Editors’ Choice). It prints, scans and copies, supports mobile printing and USB/SD cards, and has two trays and automatic two-sided printing. There’s no document feeder, scans are limited to letter/A4 size and photo copies are lackluster. $304.89.

Price (Oct 2026): $304.89 Source

Pros

  • Prints, scans and copies
  • Two trays and auto duplex
  • Memory-card printing

Cons

  • No ADF
  • Lackluster photo copies
Check Epson Expression Photo XP-8800 price (opens in a new tab)
Best 4x6

6. Canon Selphy CP1500

Best for: cheap 4x6 prints

PCMag’s[2] best conventional-size snapshot printer. It makes solid-quality prints with low running costs for 4x6, handles several paper sizes, prints from USB or SD, and has an optional battery. There’s no Windows or macOS software, so you print from a phone or a card. $159.

Price (Oct 2026): $159 Source

Pros

  • Low 4x6 running costs
  • Easy control panel
  • Optional battery

Cons

  • No Windows or macOS software
Check Canon Selphy CP1500 price (opens in a new tab)

Also considered

Canon Selphy QX20: Reviewed by PCMag[2] ($158): a pocket-size snapshot printer.

HP Sprocket Select: Reviewed by PCMag ($89.99).

Kodak Step Instant: Reviewed by PCMag ($79.99).

Epson Expression Photo XP-980: Reviewed by PCMag ($229.99): an all-in-one for occasional borderless prints up to 11x17 inches.

Pigment or dye ink?

Pigment inks (Epson P700, P900, Canon PRO-1100) last longer, which matters for prints you sell or frame. Dye inks (Canon PRO-200S) look vibrant but fade sooner. For everyday documents, a regular printer is cheaper to run: see our best printers.

Digitizing old prints first?

A photo scanner turns old prints into files you can edit and reprint. See our best scanners guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best photo printer?
The Epson SureColor P700 ($699), Wirecutter’s[1] top pick and a PCMag[2] Editors’ Choice. It uses archival pigment inks and prints up to 13 inches wide.
What is the best cheap photo printer?
For 4x6 prints, PCMag’s[2] pick is the Canon Selphy CP1500 ($159), with low running costs. For larger prints, Wirecutter’s[1] budget pick is the Canon Pixma PRO-200S.
Are photo printers expensive to run?
Pro models can be. PCMag[2] calls the P700’s running costs too high and notes its small cartridges, while it found the P900’s per-milliliter ink costs competitive.

Sources

Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.

  1. Wirecutter: The best photo printer (updated November 25, 2025) (nytimes.com)
  2. PCMag: The best photo printers (updated October 3, 2026) (pcmag.com)
best of

The Best Label Makers and Label Printers in 2026

Wirecutter’s top label maker is the $40 Brother P-touch PT-N25BT, which pairs a phone app with a built-in keyboard. For office address labels, PCMag picks the Brother QL-800. For 4x6 shipping labels, it picks the Rollo X1040.

best of

The Best Laser Printers in 2026

Wirecutter’s best laser printer for home use is the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($209.99 list at Brother). PCMag’s best budget color laser is the Brother HL-L3295CDW (Editors’ Choice).

best of

The Best All-in-One Printers in 2026

Wirecutter’s top all-in-one is the Brother MFC-J4355DW ($209): it’s cheap to run and comes with a year’s worth of ink. For a laser AIO, both Wirecutter and PCMag (Editors’ Choice) pick the Brother MFC-L3780CDW.

best of

The Best Printers in 2026

For most homes, Wirecutter’s pick is the Brother MFC-J4355DW inkjet all-in-one ($180 to $209), which comes with a year of ink. If you mostly print black-and-white text, a cheap mono laser such as the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($210) costs less to run and rarely clogs.

best of

The Best Scanners in 2026

For a home office drowning in paper, PCMag’s best desktop document scanner is the Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 ($379.99). The Brother ADS-1350W (about $290) is a smaller sheet-fed option, and if you only scan the odd page or photo, a $70 Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 flatbed is enough.

best of

The Best Monitors for Photo Editing

Buy a factory-calibrated wide-gamut panel if print work matters. BenQ SW and ASUS ProArt target photographers; Dell UltraSharp is the office-friendly USB-C pick.

best of

The Best Mirrorless Cameras in 2026

The best mirrorless camera depends on which lenses you’ll buy, so Wirecutter picks one per system. If you’re starting fresh, the Nikon Z5II (about $1,697) might be the best value in full-frame, and PCMag also calls it the best entry-level full-frame camera.