If you're an iPhone user and want to print photos straight from your phone, choosing the right one for your needs can be hard, as there are many models. To help you with buying decisions, we've compiled a list of printers with the best print quality for each price segment. These printers have Wi-Fi connectivity so that you can connect your iPhone easily, and they all support Apple AirPrint, allowing you to print without having to install any drivers or third-party apps. Some models even have additional features within the printer's mobile app that aren't available for other devices, like Android smartphones.
Below are our recommendations for the best photo printers for iPhone you can buy. For other options, check out our picks for the best home printers, the best portable printers, and for the MacBook users, the best printers for Mac.
Quick Look
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Best iPhone Photo Printer
Build Quality8.0Photo8.8Color Quality7.9Photo Printing Cost0.070 US$/printAverage Color dE6.48Photo Printing Time48.1 sRecurring Costs10Cartridge10Estimated Color Page Yield3,319 printsEstimated Black Page Yield4,978 printsSee all our test resultsColor Printing Cost0.026 US$/printThe best photo printer for iPhone we've tested is the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500, a variant of the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 we tested. The flagship ET-8550 has a larger 8.5" x 14" flatbed scanner and supports wide format paper up to 13" x 19", while this ET-8500 variant has an 8.5" x 11.7" scanner and supports up to 8.5" x 11" paper. The ET-8550 is still a great option if you need wide-format printing, but for most people, the ET-8500 is likely a more sensible, less costly option.
Regarding print quality, this model produces amazingly detailed and colorful pictures. Color accuracy is okay; it tends to oversaturate colors to make them appear more vibrant, but printed photos still look natural. The scanner produces high-quality scans, which is great for digitizing your old photos. You can connect to the printer via USB or Wi-Fi, and of course, there's Apple AirPrint support. The mobile companion app has functions exclusive to the iOS version, like the ability to change the paper type and size, the paper source, and the color space (Adobe RGB or sRGB). Since this is a supertank model, you won't need to worry about high ownership costs. It yields thousands of prints from a full ink tank, and ink refill bottles are cheap.
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Best Mid-Range iPhone Photo Printer
Build Quality6.0Photo8.0Color Quality7.2Photo Printing Cost0.028 US$/printAverage Color dE6.49Photo Printing Time90.0 sRecurring Costs10Cartridge10Estimated Color Page Yield3,979 printsEstimated Black Page Yield3,990 printsSee all our test resultsColor Printing Cost0.011 US$/printOur mid-range pick is the Epson EcoTank ET-2800, also sold as the Epson EcoTank ET-2803 at Walmart and Target. It's also an all-in-one supertank model with a high page yield and cheap ink, keeping maintenance costs low. Its print quality is great; printed photos look sharp and reasonably color-accurate. The only complaint is that the photos look slightly grainy. Unfortunately, it's pretty slow speed-wise, taking about a minute and a half to print a single 4" x 6" photo.
You can connect to the printer via Wi-Fi, and you still get Apple AirPrint support and compatibility with the Epson mobile app. The scanner produces good-quality scans; it boosts the contrast and saturation a bit, so you may need to do some retouches if you want the scan to be as close to the original as possible.
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Best Budget iPhone Photo Printer
Build Quality7.5Photo8.0Color Quality7.3Photo Printing Cost0.375 US$/printAverage Color dE4.93Photo Printing Time60.0 sRecurring Costs7.7Cartridge6.5Estimated Color Page Yield320 printsEstimated Black Page Yield228 printsSee all our test resultsColor Printing Cost0.150 US$/printFor those on a tighter budget, we recommend the Canon PIXMA TR8620a. This all-in-one produces detailed and vibrant photos and supports various paper sizes up to 8.5" x 11". It takes about a minute to print a 4" x 6" picture, which is within the typical range of most inkjet printers. You can connect via Wi-Fi or USB, and naturally, there's support for Apple AirPrint.
Unlike the EcoTank picks above, this model uses more traditional ink cartridges, resulting in a significantly lower page yield. Thankfully, the cartridges are relatively cheap, so your maintenance cost won't rise too much if you print a lot. You can get XL cartridges that'll last longer, and the printer accepts third-party ink. This printer is also eligible for Canon's ink replenishment service, which will send you new cartridges when the printer is low on ink. While this printer's price is higher at the time of writing than it has been, it regularly goes on sale; we still recommend it at either price point.
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Best Cheap iPhone Photo Printer
Build Quality5.5Photo7.8Color Quality7.0Photo Printing Cost0.245 US$/printAverage Color dE5.24Photo Printing Time50.4 sRecurring Costs7.2Cartridge4.8Estimated Color Page Yield254 printsEstimated Black Page Yield142 printsSee all our test resultsColor Printing Cost0.098 US$/printIf you need a cheap printer to print the occasional photo, the Canon PIXMA MG3620 might be a good fit. It prints good-quality photos with well-rendered fine details and decent color accuracy. Its printing speed is also pretty quick, as it takes only 50 seconds to print a 4" x 6" picture. It has a flatbed scanner that's well-suited for digitizing photos, too, not to mention Wi-Fi connectivity and Apple AirPrint support. Again, it prints borderless, but only on paper up to 8.5" x 11" in size.
Cheap printers tend to have some compromises to meet their price point, and this model is no exception. It uses a two-cartridge system with one black and one tri-color cartridge that have low ink yields; if you have large print loads, you'll likely experience fading or incomplete prints as a result. Also, since there's only one color cartridge, you have to replace the entire cartridge if only a single color runs out, which is wasteful. If you need to print a lot, it's best to get a model with higher page yields, like the Canon PIXMA TR8620a above.
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Best Portable iPhone Photo Printer
Build Quality6.5Photo7.7Color Quality6.7Photo Printing Cost0.221 US$/printAverage Color dE7.66Photo Printing Time63.0 sRecurring Costs7.8Cartridge4.2Estimated Color Page Yield194 printsEstimated Black Page Yield179 printsSee all our test resultsColor Printing Cost0.108 US$/printFor on-the-go printing, the Canon PIXMA TR150 is one of the best iPhone photo printers. You can connect to the printer via USB or Wi-Fi, and thanks to its Apple AirPrint support, you can start printing without installing any drivers or third-party apps. Though slightly grainy, the photos it produces still look detailed and colorful. It prints on glossy paper and supports various paper sizes, including 4" x 6", 5" x 7", and 8" x 10". As a portable printer, it has a built-in rechargeable battery, allowing you to print anywhere. The battery is good for around 330 prints and takes about two hours to fully charge.
If you want something even more portable, check out the Canon SELPHY Square QX10. It's much more compact and easier to fit into a small bag. It uses dye-sublimation to print photos and can only print on Canon's 2.84" x 3.35" proprietary paper. Its print quality isn't as good as the TR150, although that's normal since it's designed to produce Polaroid-like photos. Compared to the TR150, the main tradeoffs are its higher cost-per-print and shorter battery life.
Notable Mentions
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Canon PIXMA PRO-200S:
The Canon PIXMA PRO-200S is a good alternative to the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500. It has better color accuracy than the Epson, but it isn't as good at reproducing small details. It yields fewer prints, which means you'll have to spend more on replacement ink in the long run. Also, it doesn't have a scanner and suffers from some software quirks that make it difficult to use over Wi-Fi.
See our review - Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262: If you have a large print load, the Canon PIXMA G3260/G3262 is a good alternative to the Canon PIXMA TR8620a. It costs more, but its refillable ink tank yields significantly more prints, so you won't have to spend as much for replacement ink. It has a slightly wider color range than the TR8620a but isn't as color-accurate. It also prints slower and can't print directly from a USB flash drive like the TR8620a. See our review
- Canon PIXMA TR7820/TS7720: The Canon PIXMA TR7820/TS7720 is a great alternative to the Canon PIXMA TR8620a. Its print quality is similar to the TR8620a; however, it'll cost more in replacement ink in the long run because it doesn't yield as many pages. Also, it uses a tri-color cartridge, which means you have to replace the entire cartridge if one color runs out. See our review
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Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2:
For those looking for a compact photo printer you can easily carry in your purse or backpack, get the Polaroid Hi-Print Generation 2. It produces the typical Polaroid photo; however, its print quality can't compare to portable inkjet printers like the Canon PIXMA TR150, but it's fantastic at what it does.
See our review
Recent Updates
Apr 10, 2025:
We removed the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 because it's discontinued, making the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500 the top pick. Added the Canon PIXMA PRO-200S as a Notable Mention.
Jan 21, 2025:
Due to product availability, we've replaced the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 with the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 and made edits for clarity.
Oct 28, 2024:
We've added the Polaroid Hi-Sense Generation 2 to the Notable Mentions section as an alternative to the 'Best Portable iPhone Photo Printer.' We've also made small edits for clarity.
Aug 08, 2024: We've completely revamped this article, introducing a new format, new performance usages, and changes in recommendations to better represent the best choices available.
May 14, 2024: Made minor text changes for accuracy. No changes in picks.
All Reviews
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best iPhone photo printers for most people. In addition to the test results, we factor in the price, feedback from our visitors, and availability.
If you would like to do the work of choosing yourself, here's the list of all our printer reviews. Be careful not to get too caught up in the details. While no printer is perfect for every use, most are good enough to please almost everyone, and the differences are often not noticeable unless you really look for them.