If you're an iPhone user and want to print photos straight from your phone, it can be hard to choose the right one for your needs as there are lots of models to choose from. To help you with your buying decision, we've put together 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.
We've tested over 120 printers, and below are our recommendations for the best iPhone photo printers you can buy. For other options, check out our picks for the best home printers, the best all-in-one printers, and the best inkjet printers.
The best iPhone photo printer we've tested is the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300, a professional-grade unit that produces amazingly detailed and colorful photos. You can connect your iPhone to the printer via Wi-Fi, and since it supports Apple AirPrint, you can start printing right away without needing to install any drivers or third-party apps. There's a mobile app called Canon PRINT Inkjet/SELPHY that allows you to print, copy, perform maintenance tasks, and order ink, among other things. The Canon also supports borderless printing and various paper sizes up to 13" x 19".
So, the print quality is amazing; what's the catch? First, this is a print-only model, meaning it doesn't have a scanner, so you'll have to get a separate scanner if you want to digitize photos. Second, it's very slow, taking nearly two minutes to print a 4" x 6" photo. Third, its ink cartridges yield only about 400 color prints, which means you'll have to replace them regularly, and they aren't exactly cheap, so it can get expensive if you print a lot. Nonetheless, if you're only looking for the best print quality, this is the one to get.
If you only print photos for personal use and don't need a professional-grade model, get the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 instead, one of the best printers for iPhone we've tested. This all-in-one has a scanner that produces high-quality scans, so it's great for digitizing your old photos. Epson's mobile companion app even has features that are only in the iOS version, allowing you to change settings like the paper type and size, the paper source, and the color space (Adobe RGB or sRGB). There's also a secondary app called Epson Creative Print, which you can use to make collages and apply special effects to your photos before printing.
Features aside, the main difference between this model and our top pick, the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300, is color accuracy. It still produces very nice and detailed photos; it just isn't as color-accurate, as it tends to oversaturate the colors to make them appear more vibrant. As for maintenance cost, that's one thing you won't have to worry about since this is a supertank model that yields thousands of prints, and replacement ink is cheap. Lastly, this model also supports paper sizes up to 13" x 19". If you don't need to print tabloid-size and would rather save some money, there's a smaller variant that performs identically but only supports up to 8.5" x 11" paper, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500.
Our mid-range pick is the Epson EcoTank ET-2800. It's also an all-in-one supertank model with a high page yield and cheap ink, meaning you won't have to worry about high maintenance costs. It produces very fine details and a wide range of colors, and the colors are reasonably accurate. The only complaint about the print quality is that the photos look a tad grainy. Speed-wise, it's pretty slow. It takes about a minute and a half to print a single 4" x 6" photo, so it isn't the best for bulk printing.
You can connect to the printer via Wi-Fi, and yes, you still get Apple AirPrint support and compatibility with the Epson mobile app. The scanner produces good-quality scans. However, if you're looking to digitize photos, know that it has trouble capturing finer details, and it tends to boost the contrast and saturation a bit, so you may need to do some retouches if want the scan to be as close to the original as possible. It supports borderless printing, but unlike our picks above, it can only print on paper sizes up to 8.5" x 11".
If you're shopping on a limited budget, check out the Epson Expression Premium XP-7100. It's a decently well-built all-in-one with a large touch-sensitive display on the front, an ADF-equipped scanner with duplex scanning, and wireless connectivity. Its print quality is very similar to the Epson EcoTank ET-2800 above, so you're still getting high-quality, detailed, and colorful photos. The scan quality is also outstanding but tends to boost the contrast and saturation, which you may not like if you're looking for accuracy.
The main tradeoff with this model is that it uses ink cartridges that yield very few pages, so you'll have to replace the cartridges often if you print a lot. The cost-per-print is still low because the cartridges are relatively cheap; it's inconvenient due to increased maintenance. You can get XL cartridges that'll last longer, but they won't yield as many prints as the supertank models we recommend above. On the upside, it prints photos pretty quickly, taking only around 55 seconds to print a 4" x 6" picture.
If 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 lots of fine details and decent color accuracy, and it's fairly quick, taking only 50 seconds to print a 4" x 6" picture. It has a flatbed scanner that's well-suited for digitizing photos, Wi-Fi connectivity, and Apple AirPrint support. Again, it prints borderless, but only on paper up to 8.5" x 11" in size.
Unfortunately, this model uses a two-cartridge system with one black and one tri-color cartridge. These ink cartridges yield only about 200 prints, meaning you'll have to replace them often, and since it only has one color cartridge, you have to replace the entire cartridge if only a single color runs out, which is wasteful. The cartridges are cheap, so your long-term maintenance cost won't rise too quickly.
For on-the-go photo printing, get the Canon PIXMA TR150. 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".
The ink cartridges yield only about 190 color prints, meaning you'll have to replace them often; however, they're relatively cheap, so your maintenance cost won't rise too much if you print a lot. As it's a portable printer, it has a built-in rechargeable battery, allowing you to print anywhere, even when there isn't an electrical outlet. The battery is good for around 330 prints and takes about two hours to fully charge.
Our recommendations above are what we think are currently the best iPhone photo printers for most people. 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.