Removable Storage Media

Photo printers offer more functionality than traditional inkjets, including being able to transfer your photos directly to the printer without needing to be attached to a PC. This is great for those who aren't looking to make sizeable changes to their photos before printing them.

If you are looking for this functionality, choose a printer that is compatible with your digital camera's removable memory card format. Most direct photo printers support at least one of the three main types of memory card: Secure Digital (SD), Compact Flash or Sony's Memory Stick. Hewlett-Packard has recently released a range of photo printers that support all removable media formats, making the product choices for consumers even easier.

As well as memory card support, some photo printers feature a small LCD image preview display. This allows users to set print options or even preview images before printing the final product.

There are a few points to note. Even if the printer offers a high-resolution print quality, this will only apply if the photograph you plan to print has been taken at a similar or higher resolution setting. Bear in mind that if you've dropped the resolution setting to fit more on your digital camera's memory card, you are sacrificing the quality of the photo print.

Similarly, high resolutions are generally only useful if you're using dedicated photo paper; it's wasted on more absorbent sheets. See more on paper types in the dedicated section below.
So, like standard inkjets, the most crucial advice that can be given to anyone buying a photo printer is to examine the printout before buying.