Best Advanced Photo Printers

You don't have to spend a fortune on advanced photo printers

If you're a professional or serious pro-consumer photographer, you might wonder if investing in a professional-grade printer will pay off. Prices start at about $1,000 and go up from there. (See our inkjet printer report for best bets.) Hobbyists and even professional shooters need to weigh the convenience of being able to produce images in their homes or studios versus sending their work out to a professional lab.

Obviously there are pros and cons to both, but having the option of producing high-quality images on-site can easily be worth the cost of the printer if it significantly reduces time and eliminates the hassle of waiting for shipments or making trips across town. That's why we're pleased that some professional-quality printers on the market can produce equally brilliant images as the big boys while costing well under $1,000.

The primary difference between a professional model and a run-of-the-mill snapshot printer is ink technology. This includes the ability to produce a color range closer to what the eye sees, which is difficult to cheaply reproduce from a digital image. That's why prices shoot up quickly with higher-quality models. And when the technology is based on something other than an inkjet format, the cost can become prohibitive to the casual or even professional user.

These advanced printers can also handle multiple media formats and a wide range of papers and sizes, even canvas and large panoramic scrolls and blueprint-type paper. For a studio or small creative business that needs to make changes and show clients results on the fly, a brute of a printer like one of our picks may be not just a convenience but a must-have.

All of which makes it hard to believe that you can pick up the Epson Stylus Photo R2000 for $520. It easily competes with its showier, higher-priced peers. It can print on media up to 13 inches by 44 inches, DVDs, envelopes, panoramic scroll paper and even canvas, making it a solid choice for professional photographers who don't want to send everything out to a lab. The price puts it out of reach of the consumer who wants to just print out a few shots here and there, but that's why the Epson PictureMate Charm is our overall pick. About the only advanced photo printer that can compete with the Stylus R2000 is its big brother, the Epson Stylus Photo R3000 (*Est. $640) , and you'll pay about a hundred dollars more for similar quality and just a few extra features.