PHOTO INK JET PRINTERS

Creating photo prints at home? Matthew Richards puts the latest A4 and A3+ models to the test

Does Canon or Epson rule supreme when it comes to printing your beloved photos? We test eight A4 and A3+ models to find out

Canon and Epson make the best photo inkjet printers on the

market. For A4 (8.5 x 11 inches in the USA), recent models combine a pigment-based black ink, for crisp document printing, with four or more dye-based inks for premium photo output. Moving up to larger format A3+ printing (13x19 inches), there’s a choice between printers that are based exclusively on dye or pigment inks.

Dye inks are fully absorbed into the paper, and tend to give a smoother, more even finish on glossy, semi-gloss and lustre photo papers. Pigment inks are often preferred for fully matte photo papers and the larger molecules are more faderesistant over time, especially for prints that you’re going to hang on the wall.

For running costs, using the manufacturers’ own-brand inks and high-quality papers, you can usually expect to pay around £1.20/$1.60 per A4 print, and up to £4/$5.30 for an A3+ print.