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A photo printer is an electronic printing device that is primarily used to print high resolution, digital photographs on photographic paper. Photo printers are equipped with a number of nozzles that can print tiny dots, thereby producing high quality photographs.

Initially, the use of photo printers was limited to seasoned photographers as photo printers were more expensive than more common inkjet printers. However, the advent of digital cameras significantly affected the popularity of photo printers. These days, many people who use digital cameras also use photo printers.

A wide variety of photo printers are available today. Some are compact photo printers, which can print 4 x 6 inch photographs without being connected to a computer, while others can print 8 x 11 inch, 10 x 14 inch and even larger photos. Epson was a pioneer company in the photo printer market.

Current photo printers are capable of printing up to 38 pages per minute (ppm). Nowadays, some photo printers can print professional-quality photos, which match the durability of photos printed at professional photo laboratories. One latest offering is a compact photo printer which is capable of printing 5 x 7 inch prints with resolutions of up to 9600 x 2400 colour dpi (dots per inch).

Some photo printers include special features such as large image displays, photo paper trays, creative colour effects and border options. Memory card readers are used by photo printers for printing without the use of computer. A few photo printer models use dye sublimation to print high quality photographs while others take the advantage of thermal printing technology. Some photo printers can even print 6 x 8 inch photographs, which was not possible previously. Some photo printers also claim to produce waterproof, stain-resistant pictures that can last for years.

Professional photographers often prefer using photo printers for printing high quality photographs. Photo printers use additional cartridges and a wide range of colours such as photo cyan, light magenta, yellow and light black. The use of a wide range of colours helps to make photographs more realistic than was possible with an inkjet printer. In addition, some photo printers contain digital media readers, which allow you to print photos without connecting them to a computer.