Photo printers are in big demand these days as so many people are discovering the advantages of digital photography. High quality photo printers are easy to find too. There are several printer manufacturers that are turning out very good products to allow even the least technically able among us to print out great digital photos in no time all from the convenience of their home instead of a photo lab. So what should you look for when you want to buy a digital photo printer?

First you should decide how you plan on using your photo printer and what kind of prints you intend to make. If you like to just make regular snapshots at 4 X 6 size and rarely make any enlargements, you may want to consider one of the small specialized snapshot printers that are on the market these days. They could be a very good choice if you like to keep things as simple as possible too and maybe feel intimidated by the more advanced printers. With these simple printers you just hook up your camera and print. It doesn't get much easier than that. Just don't expect this kind of printer to make anything other than snapshots. The output quality is also usually very good as well.

If you buy a full size inkjet printer look for one that has the PictBridge feature that lets you hook up your digital camera directly to the printer or can accept your camera memory card, bypassing the computer altogether, and print out your photos direct from the camera itself. It's a very convenient option that lots of people find useful at times.

And if you like to print directly from the camera itself, having a LCD screen to preview your shots before printing can be a very useful option too. The LCD screen can also help you navigate the printing options that your printer has more easily as well.

But perhaps the best advice to prospective photo printer buyers is to do your research on the total photo costs associated with each brand of printer before you buy it. The initial cost of most inkjet digital photo printers is not all that much these days since the printer companies prefer to make their money on the back end with paper and ink cartridge replacements instead. So check on how long an ink cartridge is expected to last for the printer you are interested in, and also how much it costs when you buy a replacement. Then factor these costs into your overall photo printer budget and make your choice from there. By the way, some printers are known for gulping down ink as they print while others conserve ink much better.

If you follow the suggestions given in this article on selecting and choosing a digital photo printer to buy, you should be able to narrow down your choices quickly and make the best and most cost effective purchase possible.

Thad Pickering writes on many consumer related topics including digital photography. You can find the best photo printer and photo printer reviews by visiting our Digital Photography website.