Printing photos at home

If you have just come home from a trip, had a special occasion or even just a catch-up with friends and family, you probably have plenty of photographs on your phone or camera to look back on! Unfortunately, all too often, our phones or laptops can go through updates that can result in us permanently losing photos that have not been backed up. Backing photos up on a USB stick is also a great idea, until you misplace the USB! When you choose to print your photos instead, you won’t lose them and you’ll still have them even decades later.

If you don’t have time to get your photos developed in a print shop, you can easily print your favourite photos at home yourself. Photo printing at home can be more cost-efficient than visiting a professional shop, as you can just print a few photos at a time, and may save some time. Why not take a look at what you will need below and give it a go!

Choose a printer suitable for printing photos

If you do not already have a printer, you will need to choose a printer that is suitable for photo printing. You will be faced with the choice of an inkjet or a laser printer, so it is important to know the differences between inkjet printers and laser printers. An inkjet printer is the obvious choice if you’re looking for a printer that will produce great prints with accurate colour reproduction! Laser printers are fast printers suited to printing large volumes of razor-sharp text documents, but inkjet printers excel when it comes to printing detailed, high-quality photos or graphics.

You will also find printers that are specifically for photo printing. Photo printers are smaller printers with higher resolution than standard inkjet printers. A higher resolution, measured in DPI, means your print will be sharper, more accurate and detailed. Many photo printers are supported by an app that allows you to select, edit and format photos before sending them to print, so a photo printer may be a great choice if you are trying to print specific styles of photos.

Mobile or pocket printers for instant photo printing!

A mobile or pocket printer is a compact, portable printer that is ideal for printing small photos from your phone or tablet, while on the go. You can carry the printer in your pocket or handbag, and print photos immediately after taking them. This is ideal for when you’re travelling or looking back on your adventures! Most mobile or pocket printers are low maintenance as they use a specific mobile photo printer paper, where the colours are embedded in the paper, so ink cartridges are not necessary for printing. These printers are convenient for instant photo printing, just stock up on paper and you’re ready to print!
 

High-quality photo paper for the best results

While you can of course print photos on regular printer paper, it is not advised. Regular paper often absorbs too much ink, causing the colours in photos to bleed and ruin the print! So, we always recommend using high-quality photo paper for the best results when printing photos. Photo paper is designed to absorb ink in a certain way to enhance colour vibrancy, make photos look sharper and more detailed. As well as this, photo paper is typically coated in with protective layers that prevent fading, so the colours in your photo will remain vibrant for longer than with regular paper!

Various photo paper finishes for a professional look

We stock a variety of photo papers that will help enhance your photos! You will find photo paper with the following finishes:

• Matte
• Gloss
• Semi-gloss
• High-gloss
• Silk
• Satin
• Canvas

You can choose photo paper based on how you would like your photographs to look. These finishes help to give your photos more texture and depth, making them look more professional.

Photo paper sizes and weights to suit all your needs!

Whether you are looking for small photo paper for your pocket printer or large sheets of photo paper for charts and window displays, we have photo paper to suit your needs! Photo paper comes in a variety of weights, sizes and dimensions, so you can choose how your photo turns out! If you are struggling to choose which photo paper weight or size suits you best, you can refer to our photo paper guides at the bottom of our photo paper page. This way you can familiarise yourself and make the right choice for your photos!