Scrapbook photo printer.
A scrapbook may bring together holiday photographs, handwritten notes and pictures from an old family album. The printer needs to handle the photographs well, but your choice also depends on how you build each page.
For regular photo printing, the Canon PIXMA G570 and Epson EcoTank L8050 are strong options because they use six-colour ink systems. For scrapbook photos alongside household documents, the HP Smart Tank 720 offers a useful balance. The right choice depends on photo sizes, paper compatibility, scanning needs and printing frequency.
Before comparing printers, decide whether you will print individual photographs or complete layouts. That changes the paper sizes and features you need.
An album with small photographs and handwritten captions has different requirements from one filled with printed backgrounds, scanned keepsakes and detailed collages.
For scrapbook photo printing, check these points:
These models serve different purposes. The photo printers focus on photographic output, while the HP models also handle scanning, copying and everyday documents.
|
Printer |
Photo Features |
Main Reason to Choose It |
|
HP Smart Tank 580 |
It supports borderless printing up to A4. |
It suits photographs alongside basic household printing. |
|
HP Smart Tank 585 |
It supports borderless printing up to A4. |
It offers a similar everyday printing approach to the 580. |
|
HP Smart Tank 720 |
It supports borderless printing up to A4. |
It combines scrapbook printing with automatic duplex document printing. |
|
HP Smart Tank 750 |
It supports borderless printing up to A4. |
It adds a document feeder for regular paperwork. |
|
Canon PIXMA G570 |
It uses six inks and supports borderless A4 printing. |
It suits users whose main requirement is photographs. |
|
Epson EcoTank L8050 |
It uses six dye inks and supports borderless A4 printing. |
It suits regular photo printing and other supported creative media. |
The Canon PIXMA G570 uses black, grey, cyan, magenta, yellow and red inks. Its photo-oriented design makes it a relevant option for scrapbooks built mainly around printed photographs.
It supports borderless printing in familiar sizes, including 4 Ã 6 inches, 5 Ã 7 inches and A4. That allows you to mix smaller pictures with a larger photograph that becomes the centre of a page.
The separate grey ink is another reason to examine sample monochrome prints if your scrapbook includes older family photographs. However, the ink configuration alone does not prove that every image will look better than output from another model.
When not to buy: The G570 is a print-only model. It will not scan the original photographs or copy documents.
The Epson EcoTank L8050 uses six dye inks, including light cyan and light magenta. Those additional colours support its focus on photographic printing.
Borderless A4 output makes it suitable for larger photographs and photo collages. It also supports creative applications such as compatible CD/DVD and PVC/ID card printing, although those extras may have little relevance to your album.
For a useful comparison with the Canon model, examine the same photograph on similar paper. Look at faces, pale skies, shadow detail and neutral colours. A higher resolution number does not automatically settle the choice.
When not to buy: The L8050 is also print-only, so you will need another way to digitise older photographs.
The HP Smart Tank 720 suits a household that needs scrapbook photographs, school assignments, forms and colour documents from one machine. It prints, scans and copies, with borderless printing supported up to A4.
The flatbed scanner is useful for turning an older photograph into a digital file. You can then crop it, adjust its size and print a copy for your scrapbook while keeping the original separately.
Automatic duplex printing helps with everyday documents. It should not be treated as an advantage for scrapbook photographs, which normally need printing on one side of compatible photo paper.
When not to buy: If you mainly print photographs and rarely use document functions, compare its sample photo output with the six-colour alternatives first.
The HP Smart Tank 580 and 585 cover simpler home printing needs. Both offer printing, scanning, copying and borderless output up to A4, with manual duplex printing for documents.
They are relevant if you make scrapbooks occasionally and also need a printer for routine household tasks. Their document handling is less convenient than the 720 for frequent double-sided printing.
Neither model should be dismissed merely because it prints documents more slowly. Document speed does not establish how a finished photograph will look.
Compare their current prices, included ink, warranty terms and availability before choosing between them.
The HP Smart Tank 750 includes a 35-sheet automatic document feeder alongside its flatbed scanner. That feature helps with scanning batches of ordinary documents.
For valuable photographs, use the flatbed rather than feeding originals through rollers. The feeder is not a reason to expect better scrapbook prints.
The 750 makes more sense when your home also handles regular paperwork. For occasional scanning, the 720 may already provide the functions you need.
Start with the album dimensions and leave space for captions, decorative paper and keepsakes. Printing every photograph at the largest available size can make the page difficult to organise.
A 4 Ã 6-inch photograph works well as a main image on many layouts. Smaller pictures can show supporting details, such as a birthday cake or a handwritten invitation.
If your printer does not directly support a tiny photo size, place several images on a supported sheet and trim them after printing. Leave enough space between images for cutting.
These are A4-class printers. They cannot print a complete 12 Ã 12-inch scrapbook page on one sheet. You can still print separate photographs and attach them to a larger page.
Plain office paper is useful for checking a layout, but it does not reproduce photographs like coated inkjet photo paper.
Glossy paper gives a shiny finish and can suit colourful holiday pictures. Matte paper reduces glare and may feel more comfortable in an album that people handle frequently.
Paper weight also matters. GSM means grams per square metre and describes paper weight, although it does not tell you everything about thickness or stiffness.
The HP Smart Tank 580 supports photo paper up to 300 gsm. The 720 and 750 support photo paper up to 250 gsm. Do not assume that all Smart Tank models accept the same sheets.
Use paper within the exact model's supported range. Thick scrapbook board, textured craft paper and decorated sheets should not go through the printer unless explicitly supported.
Use the original image file where possible. Keep the original files backed up before making any edits. A screenshot or heavily compressed messaging-app copy may lose detail that becomes noticeable in print.
Crop each photograph to the shape you intend to print. A square image will need cropping or surrounding space on a rectangular sheet.
Check the following before sending the file:
For a detailed print, around 300 pixels per inch is a useful starting point. A 4 Ã 6-inch image at that density measures 1200 Ã 1800 pixels. This describes the image file, not the printer's advertised DPI.
A test photograph can reveal problems before you use several sheets of photo paper. Choose an image with a face, a dark area and some light colours.
Follow this sequence:
Borderless printing may enlarge the image slightly to cover the paper edges. That can crop details near the boundary. A narrow white border may work better if you need to preserve the entire photograph.
If prints show missing colours or lines, run the printer's diagnostic check before changing the photograph itself.
Allow prints to dry for the time recommended for the paper and ink combination. Avoid stacking freshly printed photographs or placing them immediately under a plastic sleeve.
Handle each print by its edges. Fingerprints can be especially visible on glossy surfaces.
Use photo-safe mounting materials and acid-free album pages. Photo corners are useful if you want to remove a print later without peeling adhesive from its back.
Keep the scrapbook away from direct sunlight, damp areas and excessive heat. Print life depends on the ink, paper and storage conditions, so no printer specification alone guarantees that an album will remain unchanged for decades.
Document page yields do not tell you how many scrapbook photographs a bottle of ink will produce. Photographs usually cover much more of the sheet, and consumption varies with image size and print settings.
Budget for photo paper, replacement ink and occasional test prints. Compare costs using the same photograph size and paper finish.
If you print collages, fitting several small images onto one sheet may reduce unused paper. Keep their printed dimensions fixed so the layout does not shrink unexpectedly.
For a scrapbook made mainly from photographs, start with the Canon PIXMA G570 and Epson EcoTank L8050. Both have ink systems designed around photo printing.
For photographs alongside scanning, copying and household documents, the HP Smart Tank 720 is a practical option. The 580 and 585 suit simpler needs, while the 750 adds convenience for document scanning.
The most useful final check is a sample print on paper you intend to use. Judge it at the size that will appear in your album.
No. White borders can frame photographs neatly and leave room for handwritten notes. Borderless printing helps when your layout needs an image extending to the paper edges.
Yes, through a compatible printing app or supported wireless printing method. Check that your chosen method offers the paper size, cropping and quality settings your layout needs.
No. A scanner helps create digital copies of printed originals. The final print still depends on the scanned file, editing, paper, ink and print settings.
Choose the finish that suits the album and your handling preferences. Print the same image on both before buying a large pack.
