Best 4x6 Photo Printers - Wi-Fi, Portable Photo Printers: 2024 Reviews

4 x 6 photo printers are a special type of printer that can print photos with dimensions of 4 x 6 inches. These printers are compact, portable, and can print on glossy, matte, canvas paper, and more.

Most 4 x 6 photo printers use either dye-sublimation, inkjet, or laser printing technology. They also have a number of connectivity options including USB, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Kodak is one of the most famous names in the photo industry and needs no introduction. Their Dock Plus 4×6 Portable Instant Photo Printers takes our award for the best 4×6 photo printer for a couple of reasons.

It is very compact and will take very little space on your desk. More importantly, the printing quality is rather good and you can see some nice details on photos that you print. You can print two types of photos: bordered and borderless. The smartphone dock on top of the printer acts as a control panel and can actually charge your phone while you print; a nice addition.

It supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, and Lightning connectivity. The downside to this printer is that it influences you to use their app, which is frankly quite good, but we wished that they don’t force it that much. If you expect lightning-fast printing, you’ll be a bit disappointed, as it prints quite slowly.

But, on the positive side, you can print directly from a USB flash drive, and generally, the printer is easy to use. Dock Plus is a very affordable printer with the good printing quality, is easy to use, and has a couple of connectivity options. That is a win in our book.

Much improved compared to the older Sprocket printer, the new HP Sprocket Studio Photo Printer gives you a ton of editing features and has a low print cost. With a pretty sleek and modern design, any home office will be happy to welcome it.

The overall printing quality of the HP Sprocket Studio is good, with the brighter areas looking excellent. But, improvements can be made in printing darker areas, as they are not crystal clear. However, on the flip side, with the HP Sprocket app, you can create photo collages, albums, and many other things.

This printer focuses on Bluetooth connectivity, as the Wi-Fi connectivity is missing. There is also no USB port, which left us a bit disappointed. It is a small printer with good printing quality and low printing cost, and for those who are not planning to use it very often, it’s a great option.

Oh, and by using the app, you can unlock some augmented reality content, which always sounds fun.

The Selphy CP1300 is Canon’s take on creating a compact photo printer with good printing quality and a small screen that lets you control its settings. Selphy CP1300’s strongest point is the option to print wirelessly or via USB or memory card. That is quite a nice feature which will save you a lot of time when you are traveling with this printer. CP1300 is compatible with Apple’s AirPrint, something that will please a lot of iOS and macOS users. But, we were really disappointed that there was no Bluetooth connectivity.

While it needs to be powered by cable when traveling, there is an option to purchase a rechargeable battery which will come at a bigger cost. With that said, and higher weight than other printers, it certainly isn’t the best option if you plan to travel with it. However, the printing quality is good and the overall printing costs are quite low, which makes this printer a great one for home offices.

With a pretty reasonable price, an LCD screen, and good printing quality, the durable Canon SELPHY CP13000 deserves to find itself on this list. While there are some shortcomings to it, it’s still a pretty good 4×6 photo printer.

Another pick from Canon finds itself on this list, and it’s the compact Pixma iP110. Compact, but so durable. It is designed for those who will use it as a traveling companion, but still need a reasonable output quality. It hasn’t got the best output quality in the world, but for a printer this size, you can’t get much better. As the colored prints and text can get better, the black and white ones are quite good.

Now, setting up this printer is a hard task, so you should arm yourself with a lot of patience, especially if you want to set up Apple’s AirPrint. Like the previous Canon printer on this list, this one also has a battery that you can purchase additionally but its price is quite high, so we wouldn’t recommend it if you absolutely don’t need one. It has an option for Wi-Fi connectivity (like other printers on this list) and USB connectivity, but the USB cable is not included with the printer.

This printer is not designed for heavy printing, yet for occasional usage while traveling for example. Ink cartridges can be expensive, so we wouldn’t recommend the Canon Pixma iP110 if you plan to use it every day. But, for those who need a 4×6 portable printer, very few can beat the Pixma iP110 in its price range.

The PictureMate PM-400 from Epson is by no means a high-end printer, but it prints some great quality 4×6 photos. A sleek design combined with its compact size makes it a welcome addition in any home office. It’s not a very portable printer, yet it is more aimed at those who will have a place for it in their offices.

So, with that being said, it is considerably faster than portable printers. With the combination of good printing speeds with a great printing quality at this price range, the PictureMate PM-400 is an amazing printer. One of the very low number of drawbacks that this printer has is the higher printing cost. Even though this printer has a small LCD screen, it definitely could’ve been more high quality. But, the great price and the amazing print quality that this printer has made it truly hard not to recommend it.

Before choosing a 4×6 photo printer you should consider looking into several factors. When you look at those factors closely, you can get a better picture of which 4×6 photo printer is the best choice for you.

Some of these factors may be of much importance to you, some less, but knowing these factors you can better compare the printers. Let’s get into it.

This one determines how a printer can connect to the devices you choose to print from. Most 4×6 have Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, but often they don’t include the USB in the package, so if you wish to print from USB, you should purchase the cable separately.

4×6 photo printers can also have Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Direct connectivity, but that is not seen as often as Wi-Fi and USB connectivity. Some printers also have an option to print from an SD card, something which is especially in-handy when you are traveling.

Speaking about traveling, if you plan to travel often and bring a printer with you, then you don’t want a big and bulky printer. Most of the printers on this list are very portable, yet they have a good printing quality.

If you don’t plan to use your 4×6 photo printer every day, yet more occasionally, then this factor will not be of much importance to you. But, for those who need it more often, printing speeds are quite important.

Some of these printers can be quite fast, and others can be quite slow. So, if this factor is of big importance to you, be sure to check out the overall printing speeds of the printer that you wish to buy.

Well, this should be quite an important factor for anyone looking to get a new 4×6 photo printer. Some printers have a good text or black and white printing quality, yet they struggle with colored prints, and with others, it’s the other way around.

Some have an overall good printing quality but don’t shine in any specific area. Think about what do you need it for and then see the printing qualities of the printers that are on your shortlist of purchasing.

This factor is a tricky one because when you purchase a new printer, the money you are going to spend on it doesn’t stop there. There are cartridges and papers you need to purchase for it every time that they run out.

And not every printer has the same printing cost and uses the same cartridges. So, our recommendation is to think about how often you will use your new printer, see its printing costs and go on from there.

Here are the 5 best 4×6 photo printers in our opinion. Some are more portable than others, some have a better printing quality and some are more expensive than others. Every one of them has its strong points and some downsides, and now it’s up to you to choose the best one for your needs. We hope we’ve helped you even a little bit in your decision.

If you are interested, feel free to check our list of the best all-in-one printers under $150.