I love to carry one of the best iPhone printers around with me – especially to a party or a wedding. These little devices enable you to print images straight from your phone, wherever you are. They can be shots you've taken with your phone, or shots you've downloaded from your mirrorless camera, or even pics and memes you've saved from the internet!
Having one of these printers effectively transforms my iPhone into an instant camera, so I can give people a physical memento of the occasion (rather than just WhatsApping them a photo that disappears into a phone folder, never to be seen again).
There are plenty of great portable printers on the market, but not all of them are iOS-friendly. So, these are the best iPhone printers you can get your hands on right now.
James Artaius
Having fallen in love with conventional photo printing while apprenticing as a photographer a decade ago, I was excited to be able to print photos on my iPhone as well. I regularly print single prints and entire photo albums from my iPhone, and I have a whole shelf of these printers in my camera room!
For pure image quality, I recommend the sensational Selphy. Its dye-sub process gives the best possible results, it offers square and rectangular print options, and it prints pretty quickly as well – though it's a pricey choice, with high costs per print. Read more below
This is the one that started my obsession with phone printing! It "prints" onto Instax Mini film, so you get an authentic credit card-sized photo that looks like it came straight out of an instant camera! Pocket-sized, with a pocket-friendly price. Read more below
Want to print big, chunky, landscape-orientation photos? Like its little brother, the Link Wide uses actual Instax film to give you "real" photographs – but I love that it uses the huge Instax Wide format for printing out pictures that deserve to be seen big. Read more below
If you're looking for an iPhone printer that doubles as an instant camera, my top pick is the Instax Mini Evo. A gorgeous, retro-styled camera, this can shoot Instax Mini photos and connect to your iPhone to act as a printer for images on your handset. Read more below
For something small, convenient and affordable to take on your travels, the Canon Ivy 2 (or Zoemini 2 outside the USA) is my pick. The ZINK prints are nothing special, but the printer is straightforward to use and cheap to run, plus at just 177g it's easy to carry around. Read more below
Bubblegum-colored and easy to use, with print quality to satisfy even the pickiest little eyes, I think the Kodak Mini 2 is a great option for youngsters – though the price per print might get a bit steep if they enjoy printing out a lot of pictures. Read more below
For decent prints from a printer that won't break the bank, I'd go for the Kodak Step Slim Instant Printer. Its Zink (Zero Ink) printing technology is a bit more rough and ready than other options, but the quality is still acceptable – and affordable! Read more below
The clever Polaroid Lab allows you to quite literally turn your iPhone photos into Polaroids, scanning them with a macro lens then using the authentic photochemistry process to give you a proper analog print. Read more below
Approx paper cost: $16.99 / £16.99 for 20 sheets (about 84c / 84p per print)
Print size: 2.1 x 3.4-inch (5.33 x 8.63cm)
Image size: 2.7 x 2.7-inch (6.85 x 6.85cm) or 2.1 x 3.4-inch (5.33 x 8.63cm)
Weight: 455g (without ribbon or paper)
Colors: White, red or dark gray
Reasons to buy
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Prints square and 3:2 images
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Lightweight and portable
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USB-C connection
Reasons to avoid
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Not Bluetooth or NFC
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Prints relatively pricey
The Canon Selphy QX10 was my favorite iPhone printer and the one I recommended to most users. Its successor, the Canon Selphy QX20, is a dye-sub pocket printer that retains everything that was great about the previous version, while also adding more options and flexibility.
Whereas the Selphy QX10 could only print square photos with white borders, the QX20 has been upgraded to offer borderless printing in two formats – square and 3:2. Another welcome addition is the upgrade of the USB connection to USB-C, rather than the micro USB on the previous version.
Once again, you get those punchy and vibrant colours from the dye-sublimation technology, in prints that take less than a minute to produce and are smudge-proof and water-protected. Treat your prints from the Selphy QX20 right and they’ll last much longer than your iPhone will! This lightweight printer is great for parties, trips, days out and more.
Approx paper cost: £14.05 / $15 for 20 sheets (about 70p / 75c per print)
Print size: 2.1 × 3.4 inch / 54 × 86mm
Image size: 1.8 × 2.4 inch / 62x46mm
Weight: 209g
Colors: Dark Denim, Dusky Pink and Ash White
Reasons to buy
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Light and portable
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Prints quickly
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Range of printing options
Reasons to avoid
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Small prints may not suit
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Prints relatively pricey
Like the idea of printing tiny pics? The FujifilmInstax Mini Link produces prints that are just 1.8 in × 2.4 in (62 x 46mm). It connects to your iPhone wirelessly via Bluetooth, and you can print photos stored on your device, taken within your app, or directly from your Facebook and Instagram accounts. You can also print from compatible Fujifilm cameras and from your Nintendo Switch.
The Instax Mini Link prints high-res 320dpi pictures in just 12 seconds flat. The app lets you add borders, overlays, text, and other elements to your shots. And you can even combine multiple images to make cool collages. In short, the emphasis here is on fun, and this would be a great choice for tweens and teens, or indeed anyone who's young at heart.
Approximate paper cost: £14.05 / $15 for 20 sheets (about 70p / 75c per print)
Image size: 1.8 × 2.4 inch / 62x46mm
Print size: 2.1 × 3.4 inch / 54 × 86mm
Weight: 225g
Colors available: Black/gold, white, or blush
Reasons to buy
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Includes camera
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Print in 12 seconds
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Light and portable
Reasons to avoid
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App lacks editing tools
Like the Mini Link 2 above, the Link Wide prints onto real Instax film – in this case, Instax Wide, which I call the "large format of instant film"! These jumbo-sized photographs are great for when you've got an image that deserves to be seen big, with its wide format being particularly suited to landscapes and group shots.
Again, because it's printing images onto Instax film, you're not getting conventional "print quality" here – every picture will have that unique (and, in my opinion, wonderful) analog look to them, as if they were shot on an instant camera. And you'll either really love that, or you really won't; if you're in the latter camp, and want "better" print quality, go for something like the Canon Selphy.
The Link Wide works in tandem with its phone app to offer cool and clever functions, such as QR code integration, as well as integrated image editing, and an indication of how many prints you have left. Shots develop quickly, though sometimes unwanted crops are enforced by the app – and the printer needs to be charged via micro USB, rather than USB-C.
Approximate paper cost: £14.05 / $15 for 20 sheets (about 70p / 75c per print)
Image size: 1.8 × 2.4 inch / 62x46mm
Print size: 2.1 × 3.4 inch / 54 × 86mm
Weight: 285g
Colors available: Silver & black, Silver & brown
Reasons to buy
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Printer and an instant camera
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Prints on Instax film
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Pretty looks and design
Reasons to avoid
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Your phone has a better camera
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Prints on Instax Mini film
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Pretty limited battery life
Why limit yourself to just a printer, when you can have a printer that's also an instant camera – and a very good one, at that! The Mini Evo gives you the best of both worlds, functioning as an iPhone printer (which, again, prints onto real Instax Mini film instead of paper) and a great Instax camera.
This has knocked off my previous favorite hybrid printer, the Instax Mini LiPlay, thanks to its updated retro design complete with a funky little film lever that you use to print out your photos – making this a fantastically tactile bit of tech as well. With plenty of filters (ten digital lens modes and ten film modes), a built-in flash and the ability to edit your photos before you print them, this is formidable both as a printer and a camera.
However, many folks may not see the appeal of having a printer that doubles as a camera – after all, your iPhone has a far superior camera to the 4.9MP, 28mm f/2.0 module here. Especially since it only has storage for 45 images, requiring you to buy a microSD card to expand the storage.
Still, if you want to print phone photos and you love instant photography, I can assure you that the Mini Evo is a heck of a lot of fun – and a big hit at parties!
Approximate paper cost: $12 / £10 for 20 sheets (about 60c / 50p per print)
Image size: 2 x 3-inch (5.08 x 7.62cm)
Print size: 2 x 3-inch (5.08 x 7.62cm)
Weight: 177g
Colors available: Rose gold, navy or pearl white
Reasons to buy
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Very compact
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Fun to use
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Completely self-contained
Reasons to avoid
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Only works with Canon app
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Mediocre print quality
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Small print size
This super-small, super-lightweight print goes by different names depending on where you are in the world; it’s the Canon Ivy 2 in the USA, and the Canon Zoemini 2 in the UK and Europe. Either way, it’s an impressive little iPhone printer that produces decent Zink prints on 2 x 3-inch paper, just a little smaller than a credit card, connecting to your phone via Bluetooth. It’s a fairly simple proposition, but it’s easy to use and it works well.
In our review, we appreciated the stylish design of the Ivy 2, as well as its ease of use in terms of loading the paper and controlling your printing via the app. ZINK is definitely the worst option in terms of common printing methods, with both dye-sublimation and inkjet producing better quality, but the Ivy 2 does a decent enough job with the images you give it – good, if not great. A good choice for casual fun, and especially for travel, where you don’t want to be toting around an expensive, heavy, complex printer.
Connects to iPhone via: NFC, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct
Paper type: Kodak Cartridge Printer Paper & Dye sublimation cartridge
Approx paper cost: £24 / $24 for 60 sheets (about 40p / 740c per print)
Print size: 2.1 x 3.4in / 5.33 x 8.63cm
Weight: 322g
Colors: Mini 2: Black, blue, pink, white or purple. Mini 2 Retro: Yellow, black or white
Reasons to buy
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Lots of connectivity options
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Low running costs
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Rechargeable battery
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Great image quality
Reasons to avoid
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Each print takes about a minute
If you want something easy to use, the Kodak Mini 2 is a good choice. Its accompanying iOS app makes it super simple to print out pictures from your iPhone, plus it's compatible with all iPhones running iOS 8.0 and above. The regular Mini 2 is available in five plain colors, or you can go for the the Mini 2 Retro that gives you a choice of stylized yellow, white or black designs
The simplest way of connecting your iPhone to this printer is via NFC (near-field communication). That might sound technical, but in practice, it means you just have to lie your iPhone on top of the printer and the free iOS app will launch automatically.
Of course, in practice, we all know that these things don't always work perfectly, for all manner of reasons. So it's great that this printer also has three other ways to connect to your iPhone, via Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, or Bluetooth. With this range of options, you're sure to get it working with the minimum of fuss.
Produced through a dye sublimation process, prints are vibrant, bright, and detailed, with strong colors, and you can even print straight from your social media accounts. Plus the printer uses all-in-one ink-and-paper cartridges, which makes it easier to operate than devices that require separate paper and ink.
Approx paper cost: £12.99 / $12.99 for 30 sheets (about 43p / 43c per print)
Print size: 2 x 3 inch / 5.08 x 7.62cm
Image size: 2 x 3 inch / 5.08 x 7.62cm
Weight: 8.4 oz / 240g (without paper)
Colors: White
Reasons to buy
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Low price
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Low running costs
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Range of printing options
Reasons to avoid
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Not the highest quality prints
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Only available in white
The Kodak Step Slim printer is the cheapest conventional iPhone printer on our list, but it still does a good job. So if you're looking to print images from your iPhone but are watching the pennies carefully, it's an excellent choice.
You can connect it to your iPhone via Bluetooth, and use the Kodak Step Prints app to edit your image if you choose. In our tests, prints were produced in around 40-50 seconds each. The Zink paper contains its own ink, so the overall running costs are pretty low.
The prints aren't the highest quality of the printers on this list. But they're still decent enough if you are just printing for fun. We found prints tended to look a little gloomy, but you could boost the brightness and contrast in your images before printing to make the results look better., For the money you're spending, this represents decent value .
Paper type: Polaroid 600 film, Polaroid i-Type film
Approx paper cost: £18 / $20 for 8 prints (about £2.25 / $2.50 per print)
Print size: 5.8 x 8.6cm
Image size: 3.11 x 3.02 inch / 7.89 x 7.68cm (photo area) 4.23 x 3.48 inch / 10.75 x 8.85 cm (total area)
Weight: 204g
Reasons to buy
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Photochemical printing
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Fantastic depth in blacks
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Great AR features
Reasons to avoid
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Requires minimum 4.7-inch screen
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Inconsistent whites / colors
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Details can be washed out
This one is a bit of a wild card, but I've got a real soft spot for it. Just like the Instax Link printers use Instax film instead of paper, this wild bit of technology uses Polaroid film. However, the process by which it does this is very different.
Unlike the Instax Links and other conventional printers, which print your image from a digital file, the Polaroid Lab uses a macro lens to "scan" your phone screen – then it uses the authentic photochemistry process to expose your shot, which develops over 15 minutes to give you a completely unique print.
And there's the rub. Some images look absolutely fantastic. Mono images, or color shots with heavy blacks, look stunning. However, general color reproduction can be very inconsistent – and large areas of white have a habit of being polluted by color. Such is the magic of instant film!
If you like the idea of your photos being on instant film instead of printer paper, the Instax products will deliver superior image quality. However, if you want what's essentially a digital darkroom, and you like the authentic Polaroid size and look, you can have a whole lot of fun with the Lab.
There are many considerations when looking for the best iPhone printer. For me personally, I think you need to think about two things. First of all: do you want a portable printer so you can produce images on the move, or do you want something that will pretty much live in your office or on a desk?
The second question to ask is how important image quality is to you. If you want the best prints possible, look for a dye-sublimation printer like the Canon Selphy or Kodak Mini 2. Otherwise, the Instax Links and Polaroid Lab "print" into instant film, which gives very unique results, while Zink (Zero Ink) printers like the Kodak Step offer image quality that's more like a color photocopy.
Other than that, things to consider include battery life, ease of recharging (such as which kind of USB plug is needed), stability of communication and ease of use.
FAQs
Can you print from your iPhone to a printer?
Yes you can! Many of the best photo printers enable you to connect your phone to a local WiFi network to print images, but the process is generally very clunky and of course – conventional printers aren't very portable.
The best iPhone printers use WiFi, Bluetooth and dedicated apps to communicate with your handset – and they're all much more compact, with many being pocket- or handbag-sized for ultimate travelability.
Does Apple have a printer for iPhone?
No, Apple doesn't (currently) offer a dedicated iPhone printer. However, all the options in this guide work seamlessly with iPhones. In terms of looks, I'd say that the minimalist Instax Link family (below) looks the most "Apple-like".
James has 22 years experience as a journalist, serving as editor of Digital Camera World for 6 of them. He started working in the photography industry in 2014, product testing and shooting ad campaigns for Olympus, as well as clients like Aston Martin Racing, Elinchrom and L'Oréal. An Olympus / OM System, Canon and Hasselblad shooter, he has a wealth of knowledge on cameras of all makes – and he loves instant cameras, too.