During the early years of photo printers, it was marketed as a high-end device and mostly patronize by professionals. The popularity of photo printers coincide with the rising number of digital cameras enthusiasts. Soon after manufacturers like Epson, Canon and HP began offering cheaper models. Epson initiated the trend by offering to consumers their Stylus Photo line. Newer models like compact photo printers have begun penetrating the market in the recent years. These units print 4'x6? images and do not need a computer. Some other units of photo printers can handle bigger photo papers with sizes of 8'x11?, 10?x14? and much larger dimensions.

I know a lot people who have trouble in differentiating photo and standard inkjet printers. The major distinction of photo printers over inkjet printers is their usage of extra cartridges. Photo printers make use of colors such as cyan, yellow, light magenta and light black to print more vibrant and realistic images. Some photo printers are also equipped with digital media readers like memory cards to produce pictures without using a computer. Latest models can also produce pictures directly from a camera which supports the PictBridge system. Many standard inkjet printers are frequently labeled as ?photo printers? to make it more appealing to customers.