Office & WFH · Head-to-head
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 vs Canon SELPHY CP1500
Which should you buy? Here's the honest call, pulled from our full The Best Photo Printers for Home: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The ET-8550 is the definitive home photo printer: superb quality from 4x6 to 13x19 with the lowest per-print costs here. If you only want durable 4x6 snapshots, the SELPHY CP1500 delivers most of the joy for a fraction of the outlay.
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550
Buy itThe closest thing to a photo lab on your desk, with refillable tanks that make big, gorgeous prints feel almost free per sheet.
- Six-color refillable ink system delivers rich, smooth gradations that independent testing consistently ranks near the top for home photo printers
- Prints everything from 4x6 snapshots to borderless 13x19 enlargements, and handles documents too
- Per-print running costs are dramatically lower than cartridge printers or instant film once the bottles are in
- Significant upfront cost and a large footprint for a home device
- Overkill if you only ever print occasional 4x6 snapshots
Canon SELPHY CP1500
Buy itThe consensus best 4x6 snapshot printer: dye-sub prints that come out laminated, water-resistant, and built to outlive most albums.
- Dye-sublimation prints get a protective overcoat, so owners report they shrug off fingerprints, splashes, and decades in an album
- Fixed cost per print - every ink-and-paper pack yields exactly the number of photos on the box
- Compact and easy to use via Wi-Fi, app, SD card, or USB, with a clear built-in screen
- Maxes out at postcard size, so no enlargements
- Needs mains power out of the box - the battery is a separate add-on
Side by side
| Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 | Canon SELPHY CP1500 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Photography enthusiasts and family archivists who want gallery-worthy enlargements and lots of them | Anyone who mostly wants durable, true-color 4x6 prints of family photos without fuss |
| Price tier | $$$ · premium | $$ · mid-range |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 - The closest thing to a photo lab on your desk, with refillable tanks that make big, gorgeous prints feel almost free per sheet. Choose the Canon SELPHY CP1500 instead if anyone who mostly wants durable, true-color 4x6 prints of family photos without fuss.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Photo Printers for Home: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).