CartridgesDirect stocks dedicated photo printers from Canon and Epson, covering compact dye-sublimation models for snapshot printing and multi-colour inkjet photo printers for larger format and professional output. Consumables for every model are listed on the same site. Stocked orders placed before 2PM dispatch the same day. Free shipping on eligible orders over $75.
Photo printing at home has split into two distinct categories with very different outputs, running costs and intended uses. A dye-sublimation printer produces one format at a fixed cost per print. An inkjet photo printer handles multiple formats, accepts different papers and scales from home snapshots to archival professional output.
Two distinct photo printing technologies, suited to different use cases and formats.
Consumables for all photo printer models are listed on the same product page. Use the Finder tool to confirm the right ink or cassette for your model.
Two Completely Different Technologies
Dye-sublimation: compact, instant, waterproof
Dye-sublimation printers transfer dye from a ribbon onto the paper using heat. The dye vaporises and diffuses into the paper’s coating rather than sitting on the surface. Each print comes out laminated, waterproof, fingerprint-resistant and dry the moment it exits the machine. No smearing, no waiting.
Canon SELPHY models are the most widely used dye-sub photo printers in Australia. The SELPHY CP1500 produces 10×15cm (4×6 inch) prints in approximately 41 seconds using KP-108IN ink and paper cassettes. Each cassette produces a fixed number of prints at a fixed cost per print. There is no way to reduce the per-print cost with compatible supplies: SELPHY consumables are cassette-format and the yield is set by the cassette. Canon rates SELPHY prints at approximately 100 years of fade resistance under standard indoor conditions.
The limitation of dye-sublimation is format. SELPHY CP models are fixed at 10×15cm. The SELPHY Square QX20 produces 68×68mm square prints from XS-20L cassettes, suited to social printing, journalling and creative projects. Neither handles A4 documents, standard office paper or any format beyond its fixed print size. A SELPHY is a dedicated photo printer, not a general-purpose device.
Inkjet photo printers spray ink through microscopic nozzles at resolutions up to 4,800 by 1,200 DPI or higher. They handle A4, A3 and larger formats, accept a variety of media from standard photo paper through to fine art paper, canvas and card stock and produce output that ranges from sharp home prints to gallery-quality archival photographs.
The ink chemistry determines how long prints last, how they handle moisture and which papers they need. Most buyers choose a printer for its resolution or price and only discover the ink chemistry question when a print fades or smears.
Dye-based inks dissolve entirely in the liquid carrier. They produce vibrant, saturated colours with smooth gradients, making them the preferred choice for colour photography where richness and depth matter. The trade-off is longevity. Dye inks are water-soluble and UV-sensitive. A dye-ink print left in direct sunlight fades visibly within months. An unmounted dye-ink print touched with damp fingers smears. For casual home printing, framed prints in low-light conditions and output that is not expected to last decades, dye inks produce the most visually impressive results at the lowest cost.
Pigment-based inks contain solid particles suspended in the carrier rather than dissolved dye. The particles sit on the surface of the paper coating rather than soaking into it, which makes the prints more water-resistant, smudge-resistant from the moment of output and dramatically more fade-resistant over time. Under archival conditions, pigment ink prints from professional Epson SureColor and Canon imagePROGRAF models are rated for 100 to 200 years of fade resistance. For photographers printing work intended for exhibition, sale, portfolios or long-term display, pigment ink is the only technically appropriate choice.
Most consumer and prosumer inkjet photo printers use either all dye or all pigment ink. Some advanced models use pigment black ink alongside dye-based colour inks to balance text sharpness with colour vibrancy. Check the ink specification for the specific model before purchasing.
Standard document inkjet printers use four ink colours: black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Four colours are sufficient for documents, graphics and general printing. Photo printing with four colours shows banding in smooth gradient areas, such as sky transitions and skin tones, where the jump from one ink density to the next is visible to the human eye.
Six, eight and twelve-colour inkjet systems add light cyan, light magenta, grey, light grey and other intermediate tones to smooth gradient transitions and extend the tonal range of the output. The Canon PRO-200S uses eight colour dye inks. The Epson SureColor P700 uses nine colour pigment inks including a dedicated grey and light grey channel for monochrome printing. The additional channels produce noticeably smoother transitions, better shadow detail and more accurate neutral greys in black-and-white photos compared to four-colour output.
For family snapshot printing and standard home colour photo output, a four or five-colour consumer inkjet produces results that look excellent. For serious photography, particularly black-and-white printing and large-format output intended for framing or display, a six-colour minimum system is the correct starting point.
The paper the photo lands on is as important as the printer and ink that produced it. Standard office copy paper absorbs ink before it can form a sharp dot, producing blurry output regardless of printer quality or resolution. Dedicated photo paper has a coated surface that holds ink at the surface, allowing it to dry into a sharper dot with better colour saturation.
Glossy photo paper reflects light and produces the highest colour saturation and sharpest apparent detail. It shows fingerprints and is not suited for handling without gloves after printing. Matte photo paper absorbs light rather than reflecting it, producing a softer output that resists fingerprints and smudging and is more suitable for framing and handling. Fine art papers, including cotton rag, baryta and watercolour stock, are used with professional pigment inkjet printers for exhibition and archival output.
Canon SELPHY dye-sublimation models use proprietary cassette packs that include both ink ribbon and paper as a single unit. The paper type is fixed: you cannot use third-party paper in a SELPHY. Inkjet photo printers accept any compatible photo paper, giving you control over the media.
PictBridge is a direct-connection standard that allows a compatible digital camera or smartphone to print photos directly to a PictBridge-enabled printer without a computer. Most current Canon SELPHY models support PictBridge via USB and Wi-Fi. The camera’s own interface controls which images print and in what format, making on-location photo printing without a laptop or tablet practical.
Photo printers and consumables ordered before 2PM on stocked models dispatch the same day. Free shipping applies on eligible orders over $75.
Inkjet photo cartridges from Canon and Epson are accepted through the CartridgesDirect Cartridges 4 Planet Ark recycling program. A free postage-paid satchel arrives with every eligible consumable order. Eight or more empty cartridges go into the sealed satchel and post from any Australia Post roadside mailbox. Close The Loop recovers the materials. Photo printing often produces more individual cartridge changes than document printing due to the higher ink coverage per page, so the recycling stream fills faster on a dedicated photo printer than on a general-purpose inkjet.
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