Snapshot printers: the best let you print summer photos on the go.(photo printers)(Buyers guide)

With summer a peak season for photography, you might be considering a compact snapshot printer. These photo specialists are typically about the size of a hard-cover book, making them easy to pack in your luggage for a road trip. Many run on battery power, in addition to AC with the included adapter, providing a handy photo station at a picnic or other event.

You can also use these pint-sized printers at home. They typically require 60 to 90 seconds and 25 cents or so per 4x6 print, and they're faster and cheaper to run than most full-sized inkjets. Among those bigger units in our most recent test batch, only the Kodak EasyShare 5500 will print very good photos as quickly and as cheaply as the best snapshot printers. But snapshot models lack the versatility of larger inkjets, and the best don't match the excellent photo quality of some inkjets. And on price, no printer beats the least-expensive retail photofinishers, which charge as little as 9 cents per print online.

That said, nothing's easier to use than a snapshot printer. You connect the camera directly to the unit via the supplied mini-USB cord or insert a memory card into a slot on the printer. Some models allow a wireless connection to a Bluetooth-enabled camera or camera phone. There are no settings to adjust, and precut paper eliminates the need to trim.

HOW TO CHOOSE

Consider cost. Paying more for the printer or per print doesn't mean you'll get better photos. Over time differences in printers' operating costs can outweigh differences in purchase price.

Consider printing technology. Snapshot printers use inkjet or dye-sublimation technology. Both types are capable of fine photo quality, but dye-sublimation models, which use colored ribbons in a cartridge, tend to be smaller and their prints more water-resistant.

Weigh portability. The models we tested weighed ...