The best photo printers for scrapbooking
A scrapbook eats prints, so cost per print matters more here than in any other use of these machines. It also needs prints you can cut, glue and write on — which rules out some popular printers.
The Kodak Mini 2 Retro is the best photo printer for scrapbooking: its 4PASS prints cost about 42 cents, come out dry and laminated, and are not sticky, so you can glue or tape them in. Choose an HP Sprocket instead if you want peel-and-stick ZINK prints you can apply without adhesive.
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| # | Product | Best for | Cost per shot | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Kodak Mini 2 RetroThe cheapest print of any pocket printer, dry and laminated, and not sticky. | Best for scrapbooking overall | $0.42 | Check price |
| 2 |  HP SprocketZINK paper has adhesive on the back, so prints go straight onto the page. | Best for peel-and-stick pages | $0.60 | Check price |
| 3 | Canon SELPHY QX20Square dye-sublimation prints with a protective overcoat, and a sticky back. | Best print quality for a keepsake album | $0.80 | Check price |
| 4 | Canon IVY 2 MiniA ZINK printer the size of a stack of cards, for printing on the move. | Smallest, for a travel journal | $0.60 | Check price |
What a scrapbook actually needs from a printer
This use case has requirements that do not show up in a general printer roundup. A scrapbooker prints in batches, trims prints to fit a layout, writes dates on the back, and sticks them down. So four things matter, roughly in this order: cost per print, whether the print is dry and handleable immediately, whether it can be cut without the surface flaking, and whether it is sticky-backed or not.
That last one is a genuine fork rather than a better-or-worse. ZINK paper has adhesive on the back, which journalers love because there is no glue step and no wrinkling. Scrapbookers working with photo corners, washi tape or glue sticks often prefer a plain back, because an adhesive print cannot be repositioned once it is down and cannot be lifted later without damage.
What to look for
- Cost per print. 42 cents against 85 cents sounds small until you fill a 40-page book. Over 200 prints it is a difference of about $86.
- A laminated or overcoated finish. It is what lets you handle, trim and glue a print immediately without marking it.
- Sticky back or plain back. Decide this before you buy; it cannot be changed afterwards.
- Print size. 2.1 x 3.4 inches lays out differently from a 2 x 3 inch or a square print. Mixed sizes make a page look considered.
- Whether media is sold as an all-in-one cartridge. 4PASS cartridges pair paper and ribbon, so you never buy the wrong consumable.
The picks in detail
1. Best for scrapbooking overall
Kodak Mini 2 Retro
The cheapest print of any pocket printer, dry and laminated, and not sticky.
- Buy it for
- Anyone filling pages regularly — a scrapbooker, a journaler, a memory-book keeper.
- Skip it if
- Someone who wants to peel and stick. These prints need tape, glue or corners.
- About 42 cents a print from a $24.99 all-in-one cartridge of 60 — the lowest running cost of any pocket printer we verified.
- 4PASS dye sublimation with a laminate pass, so prints are dry on exit and survive handling and glue.
- 2.1 x 3.4 inch credit-card prints, which trim neatly into a layout.
- Single-sided and non-sticky, so the back takes a pencil note or a date.
- Bluetooth printing from iOS and Android, up to 20 prints per charge.
Running cost: Kodak 4PASS 2.1 x 3.4 works out at $0.42 a shot, so a hundred photographs in the first year puts the real total at about $139.97 including the camera. See every format’s cost.
How it scores8.7/10 overall
- Cost per print10
- Scrapbook-friendly finish9
- Print quality8
- Size options5
Our editorial scoring, built from published specifications and reviews by outlets that test hardware — see how we pick. We have not handled these products, so these are not test results.
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2. Best for peel-and-stick pages
HP Sprocket
ZINK paper has adhesive on the back, so prints go straight onto the page.
- Buy it for
- Journalers who want no glue step, and teenagers decorating a notebook.
- Skip it if
- Anyone who wants an archival-feeling print, or the cheapest cost per print.
- Sticky-backed 2 x 3 inch ZINK paper — peel the backing and press it down.
- About 60 cents a print from a $11.99 20-sheet pack.
- Zero ink: the color is in the paper and heat develops it, so there is nothing to replace but paper.
- Up to 313 x 400 dpi, and Bluetooth printing from iOS and Android.
Running cost: ZINK 2 x 3 works out at $0.60 a shot. See every format’s cost.
How it scores7.6/10 overall
- Cost per print7
- Scrapbook-friendly finish8
- Print quality6
- Size options5
Our editorial scoring, built from published specifications and reviews by outlets that test hardware — see how we pick. We have not handled these products, so these are not test results.
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3. Best print quality for a keepsake album
Canon SELPHY QX20
Square dye-sublimation prints with a protective overcoat, and a sticky back.
- Buy it for
- Someone making an album they expect to keep, rather than a page a month.
- Skip it if
- A high-volume scrapbooker — at about 80 cents a print it is twice the Kodak.
- Dye-sublimation with a protective overcoat; Canon positions the finish as long-lived, and it certainly survives a fridge door.
- 287 dpi with 256 shades per color, the most capable small-format print here.
- Two print sizes from one printer: 2.7 x 2.7 inch square and 2.1 x 3.4 inch card.
- Sticky-backed label stock, so prints can be mounted without glue.
Running cost: Canon SELPHY Square (XS-20L) works out at $0.80 a shot, so a hundred photographs in the first year puts the real total at about $269.00 including the camera. See every format’s cost.
How it scores7.9/10 overall
- Cost per print5
- Scrapbook-friendly finish9
- Print quality10
- Size options8
Our editorial scoring, built from published specifications and reviews by outlets that test hardware — see how we pick. We have not handled these products, so these are not test results.
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4. Smallest, for a travel journal
Canon IVY 2 Mini
A ZINK printer the size of a stack of cards, for printing on the move.
- Buy it for
- Anyone keeping a journal while travelling rather than at a desk.
- Skip it if
- Volume work at home — 20 prints per charge is a short session.
- 314 x 500 dpi, the highest resolution of the ZINK printers here.
- About 50 seconds a print, and a charge in as little as 45 minutes.
- Digital Camera World's review puts the running cost at around 60 cents a print, which matches our paper arithmetic.
- A 500 mAh battery and a body that fits a pencil case.
Running cost: ZINK 2 x 3 works out at $0.60 a shot, so a hundred photographs in the first year puts the real total at about $189.94 including the camera. See every format’s cost.
How it scores7.4/10 overall
- Cost per print7
- Scrapbook-friendly finish7
- Print quality7
- Size options4
Our editorial scoring, built from published specifications and reviews by outlets that test hardware — see how we pick. We have not handled these products, so these are not test results.
Digital Camera World, which publishes hands-on reviews, calls it “working out at around 60c per print”.
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Cost per print, verified
| Format | Print size | Pack | Pack price | Cost per shot | Checked at |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kodak 4PASS 2.1 x 3.4 | 2.1 x 3.4 in | 60 | $24.99 | $0.42 | Kodak Photo Printer store |
| ZINK 2 x 3 | 2 x 3 in | 20 | $11.99 | $0.60 | ProCam |
| Canon SELPHY Square (XS-20L) | 2.7 x 2.7 in | 20 | $16.00 | $0.80 | ProCam |
| Polaroid Hi-Print 2 x 3 | 2 x 3 in | 20 | $16.99 | $0.85 | Polaroid |
Those figures come from listings we fetched, not from manufacturer claims, and they are dated on our film and print cost index. The pattern is consistent: Kodak's 4PASS cartridges are the cheapest small prints available, ZINK sits in the middle, and anything printed on real instant film costs at least twice as much.
Why instant film is the wrong tool for a scrapbook
An instax or Polaroid print is a sealed chemical sandwich with developer paste inside it. You cannot trim one — cutting into the frame breaks the seal and ruins the image — and at 85 cents to $2.37 a frame it is the most expensive paper you could fill a book with. Instant prints belong in a sleeved album or on a display line, not under a craft knife.
Who should buy which
- Filling pages every week: Kodak Mini 2 Retro, for the 42-cent print.
- Journaling in a notebook with no glue: HP Sprocket, for peel-and-stick ZINK.
- Making one album to keep: Canon SELPHY QX20, for the overcoated square print.
- Printing while travelling: Canon IVY 2 Mini, for the size.
- Wanting bigger photos on the page: a 4 x 6 printer instead — see the best 4 x 6 photo printers at about 39 to 40 cents a print.
Questions people ask
What is the best photo printer for scrapbooking?
The Kodak Mini 2 Retro. Its 4PASS cartridge works out at about 42 cents a print, the lowest of any pocket printer we verified, and prints come out dry, laminated and non-sticky, so they can be trimmed, glued and written on.
Are sticky-backed photo prints good for scrapbooking?
They are good for journaling and quick layouts, because there is no glue step. They are worse for a considered scrapbook: an adhesive print cannot be repositioned once pressed down and cannot be lifted later without damaging it or the page.
Can you cut instant film photos for a scrapbook?
No. An instax or Polaroid print is a sealed chemical unit, and cutting into it breaks the seal and ruins the image. For a scrapbook, print on 4PASS, ZINK or dye-sublimation paper instead, all of which trim cleanly.
What size prints work best on a scrapbook page?
Small prints in two sizes tend to lay out best: a 2.1 x 3.4 inch card print as the workhorse and a 2.7 x 2.7 inch square as the accent. The Canon SELPHY QX20 prints both from one machine; the Kodak Mini 2 Retro prints the card size only.
Read these next
Polaroid scrapbook ideas
What to do with the prints once they are made.
Best pocket photo printers
The general ranking, for uses beyond scrapbooking.
ZINK vs instax
Sticky paper against instant film, on cost and durability.
Best 4 x 6 photo printers
If you want full-size photos on the page.
Sources
- Kodak — 4PASS cartridges — $24.99 for 60 prints (2.1x3.4 and 3x3), $31.99 for 80 prints (4x6), 13 October 2026
- Kodak photo printer range — Current Mini, Mini Shot and Dock range with listed bundle prices
- ProCam — Canon 2x3 ZINK photo paper, 20 sheets — $11.99 on 13 October 2026, the basis of the 60c-per-print ZINK figure
- HP Sprocket specifications via reseller listing — ZINK sticky-backed 2 x 3 in paper, up to 313 x 400 dpi. HP's own US store and the major US retailers return 403 to our fetches, so a reseller listing carries the specification
- ProCam — Canon SELPHY QX20 — Dye-sublimation with protective overcoat, 2.7 x 2.7 in square prints, sticky back
- Canon USA newsroom — IVY 2 Mini announcement — ZINK zero-ink printing, 314 x 500 dpi, about 50 seconds per print
- Digital Camera World — Canon IVY 2 Mini review — Independently reports a ZINK running cost of around 60c per print
Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us and we will correct it with a dated note. Our picks are re-checked quarterly — see our editorial policy.