Out of all the nail printers we’ve assessed over the course of one month, we’ve picked the Integrated Desktop Nail Printer V9 as our top choice. We were impressed by its design and performance. Not only can it withstand several hours of continuous work, it can also receive images via SHAREit (Bluetooth) application. You can even customize it to print different designs on each nail. The camera on the nail slot will help navigate the printer so that it can recognize where your nails are.
Are unhappy with how your nail salon is running?
Do you ever feel like you’re the only salon in town that doesn’t have equipment to do the manual work?
You know that there’s nothing better than getting pampered by a real live person. But all these high-tech machines are taking over, and if you don’t give in, your nail salon will look outdated and well, old.
You’re not alone. According to our study, there are plenty of others just like you.
This article brings you to our top 5 nail printers to help you upgrade your business (or personal use). It will save you the time and effort from researching all the nail printers out there.
We’ve compiled all of the necessary information of each nail printer you need to know to help you choose which printer will suit your needs.
Ready to find out which one’s the best? Then let’s begin!
Best Nail Printers of 2018
| Carpet Rakes | Handle Height | Head Size | Bristle Material |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ravmag Rubber Broom & Squeegee – Design | 55 inches | 12 inches | Rubber |
| Carlisle 4575100 Commercial Grade 18" Carpet Rake / Groomer | 54 inches | 18 inches | Nylon |
| Push Broom Extra Long Handle Rubber Bristles Sweeper | Up tp 55.1 inches | 12.6 inches | Rubber |
| Superior Performance Silicone Push Broom | 50 inches | 13 inches | Silicone |
| Evriholder FURemover Broom with Squeegee | 60 inches | 12 inches | Rubber |
How Do The Nail Printers Work?
A nail printer works by printing designs on your nails.
The machine uses hundreds of minuscule guns to print dots of liquid ink onto your nails.
Most machines prefer that you use a white base coat as this will help the printer recognize your nails’ boundaries to avoid crooked prints.
Once the coat is dry, you will then be directed to place your nails underneath the printer to let the camera detect your nails in preparation for printing.
Some devices will require you to put on a guide to help steady your hands. Others can operate without them.
There are a lot of nail printers out there - some work similarly with others, and some don’t. So it’s really up to you to decide which one will suit your needs.
What Should You Consider Before Buying a Nail Printer?
The first question that should come to your mind when buying a nail printer is by asking how much and what you plan on printing.
Intense competition has forced many companies to slash prices and deciding which to choose can be a difficult task given the wide variety of options on the market.
There are a few other factors to consider to determine the best one for you. We have compiled the most important ones below for you to take note of to find the nail printer that will suit your needs.
1. Cost of Supply
When choosing a nail printer, you shouldn’t only take the cost as the main factor. It might be important to consider the cost of buying other components like the ink cartridges among others because the constant replacement is where businesses can incur the most expense. Considering how nail printers address the cost for printing can help improve consolidation, business process, efficiency and management of resources in your business.
2. Operation
Know how easy or difficult a nail printer is to use, fix, and operate. It can be useful to prevent employee downtime and ease the reduction of resources when it malfunctions. Look for easy user-interfaces that require minimal training and if the product has a service center readily available and accessible.
3. Standalone Function
There are nail printers that need a PC to operate and others that don’t (standalone unit). If your area is limited, then you should consider looking for a unit that will allow you to print without using a computer.
Standalone nail printers usually have an LCD screen to display images and a memory card reader to help access the design on a client’s or your memory card. It frees up your space since it won’t need a computer to function.
How did We Assessed and Evaluated These Products?
Throughout the process of product evaluation, we made a strict rule not to entertain inducement from specific brands, manufacturers, or vendors that would affect our independent judgment.
We first looked through many different department stores to see what kinds of nail printers were available to consumers. We asked friends, family, and our readers for recommendations and as expected, we got a fair amount of nail printers listed (about 15) and each came with its own unique and similar features.
Of all the 15 printers, we made sure that we were able to see each product physically. We took notes about all of their specifications, capabilities, and features. We then established the most common buying criteria based on responses we received from online and on the ground surveys.
We gathered all of the pieces of information we got and then used that to score each nail printer we had on our list. We then proceeded to exclude all the cut-rate units and were left with five of the best.
We made sure to assess the products through careful and thorough product testing and studied how each one compared to the rest. We also made sure not to include the price and the number of features a unit has as determining factors on the best. Rather, we looked for quality, durability, and functionality as the key factors to rate each nail printer.
Our Top Picks
1. Intelligent Digital Nail Printer Upgraded Version– 2nd Runner Up
Wifi Wireless Transfer Flatbed Printer for Flower, Nail, Toenail, Case with UV Lamp
After a lot of research on this product, we have been thoroughly satisfied. We’re all nail printer newbies, but we had a lot of knowledge about how machines generally work and operate. The setup was fairly easy to do despite being novices and it finished quickly.
Its wireless capability made it easier and more efficient to operate. We also liked that it came with a built-in host computer with an LCD touch screen - which means it’s a standalone unit and PC would not be needed.
Although it printed slowly, we liked that it’s quiet and produced sharp and vivid designs on our nails. We appreciated that it has a number of exciting and useful features. We found it to be very versatile because its software was easy to understand.
We also liked how compact it is. We think that this will be great for small business spaces since it doesn’t take up too much counter space as it doesn’t require a PC to operate it.
We were able to test it out by continuously letting the unit run for 7 hours straight before it heated up and we had to stop and give it a break. Overall it’s a trooper, and we were happy with that.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
2. O’2 Mobile Nail Printer – 1st Runner Up
We loved how this little device can connect to a mobile app where we were able to choose a wide variety of mixed and customizable patterns and designs. It’s an efficient device because one cartridge can already print you over 700 to 800 nails.
We observed that it didn’t have any issues upon installation thanks to its manual’s step by step guide. We noted that it was easy to use it has a wireless connectivity as well.
We were thrilled with this nail printer because its mobile on-screen directions are very clear and concise. The little picture display icons are easy to understand, so we appreciated that it was made user-friendly and required a short learning curve.
We tested it on 20 different people’s fingernails, and it worked really well albeit a little slow since it could only print on one nail at a time. That small inconvenience paled in comparison to how its wireless printing made work easier and convenient.
It worked properly for about six hours of continuous printing before the machine started to make a funny whirring sound. We let it rest for a bit, and once it cooled down, it printed the same way it did before.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Flatbed Printer for Flower, Nail, Toenail, Case
When we tried this unit, we were a bit concerned about the installation. The manual had decent instructions, but it was a bit confusing at times.
Its LCD Touch Screen display was easy to operate. We liked that it has clear and understandable menus- which means less confusion when operating the machine. It can make it easier to teach everybody who needed to know how to use and test it.
We evaluated this for eight straight hours before it had to rest a bit. Quality wise, its printing was quite decent. We also were impressed with its speed. We didn’t have to wait longer when printing on the nails of seven different hands. It does not need to be connected to a computer, so it’s a great machine to save space.
We loved that it can print multiple nails simultaneously without producing much noises, and it had high accuracy in scanning the nails size.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
4. Integrated Desktop Nail Printer V9 – Editor’s Choice
The Integrated Desktop Nail Printer V9 uses Android as its operating system so it’s highly likely that most of the people are already familiar with how it works. This unit offers a 10 inch LED touch-screen with a relatively good graphic interface which makes it easier to operate and handle.
We assessed its capacity to print nails in just 20 seconds, and we were very happy with the results. We were impressed with the 500 preinstalled designs in the unit that we had fun choosing and printing these designs on our nails.
We were able to steadily use the machine for four hours before we had to take it easy. Performance wise, it’s robust and does its job. It’s taller than most of our contenders but it packs a lot of power and can be up and running for several more hours had we not run out of time.
We loved that we were able to upload any design to the unit to print in on our nails. There’s also a built-in high-resolution camera which we used to capture one of our co-worker’s face and print in on another’s nails.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
On assessing this unit, we loved that it doesn’t have to be connected to a PC to work. It also has the capability to print on five nails at once. We liked that it has a user-friendly interface and that it prints a rather good quality design on nails.
We liked how the on-screen prompts just did the job for us. It performed really well based on our evaluation and it automatically detects fingernails once they are inserted in the slot. Speed is also relatively great and has quality output. Most of the other nail printers that didn’t make it to our top 5 did not print quality designs, so this unit was a breath of fresh air when we tested it.
We used the machine for about six hours before we decided to stop and give the unit a break. We liked that it’s able to stand running continuously for several hours without overheating or making funny noises.
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
Our Recommendations:
Editor's Pick: INTEGRATED DESKTOP NAIL PRINTER V9
The decision was a hard one since we had a tie between our top pick and the 1st runner-up. We did manage to find another criterion to break the deadlock. Out of all five contenders, we think the best nail printer is the Integrated Desktop Nail Printer V9.
We liked the fact that it’s using a very user-friendly software (Android) which means minimal training requirements for the employees and even yourself. It also has a sleek, and well-thought-out design that will look very classy in any store.
We also loved that it has 500 preinstalled designs to choose from to lessen customer waiting time (in looking for other designs). There’s also a built-in camera for cases when customers want to bring and print their own designs on the spot.
1st Runner Up: O’2 Mobile Nail Printer
This small compact mobile printer is, by comparison, a very well designed machine. We loved that it’s very portable, small, and light. Its print quality was way above average, and we think it’s great that it only used a small amount of electricity at only 24W. Its overall performance rivals our top pick. So if you are looking for a much smaller and compact nail printer, this might be the one for you.
2nd Runner Up: Upgraded Version Wifi Wireless Transfer Intelligent Digital Nail Printer Flatbed Printer for Flower,Nail,Toenail,Case with UV Lamp
This machine was our third pick because in addition to its quality printing, it is also capable of wireless transfers through WiFi connection. We like that this unit can operate without the use of a PC and also print several nails at a time.