Thanks to the surging interest in digital photography and photo editing, you now can buy a terrific photo printer for under $200.

That's not to say than any printer on the market is a good choice for printing photographs. To make sure that you wind up with a winner, keep these pointers in mind if you're shopping:

• For the best photo quality, get a model that's engineered specifically to render digital images. Typically, manufacturers put the word "photo" in the names of these models.
• Opt for inkjet or dye-sub (also known as thermal dye) technology. Both technologies can produce prints that are comparable to traditional film prints.
• Don't be a sucker for resolution hype. Most people think that a higher printer resolution means better print quality. But that's just not true. For a real indication of print quality, compare print samples and read product reviews.
• Don't assume that you get better quality as you move up the price curve. In most cases, the different models in a manufacturer's line of printers all have the same print engine. The higher priced models offer features such as faster print speed, the ability to print on wider paper, or slots that enable you to print directly from a digital camera memory card.
• Look for a six-color or four-color model. Six ink colors usually means truer color rendition than four ink colors. Avoid models that use only three ink colors (cyan, magenta, and yellow); these models can't reproduce shadows well.
• Finally, consider the cost of ink cartridges and paper when you're making your final decision. The manufacturer should provide a general ink-per-print cost, and some digital imaging and computer magazines regularly publish cost comparison charts.

One last tip: You can save money with a model that offers individual ink cartridges; printers that put multiple colors in one cartridge require you to buy a new cartridge when a single color is gone, even if other colors aren't yet depleted.