3 Best Nail Art Printers – The Ultimate Review & Guide 2023
The Best Nail Art Printers & Machines are:
- O2 Nail Art Printer – (Has the highest print quality).
- Tuoshi Digital Nail Printer -(Suitable for a Nail Salon)
- Kunhewuhua Nail Printer – (Can print on 5 nails simultaneously and on your toenails)
What Are Nail Art Printers & How Do They Work
If you are new to the world of nail art printers and you are wondering what they are and how do they work, well:
Nail art printers are basically inkjet printers that are specially made to quickly print out complex designs directly onto your nails.
1- O2 Nail Art Printers
The O2 is the nail art printer I recommend, mainly because these printers create the highest quality nail art images.
They print at a rate of 2400 (DPI) Dots Per Inch which is the current gold standard in the industry.
A higher DPI means that you get a better resolution similar to how more pixels give you a better image or video like a 1080p high definition TV.
And because of the O2’s 2400 DPI, your nail art will look sharp and clear with less of a grainy look.
These printers are made by O2 Nails Inc which have been developing various nail technologies since 1993. Citation.
O2 Nails inc has years of experience in this industry.
How To Use O2 Nail Printers
The O2 is pretty easy to use, once correctly set up:
- Firstly you need to apply a coat of white gel polish, any brand would work
- Secondly, apply the nail mask polish around your nail cuticles, this prevents ink from getting directly onto your skin.
- Dont worry the nail mask polish will come with your printer.
- Next, apply a coat of special Print Gel.
- Then proceed to get your images uploaded onto the app.
- Now once your nails and images are ready, insert your fingers into the machine.
- And adjust the images on the app to your liking and then press print.
- Finally, peel off the nail mask around the cuticles and then cure your nails for 1 minute.
- You can also apply a top coat to make your nail art last much longer.
You can see step by step how to use the O2 in the video below.
There is a fair amount of bad reviews and comments about the O2 Printers.
But I suspect most of this sentiment comes from folks not properly setting up and using this machine, so take your time and follow all the instructions to get the best result.
Important Tips
1- When you insert your finger, please ensure that the platform that your finger is resting on is raised to hold your nails firmly in place.
2- Use only high-quality images for the best results.
Pros Of O2 Nail Printers
1- Prints Really Clear Images
The O2 nail printer allows you to print really clear and sharp images much more than the other nail printers.
It prints at a resolution of 2400 DPI, which stands for Dots Per Inch, this metric is similar to how we measure the clarity of videos in pixels.
And just like in a video the more dots per inch the better quality of image you would get.
Now older models of the O2 had lower DPI.
That’s why sometimes in old reviews they would complain about poor bad quality nail art, but all new O2 printers have 2400 DPI.
2- Advanced Software
The O2 has amazingly advanced and sophisticated software.
1- Firstly once you insert your finger the O2 automatically recognizes your nails and starts to adjust the image to fit onto your nails.
But, of course, you can also do your own adjustments by zooming in and out to crop the image to your liking.
2- Secondly the O2 has a camera that allows you to see your nails when inserted into the printer, this allows you to better adjust your nails
3- Very Fast
The O2 prints 1 nail art in 30 seconds regardless of how complex the image is, the O2 will swiftly print your nail art.
Can your nail tech do that in 30 seconds?
4- Allows You to Print Any Image
The O2 allows you to easily and quickly print any image onto your nails.
From printing an image of your cat or your favorite movie character, the possibilities are endless.
All you need to do is upload the image to the O2 app on your phone and then print.
Added to that the O2 comes with hundreds of preloaded images that you can print straight away.
Only use high-quality images, if you use low-quality ones the nail art will look grainy.
5- Widely Used
The O2 printer is by far the most popular nail art printer on the market.
What this means is that the machine has been used and test by a lot of people.
Plus parts and information on this printer will be much easier to find.
I think why they are so popular is because they have been featured in many articles from huge media companies such as Yahoo.com and Forbes Magazine.
6- Ink Refills are Easy To Get
Another drawback of most nail printers is that ink replacement is hard to find.
Now because the O2 is so popular ink cartridges are super easy to find and order.
Plus the Print Gel and Nail Mask Polish can be found easily.
Amazon usually has them in stock, see links below.
7- Portable
The O2 is the smallest digital nail printer, it weighs around 3 pounds and is very compact.
This makes the O2 very easy to move around and store away when it’s not in use.
8- Has Anti Smudge Technology
The O2 uses special print gel and ink which helps to prevent smudging.
Drawbacks of O2 Nail Printers
1- Expensive
The O2 is very pricey, like most nail printers, making it out of reach for most folks.
Now added to the high initial cost, the individual ink cartridges also fetch a high price so over time the costs will add up.
So I would recommend it for personal use only if you can truly afford it financially.
Or if you are a nail tech and you have enough clients to make it a profitable investment.
2- Requires a SmartPhone
For me this is a drawback, I personally dont like that you need to have a smartphone to work the O2.
If you bought the O2 to use in a salon means that you would have to allocate a dedicated phone to work with it.
Other Nail Printers usually have several ways to facilitate the transfer of images to be printed and they can work with any phone.
Meaning you can directly connect your clients’ or employees’ phone, you just connect via wifi or Bluetooth.
Sadly with The O2 you need to have the app installed onto your phone before it can work with the O2.
3- Tedious to Set Up
The O2 at first can be somewhat technical to set up.
But once the O2 is up and running it’s quite easy to use.
My advice is that you read and follow the instructions provided before setting it up.
4- One Nail at a Time
The O2 can only print on 1 nail at a time, this slows down the process significantly.
And then after each nail is printed on you got to cure them under an LED or UV Lamp for one minute.
Even thought it has these drawbacks I would still use the O2 in a salon because of its extra high print quality.
Just know that you might need an extra phone and your clients will have to do one nail at a time.
Where To Get The O2 Printer
Amazon usually has them in stock, you can click to see the price of the most updated version of the O2 Printer.
This version prints at the 2400 DPI and comes with everything you would need from the various gel polishes, a mini LED Lamp and an ink cartridge.
How Many Nail Prints Can You Get From One Ink Cartridge
With the O2 Printer, you can get around 250-300 nail art from each ink cartridge.
This also will vary based on the type of images that you print.
Complex images that require a lot of ink will finish off your cartridges much faster.
How to Get Ink Refills For Nail Printer
This an important factor to consider when buying a nail art printer because inevitably the ink will finish and you would need a replacement or a refill.
Thankfully most nail printer’s inks can be easily bought online and shipped to you
Also, a lot of stores have them in stock as well, you just got to know the corresponding ink number, generally buying them from a physical store works out cheaper because you won’t have to pay for shipping.
Now when it comes to the price of the ink, The O2’s ink costs a bit more than the other nail printers.
Average Cost of Ink Cartridges for a Nail Printer
Most replacement ink cartridges cost around $40-$75.
The price will vary based on the specific printer and also where you are buying it from if you buy it from the original ink company such as HP and Cannon you usually get it cheaper.
Most Nail printer’s ink cartridges come from one of the big printer companies.
How to Put in an Ink Cartridge for the O2 Nail Art Printer.
Putting in a replacement ink cartridge is pretty simple too, you can see how easy it is in the video below.
How Long Does Printed Nail Art Last For
Once properly applied meaning you followed all the steps and used the Top and Base Coat, your printed nail art should last you for 2 weeks.
If you dont use a top coat they might last for a couple of days.
This will vary based on your activity, if you tend to wash a lot of dishes your nail art won’t last so long.
Pro Tip:
If you want your manicure or nail art to last longer always use gloves when doing the dishes.
How to Remove Nail Art Made Using a Nail Printer.
Regular Nail Polish Remover or Rubbing Alcohol would easily remove the ink used by most nail printers from your nails. Citation.
Can You Print onto Your Bare Nails
Yes, you can print on your bare nails, though you would get very poor quality nail art, so I wouldn’t advise doing it.
I hope that one day nail printers become so advance that you can just print without the need for a base coat.
What Kind Of Polish Works Best For a Nail Printer
I would recommend using the polish that the printer comes with.
But you can substitute it with any other polish but you tend to get better results using gel polish.
For me plain white gel polish is what works best, the white polish mirrors the white background of paper allowing the image to show clearly on your nails.
Are Nail Printers Safe
The ink used by all nail printers is the same found in standard inkjet printers that you probably use every day either in your home or at your work.
Now, most inks are made from non-toxic ingredients such as water, ethylene glycol, and alcohol.
These Printer inks are as safe as using dishwasher soap. Citation, you can click to read more.
Of course, I wouldn’t advocate eating these ink, you wouldn’t go consume dishwasher soap.
Now if you want to be extra sure you would need to check with the ink manufacturer to confirm the precise ingredients because every brand would use sightly different ones.
Most of these printer inks have to be vetted by the government to be safe before they are allowed to be sold.
Now if you are wondering whether the nail printers themselves can hurt you.
The answer is no these printers won’t cut you or possibly make you lose a finger, I couldn’t find any instance of this happening.
Plus from looking at the designs of these printers I dont think that’s even physically possible.
2- Tuoshi Nail Printer Machine
The Tuoshi Nail Printer is very similar to the O2 Printer but in my opinion, it’s more suited for commercial purposes such as a nail salon.
Whilst the O2 can go for both personal and commercial.
The Tuoshi is larger than the O2 Printer, and it also comes with its own built-in 7-inch touchscreen interface.
Pros of The Tuoshi Nail Machine
1- Can Print Any Nail Art Image
The Tuoshi just like the O2 can print any nail art image onto your nails.
2- Won’t Require an App To Use
The Tuoshi comes with its own internal computer and external interface, so a phone isn’t essential.
Now to upload images you will need to either:
1- Store the image onto a USB flash drive that can then be plugged into the back of the machine.
2- Connect your phone to the Tuoshi using the printer’s Wifi. And then transfer the images onto the Tuoshi to be printed.
This machine also comes with 700 preloaded nail designs that you can print straight away onto your nails.
3- Very Fast
The Tuoshi can print one nail art at a rate of 20 seconds per image which is faster than the O2’s 30 seconds per nail art.
The reason why the O2 is slower is due to the fact that the O2 has a higher resolution (2400 DPI) meaning it takes longer but its nail art is better.
4- Ink Cartridges are Cheaper & Easy To Find
The Tuoshi uses HP 803 Ink cartridges, making cartridges very easy to find; you can buy them from Amazon or from HP directly and save a lot of money.
And this makes Tuoshi’s ink cheaper than the O2’s ink.
So in the long run, the Tuoshi will be more cost-effective than the O2.
Drawbacks Of The Tuoshi
1- Lower Image Quality
The Tuoshi doesn’t print its nail art images as good as the O2 nail printer.
The reduce quality is because the Tuoshi has a 1200 DPI whilst the O2 has a 2400 DPI.
So your images won’t be as clear as if you were using an O2.
2- Set up and Usage can be technical
The Tuoshi will have a steep learning curving, meaning that it would awhile to master its usage.
But once you are accustomed to the printer it will be easy to use.
3- More Expensive
The Tuoshi is a bit more expensive than the O2 printer.
I suspect that the reason why it’s more expensive is that the printer has its own touchscreen interface and internal computer.
The fact that the printer has more features means that the cost of building these printers are higher.
4- Not Much Information Available
I couldn’t find much information about the Tuoshi online, videos, reviews, and guides are hard to come by.
Even the maker of the Tuoshi is unclear.
I always prefer to buy from well-known and popular companies, especially when the item is so costly.
Added to that parts will be tough to find if your printer breaks.
5- Not as Portable as the O2
The Tuoshi is much larger than the O2 it weighs around 16 pounds, this makes it harder to move around and store away.
Why The Tuoshi Is More Suited For a Nail Salon
1- Doesn’t Need a Dedicated Phone To Work
The Tuoshi has a 7-inch touchscreen interface with its own internal computer so you won’t need to buy a phone to always be there.
2- Ink Is Cheaper
The Tuoshi ink is more affordable which would increase your profit for each nail art that you do.
Where To Get The Tuoshi
You can get the Tuoshi at a good deal on Amazon, you can click to see the current price.
3- Kunhewuhua Nail Printer
The Kunhewuhua nail printer is more of an industrial nail art printing machine.
It can print nail art on all 5 nails at once greatly speeding up the time for finishing nail art.
Pros of the Kunhewuhua
1- Can Print Any Image
The Kunhewuhua like all digital nail art printers can print any nail art image onto your nails.
2- Can Print on 5 Nails At Time
The Kunhewuhua machine can print nail art on all the nails on one of your hands at the same time.
This feat makes it the fastest nail printer on the market, in around 35 seconds you can have five nails with amazing nail art.
This is really important especially if you are working with clients, time is very important for both you and your customers.
Faster printing means you can deal with more clients per day maximizing your profits.
Plus your clients will be happy they didn’t have to spend the whole day getting their nails done
3- Won’t Need an App to Work
The Kunhewuhua printer has its own internal computer and a touch screen display so you won’t need a phone or computer to use it.
4- Can Print on ToeNails
This is the only nail printer that I could find that could print nail art on your toenails.
The main reason why most nail printers cant print on your toes is that they weren’t built with that capacity in mind.
Now the Kunhewuhua was built with its entrance large enough to fit your feet in, to allow the printer to easily print onto your toenails.
So if your clients need nail art on their toenails, the Kunhewuhua currently is your only option for this.
Drawbacks of Kunhewuhua
1- Expensive
The Kunhewuhua is by far the most costly nail machine on the market.
It’s high price points comes from the fact that it was built with the capacity to print on your toenails and on all 5 nails at the same time.
So you are getting some added features for the high price.
These extra features mean more parts are needed which increases the overall cost of the machine.
2- Not Portable
The Kunhewuhua is also the largest nail printer, it weighs around 35 pounds and it takes up a lot of space its 18 x 13 x 11 inches.
Making it much larger than The O2 and The Tuoshi.
So if you buy a Kunhewuhua just ensure you have enough space for it
3- Not Much Information Available
I had a hard time researching this product, I couldn’t find much reviews and guides available online.
So I suspect parts might also be hard to come by as well.
On the plus side ink cartridges for the Kunhewuhua are currently sold on Amazon.
Where Can You Get The Kunhewuhua
You can get the Kunhewuhua on Amazon, click to see the price for it.
Should You buy a Nail Printer For a Nail Salon
A Nail Printer can add value to a Nail Salon, why:
1- You Stand Out From Other Salon
Having a nail printer gives you a competitive advantage over just a regular nail technician.
The Nail salon business can be very competitive, you might have three or four salons right next to you, so having the ability to create intricate nail art easily and speedily is a great way to stand out from the crowd.
2- Increases Customer Satisfaction
A Nail Printer would make your clients experience something unique and out of the way.
They probably will remember your salon as being fun and modern and hopefully, return again.
Thus increasing your customer base and your profitability.
When You Shouldn’t Buy a Nail Printer
Nail Printers cost a lot of money and you probably shouldn’t invest a lot of money in one if:
- Most of your clients are looking for simple nail art, if this is the case then you are probably wasting your time thinking about a nail art printer.
- Most of your clients in your area are older folks (55 and above), older women are less likely to want to try something new or want fancy nail art designs.
These are just my opinion I advocate that you study your business and see what’s best for you.
Pro Tip
Before you invest in a nail printer ask a few of your loyal customers if they would be willing to try it maybe show them a video of one and how it works.
By doing this you can know that some of your clients are willing to pay for the new service.
Tips on Having a Nail Printer For a Nail Salon
1- Focus on the experience
You need to make using the printer as comfortable as possible for your clients.
Let your clients sit and relax in a very comfortable chair maybe even let them soak their feet in a portable spa as the printer works.
Most survey shows that women dont only go to the salon to get their nails done, but for the extra pampering and stress relief and you need to take that into account as a salon owner. Citation.
Always play gentle relaxing music in your salon.
2- Practice and Get Perfect
Before you actually use the printer on customers both you and your staff need to have completely mastered the process of using it.
I advocate that you dedicate a whole day for training and practicing before introducing the nail printer.
3- Advertise Your Nail Printer
Once you have bought and mastered a nail printer, you need to start marketing it, make signs and ads of your new service.
A few customers will be willing to try it, once you impress those first few, word will eventually spread.
4- Highlight the Benefits
In your signs and ads make sure you highlight the benefits of the printer that your clients can get their favorite characters, animals and other complex nail art.