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First impressions are important and we know that many artists and designers would want to own the best quality printer to bring their creative work to life either to sell or to show to prospective clients.
We’ve reviewed thoroughly, the latest model of printers that can best meet your needs. In our research, we looked for models that could generate high-resolution prints with brilliant colour detail, as well as models that could print on a variety of sizes and weights of paper.
Featured image by Freepik
So, what are the best printers recommended for artists & graphic designers?
Best all-in-one printers for art prints
- Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500
- Canon PIXMA G620 Megatank
- Canon TS9521C Crafting Printer
- HP LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdn
- Epson EcoTank ET-15000 All-in-One
Best printers for professional art printing
- Canon imagePROGRAF TA-30 – 36″ Large Format
- Epson Artisan 1430
- Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
- Epson SureColor P700 13″
- Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300
Best printers under $400
- HP Smart-Tank 6001 All-in-One
- Epson Expression Photo XP-8600
- Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wide Format
FAQs
- How to choose the best printer for art prints and graphic design?
- Is inkjet or laser better for art prints?
- What is a good printer resolution for art prints?
Best all-in-one printers for art prints
1. Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8500
The EcoTank Photo ET-8500 all-in-one printer is a great offer if you need accurate colors and cost efficiency.
This printer is designed for creatives, photographers, artists and designers of all levels. It can print in 8 x 11″, 4 x 6″, 5 x 7″, and 8 x 11″ sizes and in various types of papers including stickers. It does 2-sided printing as well.
For about 4 cents each, you can print a 4 x 6″ picture in as little as 15 seconds. The 6-color inks can cover up to 6,200 color pages.
The scanning quality is excellent too. With 300 dpi, it’s incredibly clear and glare-free and you can scan and save the images directly to your phone.
What we love about this printer?
• Very easy to set up
• Prints borderless pictures up to 8.5 x 11″
• Excellent and convenient paper tray and media handling.
Features:
• High-accuracy printhead with Claria ET Premium 6-color inks
• Intuitive touch display and wireless connectivity
• Native 4,800 dpi 48-bit flatbed scanner for professional color and black & white scanning and copying.
2. Canon PIXMA G620 Megatank
The Canon PIXMA G620 all-in-one printer gives you the best of both worlds. This printer is ideal for high-volume photo printing, while still giving you that beautiful and vibrant print quality thanks to its 6-color dye-based ink cartridges.
This printer is also lightweight – you can lift it out of the box with just one hand, which makes this printer very easy to move around.
What we love about this printer?
• Amazing print quality
• Cost-saving prints – approx. 2.5 cents per 4″ x 6″ prints
• Photo prints dry quickly with no “smudging” of ink.
Features:
• Space saving and compact design
• USB and wifi connectivity
• 6- color dye-based ink system for a wider color gamut.
3. Canon TS9521C Crafting Printer
The Canon TS9521C all-in-one inkjet printer has all the features you need to print your art & craft projects and it’s ideal for everyday use.
If you’re looking to start selling prints on Etsy, this printer features 5 individual ink tanks that can handle all of your regular printing requirements, including pattern designs, greeting cards, schoolwork, scrapbooks, documents and photos.
The WiFi Air Print feature lets you print and scan directly from cloud-based apps like Facebook and Instagram. This Canon printer also functions as an auto document feeder for scanning and copying.
What we love about this printer?
• Easy-to-use
• Inexpensive
• Uses ink sparingly and could still give you good quality prints.
Features:
• 12″ x 12″ paper support and borderless printing
• Auto document feeder for multi-page documents
• Bluetooth, ethernet, USB and wifi connectivity.
4. HP Laserjet Pro M479fdn
The HP LaserJet Pro M479fdn printer supports media sizes up to 8.5 x 14″, print resolution up to 600 x 600 dpi, and prints clear text at speeds of 28 ppm in either black or color.
The printer has a 50-sheet automatic document feeder, 150-sheet output bin and two input trays. Tray 1 has a 50-sheet capacity, while Tray 2 has a 250-sheet capacity.
This HP LaserJet printer is multi-functional and ideal for economical art printing.
What we like about this product?
• Faster and quiet printing
• Suitable for large capacity printing
• Mobile printing compatible with smartphones, PC and cameras with WiFi or USB connection.
Features:
• 2-sided scanning
• 50-sheet auto document feeder
• 300 sheet total input capacity
• Fast printing – print speeds of up to 28 pages per minute.
5. Epson EcoTank ET-15000 All-in-One
The Epson EcoTank ET-15000 is also one of the best printers recommended for beginner artists and designers.
This printer produces high-quality prints and has high-capacity ink tanks to ensure you won’t run out of inks while you print your art & design projects. Each replacement ink bottle set includes enough ink to print up to 7,500 pages in black & white and 6,000 colored pages.
Customers who bought it love how easy it is to use this plug-and-play printer – with a WiFi connection, this printer connects automatically.
What we like about this product?
• Impressive print quality
• Versatile paper handling
• Cartridge-free printing – one set of replacement ink bottles included to last for up to 2 years of printing.
Features:
• Hands-free voice activated printing
• Auto document feeder with auto 2-sided printing and a 250-sheet paper tray.
• Has PrecisionCore heat-free technology and Claria ET pigment black ink that produces extraordinarily fine text and outstanding color photographs and graphics.
Best printers professional art printing
1. Canon imagePROGRAF TA-30 – 36″ Large Format
Both first-time users of large-format printing and creative professionals can benefit from the Canon imagePROGRAF TA-30 printer. The simple and compact design of this high-end inkjet printer makes it perfect for use at home or in a studio.
This printer is easy to use, quiet, and suitable for printing artwork, architectural plans, posters and pattern designs on fabric. There is also a built-in poster creation app to make printing your posters convenient and effective.
What we love about this printer?
• Space saving
• Fast & quiet printing
• High-speed printing – prints 113 poster per hour (27 sec. per D-size print) at 5ppm for color prints.
Features:
• Resolution 2400 x 1200 dpi
• Clear and accurate color printing
• Print paper sizes of 8″ – 36″ (2” Core)
• Dimension: 42″ x 51″ x 35″ (106cm x 130cm x 89cm)
• Supported print media: Fabric, glossy photo paper, banner paper.
2. Epson Artisan 1430
The Epson Artisan 1430 inkjet printer produces high-definition images with a resolution of up to 5760 x 1440 dpi.
The Artisan 1430 prints ultra HD formats up to 13″ x 19″ (33cm x 48cm) in size. You won’t have to worry about graininess on your prints thanks to its 6 distinct ink cartridges that go through extremely accurate ink nozzles. The Epson ink is resistant to smudges, scratches, and water.
It’s also simple to share your Artisan 1430 with others thanks to the included WiFi networking. Anyone on your network can now make huge, gallery-worthy and professional looking prints.
What we love about this printer?
• Advanced colour and lighting correction
• Cost-friendly ink cartridge replacement
• Produces beautiful art prints – ideal for for artists and illustrators who sell art prints.
Features:
• Wireless network ready
• Comes with 6 color cartridges.
3. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000 inkjet printer is ideal for professional photographers, graphic designers and artists. This printer prints stunning black and white prints with deep blacks and detailed gradations. It is especially appealing because it highlights the dark shadow areas to make the image crisper.
For colored prints, this printer generates a wide color range, accurately reproducing even the most difficult colours. The printer’s output is amazing across all types of print papers including glossy, art, matte papers, and museum quality giclee prints.
What we love about this printer?
• Image clarity and detailed black density and dark shadow areas
• The Anti-Clogging technology – generates faster print speeds and reduces the possibility of clogging.
Features:
• Wide Color Gamut – 11-color and Chroma Optimizer ink system
• Prints large format up to 13″ x 19″ (33cm x 48cm)
• Air Feeding System – prevents skewing of each page for precise ink placement
4. Epson SureColor P700 13″
For artists who needs exhibition quality prints, the Epson SureColor P700 prints a maximum resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi and supports up to 13″ large format printing. This printer gives you outstanding image quality and color control over detailed printing with its an advanced printhead.
The SureColor P700 inkjet printer is easy to use with its LED light for fast, convenient operation and it is designed to save space too.
What we love about this printer?
• Easy to use and space saving
• Suitable for giclee prints
• High quality and permanent print – creates prints that last up to 200 years in color and black and white
• Professional media handling – supports Epson Professional, Signature Worthy, and Legacy papers, as well as third-party media, in 2 rolls and sheets up to 1.5 mm thick.
Features:
• Compact design
• New 10-channel MicroPiezo AMC printhead
• Dedicated nozzles for both black ink types – no switching needed.
5. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is a high-quality professional inkjet photo and fine art printer. It has a 9-color plus Chroma Optimizer ink that caters to the needs of photographers, artists and designers of all levels.
The printer is simple to use and works with a variety of print medium. It can print in borderless and in widths of up 39″ (1 meter). It also offers a large print preview, allowing you to adjust the size, crop, and color of your images and preview its final print size before printing.
What we love about this printer?
• Easy to use and space saving
• Produces rich and professional-grade prints
• Black-and-white prints have finer black and grey shades
• Versatile media handling – prints in panorama size as well.
Features:
• Space saving
• Fast photo printing
• 3.0″ color LCD display – allows for easy settings and maintenance
• Three different layout options: single image, numerous images on a page, and gallery wrap.
Best printers under $400
1. HP Smart-Tank 6001 All-in-One
Our favorite budget all-in-one printer this year is the HP Smart-Tank 6001. Reasonably priced, this inkjet printer does a decent job in printing high-resolution prints of up to 4800 x 1200 color dpi. This is just excellent for art prints and photos. It prints in a variety of paper types and supports borderless printing.
If you’re on a budget but want to make lots of good quality art prints that you can sell on Etsy, this printer will be worth your investment.
What we like about this product?
• Excellent print quality
• Eco & budget friendly
• Prints up to 8,000 color pages or 6,000 black pages right out of the box
• Self “healing” WiFi connection – automatically detects and resolves connectivity issues.
Features:
• Prints 12 pages/minute
• 150 page input tray
• Print, copy and scan with automatic two-sided printing.
2. Epson Expression Photo XP-8600
Also called the Small-in-One printer, the Epson Expression Photo XP-8600 can print your photos and artwork lightning fast!
Many customers who bought this model also love the easy setup and space-saving design. This printer is suitable for small office and home use.
What we like about this product?
• High resolution printing
• Easy setup
• Space-saving
• User-friendly touchscreen interface
Features:
• Borderless printing
• Supports versatile printing
• 6-color Claria Photo HD inks
3. Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 Wide Format
The Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 printer is perfect for skilled graphic designers who want to sell their own prints. Though the ink cartridges aren’t cheap, designers who purchased it praised the print quality as fantastic!
This printer can print in borderless and large format of up to 13″ x 19″ (33cm x 48cm) and can print as fast as 27 seconds.
If you’re a creative who pays close attention to details, this printer will be a worthwhile investment for you.
What we like about this product?
• Easy to use
• Fast speed printing – 20 page/minute (color)
• Professional Ultra HD photo quality feature – works brilliantly in borderless printing
Features:
• With a 200-sheet front tray – supports automatic 2-sided document printing
• Individual 6-color Claria cartridges with ultra wide color gamut and enhanced black-and-white prints.
FAQs
How to choose the best printer for art prints and graphic design?
Determine the size: We have recommended a variety of printers available specifically for creatives. However, choosing the proper printer that will meet your needs begins with determining the size of your printouts. So ask yourself if you require large-format or smaller format printing.
How often will you print? If you plan on doing a lot of printing and possibly selling your art prints, you should invest in a high-end printer that can generate gallery-quality images far faster than a low-end printer. They also feature larger ink cartridges, which means you won’t have to replace them as frequently, and you’ll normally find better rates on ink when you buy larger ink cartridges.
Paper thickness: Last but not least, consider the thickness of the paper you’ll be printing on. Choose paper that will not absorb a lot of ink. Many creative professionals choose photographic or fine art paper since it is thicker than conventional printer paper. And when it comes to paper thickness, lower-end printers are usually less versatile, so if you plan on printing a lot of thick media, a higher-end printer is usually a better choice.
Is inkjet or laser better for art prints?
Inkjet printers and laser printers are the two most common options. A laser printer costs more up front, but it runs significantly faster and costs less in the long term. Inkjet printers may not be able to handle the hefty output offered by laser printers. However, color saturation is still better with inkjet printers.
What is a good printer resolution for art prints?
300 dpi is recommended for most artwork. When photos or artwork are set to 300 ppi, most printers offer outstanding results. Large prints can be printed at 150 dpi because the difference in print quality is barely evident when viewed from a distance.
The resolution of the output device varies depending on the type of press and paper utilised. In general, if printed on glossy magazine stock, a photograph is output at 150 lpi, and if printed on newspaper stock, at 85 lpi.
You can learn more about resolution and canvas dimensions in the Corel Painter Help.
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