Editorial StaffArt is becoming digital every day just like everything else. If you are a digital artist or aspire to be one, you will need to print out your artworks from time to time for different reasons. Whether you are planning on hanging some of your printed arts in your room or selling online, the best printer for art prints is important to get an accurate and high-quality print that does justice to your artwork. You do not want to spend hours on a piece only to find that it comes out “blur” once you print it.
There are a lot of art printers flooding the market today making it difficult to find the right one. To help you minimize the amount of time and money you spend on your research and avoid outsourcing the job to your local print shop, we have done full research of various printer types and brands and their features. We have also listed the factors to consider when shopping for the best printer for art prints on the market.
1. Epson EcoTank ET-4760
Epson EcoTank ET-4760 comes with a compact, space-saving and stylish design that not only looks appealing but is highly functional in an office environment as well. Furthermore, it features borderless printing alongside automatic two-sided printing offering you a lot of different choices at your fingertips.
Epson EcoTank-4760 offers wireless printing. You can print easily from your smartphone and tablet. Besides, it has a voice-activated operation letting you enjoy a fully hands-free experience. With this unit, you will be capable of producing many art prints in minimum time. It is the best printer for art prints business when you consider the speed.
Epson EcoTank-4760 has ink tanks that save a lot of upkeep cost. If you are looking for the best printer for art prints that has a low maintenance cost, then this unit is an ideal choice. However, you do not need to worry about ink because the package comes with 2-years of ink with each replacement ink set. Besides, this printer is equipped with a 2.4-inch colour touch screen that will allow you to navigate and adjust printing settings.
Pros
- Easy to use
- Great printer for artists
- Easy to set up
- 2-sided printing is an advantage
- Versatile printer
Cons
- A little bit noisy
- The wireless connection doesn’t work consistently
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2. HP ENVY 5055 (M2U85A) Wireless All-in-One Photo Printer
The HP ENVY 5055 printer is an entry-level built with home offices in mind. It has a recommended volume of about 400 sheets per month, or slightly above ten pages per day. That amount is slightly reflected in the low-profile build of the 5055. The HP ENVY 5055 is made to fit subtly on a desk without requiring much space. Measures 5 by 17.5 by 14.5 inches and weighs less than 12 pounds.
The HP ENVY 5055 replaces the HP ENVY 4520 model. It comes with a Smart app, improved Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth and faster print speeds. The HP Smart app allows you to simply set up your wireless printer and print from your smartphone, laptop, PC, clouds such as Google Drive, Dropbox and iCloud as well as from social media You can share a printer between several devices through the wireless connection. On matters concerning the speed, you only take seconds to connect to 5055. The quick setup speed is perfect for homes and small businesses alike.
The HP ENVY 5055 enables you to create projects at your workshop; printing your art. It operates using ordinary A4 paper, with a sheet size of 8.5 x 11.7 inches as the maximum size. According to the manufacturer, when you enrol in HP Instant Ink, which is optional, the ink will be delivered to your home for the first two months for free.
The touch screen display on the HP ENVY is a modest 2.2 inches, however, it provides all the important access you need. It is easy to read and use. On the backside of this printer, you will find one USB 2.0 port, which unluckily cannot be used for USB printing.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Great equipment for printing
- The two-months free ink saves money
- Great art printer
Cons
- Can’t work without an ink cartridge
- Not suitable for IOS users
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3. Canon Pixma Pro-100 Professional Inkjet Printer
The Canon Pixma pro-100 comes with 8 ink colours for amazing gradients, 3 of which are dedicated to grayscale inks for beautiful black and white prints. It also gives you the very shade you need to make your best art prints. Additionally, canon Pixma pro-100 gives you full command of the entire colour spectrum, even if you are sticking with black and white, you will be capable of getting more variation than you could have ever imagined. You can do a lot with only the two colours, you just need to be creative enough.
This printer also comes with all the extra features you would ask for. It allows Wi-Fi printing; you can print straight from your tablet or smartphone. It is compatible with all the major cloud services. This means that you don’t have to connect it to any device at all. If you upload your work to the cloud on your commute home, you can print out any art piece conveniently straight from your printer without any bother.
The Canon Pixma pro-100 has a paper tray that can fit 150 sheets of plain paper, 1 sheet of A3+ sized paper, 10 sheets of 8×10 letter paper and 20 sheets of photo paper. That’s means, if you are working with anything except A3+, you won’t have to worry about continuously refilling the paper tray. Besides, you have many options for what you print your art pieces on.
The Canon Pixma pro-100 is the best printer for art prints, especially for graphic designers. Since it can produce media up to 19 inches, you can print off all types of media for your clients. The major drawback we noticed from the reviews is that some users complained about the printer being heavy.
Pros
- Great printer for artists
- Offers quality prints
- Easy to set up
Cons
- Large, occupy a lot of space
- Heavy printer
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4. HP ENVY Photo (K7R96A) 7855 All in One Photo Printer
The HP Envy photo 7855 (K7R96A) printer measures 7.60 by 19.33 by 17.87 inches and weighs 16.72 pounds. It creates border-less prints on photo papers, poster-board and fine art papers up to 10 inches wide. Furthermore, it has a wide range of paper size support. It supports legal and letter measuring; 4×5 inches, 4×6 inches, 5×7 inches and 8×10 inches.
The HP ENVY 7855 comes with a Smart app, Wi-Fi connectivity, Bluetooth and faster print speeds. The HP Smart app allows you to simply set up your wireless printer and print from your smartphone, iPhone, tablet, laptop, PC, clouds such as Google Drive, Dropbox and iCloud as well as from social media. You can share a printer between several devices through a wireless connection. Furthermore, it has an Ethernet connection capability for wired networking.
The HP ENVY 7855 features a touch screen display, which provides all the important access you need. It is easy to read and use. Furthermore, it has a voice-activated operation letting you enjoy a fully hands-free experience. For an artist who is looking for an all-in-one multipurpose unit, this is the best printer for art prints to consider.
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Versatile printer
- Easy to use
- Great printer for the price
Cons
- Not durable
- Consume ink very fast
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5. Epson SureColor P800 17″ Inkjet Color Printer, Black
The next printer on our review of the best printer for art prints is Epson SureColor P800. Epson SureColor P800 measures 9.85 by 26.93 by 14.80 inches and weighs 43 pounds. It creates border-less prints on photo papers, poster-board and fine art papers up to 17 inches wide. According to the manufacturer, it has unmatched print quality. An Epson UltraChrome HD ink delivers intense colour, superior black density and considerably improved print longevity. Furthermore, Epson SureColor P800 has an optional roll feeder that allows you to print from roll-based media.
This unit can be fitted with canvas rolls and standard paper to give you long, scrolling masterpieces. Conversely, it offers Google Cloud Print and Apple Airprint support as well as Wi-Fi printing (you can print from your smartphone, laptop and tablet) USB and Ethernet connectivity; therefore, you are getting the full range of output options. You will as well get three-level black ink for the smoothest black and white prints you can imagine.
Epson SureColor P800 is an ideal printer for professional artist who needs nothing but the best for their studios. Although it is a bit expensive, it is a great choice to help you print your art pieces that will blow people away.
Pros
- Great printer for professional artists
- Easy to set up
- Good quality prints
Cons
- Defective printer
- Expensive printer
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Factors to consider when buying the best printer for art prints
What separates the best printer for art prints from the worst ones? In case it is your first time purchasing a printer for your art pieces, you might not know what to look for. However, don’t worry because we have listed the factors you should consider when buying the best printer.
1. Type of printer
There are two main types of printer; inkjet or laser. Laser printers are quicker and cost less to run and maintain. However, they are more expensive upfront.
The key difference between laser and inkjet printers is the type of ink or toner used. Inkjet printers use liquid ink while laser printers use powder ink. For art prints, we recommend inkjet printers over lasers. That is because inkjet printers use liquid that gives you better saturation. In that way, you will have better colour quality on your art prints. Furthermore, they are a little less expensive.
You can still go for laser printers if you wish since they have advantages as well. First, they can handle a much larger volume of pages per day. So, if you need to produce a lot of media, a laser is the printer to buy. Second, since technology has come a long way, it can produce impressive images as well.
2. Size of printer
The size of your printer will depend on what type of media you want to print. Graphic designers, work on everything from flyers and business cards to huge posters. In case you want to produce an art print bigger than the standard 8.5 inches of paper, you will have to go with an inkjet printer.
Conversely, laser printer technology hasn’t got there yet but they are affordable. Always double-check the measurements of the printer output before you purchase it.
3. Printing speed
If you print your art pieces in bulk most of the time, then a printer with a fast printing speed will be a lifesaver. You need to spend most of your time creating and distributing your art instead of staring at your printer waiting for it to complete printing.
Printing speed is determined in pages per minute (ppm) and the standard speed for black ink is 8-15 ppm while colour printing is a bit slower, at 5-8 ppm. If you print in bulk or hate waiting, you will need to buy a fast printer.
4. Resolution
Just like when purchasing a camera, resolution matters in the quality of the photo you receive. The best printer for art prints should be able to achieve up to 4800×2400 dpi resolution art printing. However, if it can produce higher than that it is even better, especially if you are planning to use it for very comprehensive print on large format media.
5. Media versatility
Although a printer may be capable of producing high-resolution prints with features, it might only be designed to do so for standard size photos. It is, therefore, crucial to consider what media you wish to be printing when shopping for a printer. If you want to use it for different types of projects, then ensure the printer you buy can handle a wide range of paper types. If you are using it for art prints, then the versatility won’t matter and you may be better off going with a printer that is designed specifically to print on art media.
6. Printing size
Although many normal printers use involve the standard paper size. It is crucial to consider the size when looking for the best printer for art prints. For an art piece, you will sometimes want to make a larger print. Besides, a quality art printer should allow you to print larger sizes of pages while producing them in high resolution as well.
7. Colour quality
With a printer that gives you the best picture quality, you are guaranteed amazing art as it looks on your computer screen. However, the tools and mechanisms your printer uses to apply ink will affect your printer quality partially. You can as well get a good idea of what your colours will look like based on how many ink tanks your printer has.
8. Printhead and ink
A great resolution on a printer is achieved through printhead technology and ink. The printhead is the process of administering the ink to produce your print. So, what you can look for here is just the number of cartridges a printer for art prints has. The more cartridges a printer has the more vibrant and smooth its colour detail will be. Also, the application of the ink matters. Printers with more nozzles can achieve far details. Inkjet printers use small nozzles to apply the ink to the page.
9. Budget
You have to consider how much you are willing to spend on the printer. If you are on a tight budget, we recommend an inkjet printer. However, think about the long term costs.
Inkjet printers consume more ink and require more maintenance. Therefore, your running costs will be higher than with a laser printer. If you decide to spend more upfront, then you will be saving money in the long term.
Extra Features
Extra features make an ordinary printer extraordinary. The features that manufacturers add to their printers to make them outstanding and goes a long way in making your day-day printing a whole lot easier to use as well as more convenient. Such features are Wi-Fi printing, cloud integration, automatic document feeding etc.
Conclusion
The outcome of your artwork is dependent on the type of printer. Having the best printer for art prints can make a world difference when it comes to presenting a physical copy of your digital art piece. Conversely, depending on what your requirements are and how much you are ready to spend, all of the printers on this list are a great choice for digital or aspiring artists that are looking for a high-quality printing solution. Go for any of the printers to show off your work at its best!
Our best printer for art prints is the Epson EcoTank ET-4760 printer. It offers wireless printing. You can print easily from your smartphone and tablet. Besides, it has a voice-activated operation letting you enjoy a fully hands-free experience. Other reasons why the Epson EcoTank ET-4760 printer made it to the top of our list is that it has a low maintenance cost and features borderless printing alongside automatic two-sided printing offering you a lot of different choices at your fingertips.
