When we talk about art, we come to the idea of bright colors, wall paintings, giant illustrations, designs, and, in general, any kind of hand-crafted or digital production. Well, there is an unknown part of the story when we don’t know how those big images and high-quality art prints got there. If you are reading this, you might be wondering the same thing, so in this article, we will talk about which are the best printers for art prints, their features, prices, and everything you should know about making art prints.
Art Printing: A Fascinating Process
It’s a digital art process where people like artists, graphic designers, or professionals who are involved into create graphic representations are aiming to achieve a higher quality of their artworks. It is also used when famous works of art want to be reproduced with gallery-quality art prints.
This process is much more thorough than a normal print process because it involves high-quality art printers, a more precise color printing with pigment-based inks, more and bigger toner cartridges or ink cartridges with high-capacity ink tanks, and a few more features we will list next.
All You Need to Know About Art Printers
All artist, graphic designer, or Architect needs several important criteria before buying the best art printer. Art printers are very expensive, so that’s why we are going to list all the important aspects you should take into account when looking for the best printers for art prints.
Budget
Prices for the best printers for art prints range from $400 to $7,000, and it depends primarily on the aspects we will list next, besides the type of printing you might need. We will help you to figure out which one fits better in your financial estimate.
Brands and models
If you’re an artist or a graphic designer, your printer should be one of the most important pieces of equipment in your studio. Epson, Canon, and hp, are the best art printers sellers, but with so many brands and models on the market, it can be tough to decide which one is right for you. Next, we’ll take a look at some of the best art printers on the market, and help you choose the right one for your needs.
The 5 Best printers for art prints
When it comes to finding the best printer for art prints, there are a few things you need to take into account. The type of printer, the quality of the print, and the price are all important factors to consider. Here are 5 of the best printers for art prints, based on those criteria.
Epson Surecolor P700
In the race for our best printer for art, we have first the Epson SureColor P700, an $829 good art printer that has a maximum sheet size of 11 x 18″, 10 ink cartridges, and good print quality. The PI 700 has advanced technology to produce prints with incredible detail. The color gamut includes 10 ink nozzles that reproduce very subtle colors with ease. Note the printer is also referred to as the P706 in the US.
Epson Surecolor P900
Epson Surecolor P900 is a $1,349 high-quality printer with 10 ink cartridges with dedicated channels to facilitate quick refills; there is a violet ink cartridge that enables a beautiful color rendering so it provides high-quality ink technology for enhanced color contrast, and the artists can easily create high-end art prints using glossy paper or roll paper. The P900 has a better print quality than the P700, which gives this one a head start on our ‘best printer for art’ race.
Epson EcoTank ET-7750
The EcoTank ET-7750 is a wide-format, all-in-one $1,600 Epson printer with a super tank, which features cost-saving ink usage, five color ink cartridge, scanning, and A3 printing. This Art Printer is an IO device that features automatic duplex printing, which means is capable of scanning and printing simultaneously. Additionally, it includes a matte black cartridge to produce precise color contrast. Nonetheless, other printers are generally larger and use five ink cartridges. This Epson is one of the best inkjet printers we have found in the ‘best printer for art’ race because of the number of features compared with other printers.
Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000
Next, we have the Epson Expression XP15000, a $399 particular printer, which is the most affordable printer in our ‘best printer for art’ race; an A3 compact footprint that uses six ink cartridges for a smooth printing process. It also has an extremely broad color spectrum which includes standard CMYK and red or gray to render soft details, shadow shades, and produce beautiful prints. The Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 also includes bundled wireless networking for easy connection to any desktop, mobile computer, or printer anywhere. This inkjet printer has a quick response time and can finish the 4″ x 6″ print in 27 seconds, which might be the fastest printing speed in our ‘best printer for art’ race.
Canon imagePROGRAF Pro1000
Next, we have the $1,299 Canon Pro1000, which prints up to A2 in 12 colors, has quick print speeds, and supports a wide range of fine art papers. It is an inkjet printer designed with 12 colors that produce stunning great print quality images in accurate color. A broad color gamut gives the Pro1000 details that capture the subtlety of darker areas. This inkjet printer has advanced ink technology that improves the color appearance and increases the density of black. Pro artists are capable of producing beautiful prints on such machines. In the ‘best printer for art’ race, this one may have the best print quality on our list, due to its optimum image generating system.
Characteristics of Art Printers you need to Consider
If you are in the market for an art printer, there are certain characteristics you should take into consideration. The type of paper you want to print on, the size of your prints, and the price are all important factors. Here is a list of the top characteristics of art printers you should consider before making your purchase.
Print size
Printers for art prints can range from a standard paper format printer with high-quality prints, to a plotter, which is a wide format printer, mainly used for graphic designers, artists, or any professional art printer with a print shop. You should know first what are your printing needs, so you can make the right choice.
Resolution
In digital art, implied with the print size aspect is the print resolution; of course, you would like a decent printer that fits with the budget and provide you with professional quality prints, but it might not be necessary since you could need a large format poster instead of an ultra-high-quality photo, as they handle both approaches as different resolutions.
Resolution is measured in dots per inch, so the higher the resolution, the more ink you’ll need, which implies high-capacity ink tanks, and specialized printing material like pigment-based inks for a better color definition. That´s why you need to read this article, to get to know which one is the best printer for art, and which one is the right for you.
Print speed
Being printers that provide better color definition and higher resolution, they can have a lower printing speed than a normal printer, and even more, depending on if it’s a high print quality image or a large format printing. Either way, you can find on the web or in the manuals which set generates faster print speeds.
Printing system
Art printers use a variety of printing technologies, like sophisticated inkjet printers, large format laser printers, DYE sublimation, special inks, and many others. Art printers are designed to produce prints with great colors and sharp details, that’s why many art printers also have built-in color management systems with a higher number of ink sets to ensure consistent results and produce gallery-quality art prints.
Types of paper
There are many different types of paper that can be used for art prints; the most popular type of paper for art prints is probably glossy paper. This type of paper has a bright, shiny finish that really makes colors pop. It’s also fairly durable but also can be very expensive, and it’s not always easy to find in large sizes.
Fine art paper is a popular choice because it is thick and has a textured surface that helps to bring out the details in the print. Roll paper is another option that can be used for larger prints; usually comes with bond paper, which is a high-quality paper that is often used for print documents, because is available in many different sizes, colors, and textures.
Print Quality
Art printers are designed to produce professional quality prints, and when it comes to print quality, art printers definitely have advantages over regular printers, whether a laser printer or an inkjet printer. But you actually must be clear about the use you are going to give it, because not always you will need the best print resolution like when printing photos, but a large amount of color to produce borderless prints in advertising banners. This is a crucial aspect when choosing the best art printer.
Pigment ink VS DYE
Pigment inks are the best choice for an art printer, as they are more fade-resistant and produce richer colors than DYE-based inks. However, DYE-based inks can be a good choice for those who want to create cheaper prints that don’t need to last as long. There programs such as the HP instant ink that are interesting for some customer with a high printing demand.
Printer size
Does the size matter when it comes to art printers? Well, it really depends on what you’ll be using the art printer for. If you plan on printing large-scale projects, then a larger model will be better for you. But, if you work with smaller art prints like photos or invitations, then a compact model should suffice. No matter what your needs are, there’s an art printer out there that’s the perfect size for you.
Final considerations when choosing an art printer
We have given many tools that can help you to choose not only the best printer, but the best art printer, whether you want to make your own personal collection, print photos just for fun, or become a professional art printer, making photo prints and selling art prints
If you’re looking for an art printer, keep in mind the items we have listed here; also the FAQ’s we will answer next.
What is a good printer resolution for art prints?
Art print usually come from 300 dpi or higher, but most printing equipment produces excellent results using 300 px of data. For borderless printing, 150 dpi is acceptable, but it always depends on your aprochings and needs.
Is laser or inkjet better for art prints?
Inkjet printers provide better quality prints and less cost than laser printers, but it’s print speed is lower than lase printers. Lasers, however, are very good at printing speed and cost of ownership, but it doesn’t provide the same printing quality than inkjet printers.