Best Printers for Quality Art Prints

Finding the right printer can make all the difference in bringing your artistic vision to life. In this list, we'll explore a curated selection of printers that excel in producing high-quality art prints, offering a combination of precision, versatility, and affordability to suit a range of creative needs. Whether you're printing photographs, illustrations, or digital paintings, we've got you covered with our top picks for printing art at home.

List of the Best Printers for Art Prints

1. Canon Pro-1000
2. Epson SureColor P700
3. Canon Pro-300
4. Canon Pro-200
5. Epson XP-15000

We've broken down the list into two main types: pigment inkjet printers and dye inkjet printers. You can learn more about why we recommend inkjet printers vs laser for printing art at home in the next section.

Pigment Inkjet Printers

If your goal is long term print display or maximum possible print life, pigment inks are necessary. Pigment colorants are typically more stable than dye colorant over time. This stability comes at some price; Pigment inks tend to reproduce a smaller color gamut verses dye ink. In addition, pigment ink prints are more prone to handling damage, especially with matte and fine art media.

Dye Inkjet Printers

Dye based printers are designed for best possible color saturation and paper compatibility. While modern dye inks are remarkably fade resistant, you would not count on this technology if long-term print display is your goal. Dye printers are a great choice when print speed, broad paper compatibility, and bold color critical. They are quite popular for note card printing as well as graphic arts and business needs.

Canon PRO-200

• 8 color printer dye based photo and fine art printer
• Uses sheets 4" x 6" up to 13" x 26.61"
• Street price $599

In Brief: Robust, fast, and reliable, the PRO-200 is the Ferrari of dye based inkjet printers.

Canon Pro-200 Insiders Guide

Epson XP-15000

• 6 color printer dye based photo printer
• Uses sheets 4" x 6" up to 13" x 44"
• Street price $299

In Brief: Perhaps the best color gamut and accuracy of any inkjet printer available.

Epson XP-15000

Not that you've seen our list of the best printer for art prints at home, check out our guide on the best paper for art prints!

What Kind of Printer is Best for Art Prints?

While both inkjet and laser printers have their strengths, inkjet printers are generally preferred for printing art at home due to their superior color accuracy, versatility, and ability to reproduce fine details. If you're serious about producing gallery-worthy art prints, investing in a high-quality inkjet printer is the way to go.

Inkjet Printers

Inkjet printers are renowned for their ability to produce high-quality, photo-realistic prints with vibrant colors and smooth gradients. They use liquid ink cartridges to deposit tiny droplets of ink onto the paper, resulting in stunning reproductions of digital artwork, photographs, and illustrations. The wide color gamut and precise droplet placement of inkjet printers make them particularly well-suited for capturing the subtle nuances and fine details of art prints.

Moreover, inkjet printers often feature multiple ink cartridges, including specialized photo inks such as light cyan and light magenta, which enhance color accuracy and depth in art prints. The versatility of inkjet printers allows for printing on a variety of media, including glossy photo paper, matte paper, canvas, and specialty art papers, catering to different artistic preferences and presentation styles.

For artists and photographers seeking to reproduce their work with fidelity and precision, inkjet printers offer unparalleled quality and flexibility, making them the preferred choice for art prints.

Laser Printers

While laser printers excel in producing crisp, text-based documents and graphics, they may not be the ideal choice for printing art at home. Laser printers use toner cartridges to apply powdered ink to the paper, resulting in sharp, smudge-resistant prints that are well-suited for text and graphics but may lack the color accuracy and subtlety required for art prints.

Additionally, laser printers typically have a limited color gamut compared to inkjet printers, which can affect the vibrancy and accuracy of colors in art prints. While laser printers may be more cost-effective for high-volume printing and offer faster print speeds than inkjet printers, they may not deliver the same level of quality and detail required for art reproduction.

Questions? Contact Red River Paper. We will help you with paper choice, printer selection, technical support, and just about anything else where we can point you the right direction.

Original Publication Date: April 16, 2024

Article Last updated: October 28, 2024

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