Selecting the best printer for art prints can be frustrating. How much resolution do you need? How many colors should the printer use? What brand is best, and which product line and model?
So in this guide, you will discover which printer you should get as an artist and graphic designer, so you can print awesome art prints and photos and sell them on Etsy, in your own online store, in galleries and archive them for future generations!
Top 4 Printers for Art Prints Compared
This is a quick comparison of my favorite printers for art prints. Find more picks in the overview below, including all-in-one eco and Canon picks.
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My Pick
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Budget Pick
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Art Studio Pick
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Large Format Pick
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Description: My Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl and Transfer paper 8-color dye-based ink system :: 4800×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 23.6mil (0.6mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint |
Description: Budget Pick for Art Prints, Cardstock, Canvas, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper 6-color dye-based ink system :: 5760×1450 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 23mil (0.6mm) manually :: Late 2017 model :: Wireless & AirPrint |
Description: Art Studio Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper 10-color pigment-based ink system :: 5760×1440 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 17″×22″ (A2+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 60mil (1.5mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint Smaller version: SureColor P700 13″ Inkjet Color Printer |
Description: Large Format Pick for Art Prints, Photo Prints, and Canvas 11-color pigment-based ink system :: 2400×1200 DPI :: Borderless prints from 6″ to 24″ width; max 59″ (roll) & 63″ (sheet) length :: Max paper thickness: manual/roll feed 31.5mil (0.8mm) :: Integrated roll feed :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint |
My Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl and Transfer paper
8-color dye-based ink system :: 4800×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 23.6mil (0.6mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Budget Pick for Art Prints, Cardstock, Canvas, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
6-color dye-based ink system :: 5760×1450 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 23mil (0.6mm) manually :: Late 2017 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Art Studio Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
10-color pigment-based ink system :: 5760×1440 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 17″×22″ (A2+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 60mil (1.5mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Smaller version: SureColor P700 13″ Inkjet Color Printer
Large Format Pick for Art Prints, Photo Prints, and Canvas
11-color pigment-based ink system :: 2400×1200 DPI :: Borderless prints from 6″ to 24″ width; max 59″ (roll) & 63″ (sheet) length :: Max paper thickness: manual/roll feed 31.5mil (0.8mm) :: Integrated roll feed :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Table of Contents
- Overview: 6 Best Printers for Art Prints in 2023
- Archival Quality Fine Art Paper I Love Using
- Main Criteria for Choosing an Art Printer
- What is Archival and Giclee Printing?
- FAQs – Best Printer for Art Prints
- Conclusion: Best Printer for Art Prints
Overview: 6 Best Printers for Art Prints in 2023
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Budget Pick – Epson Expression XP-15000 Color Printer
Budget Pick for Art Prints, Cardstock, Canvas, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
6-color dye-based ink system :: 5760×1450 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 23mil (0.6mm) manually :: Late 2017 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Expression Photo HD XP 15000 is a wide format printer capable of making beautiful borderless prints up to 13 by 19 inches (A3+).
The Claria HD ink comes in six colors for fine color gradation and enhanced black and white prints. While Epson does not directly claim the ink to be archival, they say it can last up to 300 years in the right conditions.
And the ink, like the printer itself, is surprisingly affordable – an important consideration if you are trying to make your art business more profitable.
This is a great basic printer for printing onto canvas, with a manual back tray that can accommodate many different types of material and even fairly heavy card stock. And the Epson XP 15000 can make borderless prints and print photos from 4×6 (A6) to 13×19 inches (A3+).
This Epson photo printer does not offer the exceptionally high-quality prints of some other, more expensive printers, but to get 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution and six colors for this price is quite impressive – and it is fast, quiet, and fairly small considering its maximum print size, making it ideal for desktop use.
Compared to the Canon IP8720 below, the Epson XP 15000 will offer perhaps slightly more accurate color balance. And if it does not have quite as high resolution, it’s still capable of fine HD prints, and its actual printed resolution, depth, and detail are actually quite a bit better than the specs might suggest.
It is also faster and quieter, and it is quite easy and intuitive to use – all in all, one of the best Epson printers for art prints, and a solid and reliable machine.
Pros & Cons of Epson Expression Photo HD XP 15000 art printer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
➕ Excellent art prints quality and color accuracy for the money | ➖ Lower declared resolution (DPI) – though, again, the actual print resolution is better than the numbers suggest! |
➕ Easy and versatile rear document feed which allows for thicker paper | |
➕ Fast printing when you need it | |
➕ Quiet, relatively small, and easy to use | |
➕ Well built for the money | |
➕ Great compatibility and connectivity (e.g., WiFi, AirPrint) |
Tech Features of Epson Expression Photo HD XP 15000 art printer
- 6 color Claria HD photo quality ink cartridges
- Large format rear media tray & 200 sheet front tray
- Borderless art prints up to 13×19 inches (paper size) = A3+
- Printing speed: up to 9.2 PPM (pages per minute) B&W / 9 PPM in color
- Resolution: 5760 x 1440 DPI (dots per inch) color
- 2.4-inch color LCD display
Also Great – Canon Pixma IP8720 Color Printer
Value Pick for Stickers, Vinyl, Cricut, and Transfer paper
6-color dye-based ink system :: 9600×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Supports vinyl stickers :: Early 2014 model :: Wireless & AirPrint :: Alternative name IP8750
A surprisingly inexpensive Canon wireless printer, the IP8720, is the best home printer for art prints, especially at this low price level.
This inkjet printer can produce borderless prints up to 13×19 inches (A3+) using the special document feed tray on the back.
This rear feed also allows a wide range of cardstock and other papers and media to be printed on some cardstock and canvas.
A six-color system allows for quite an accurate color representation, with a gray ink cartridge module for enhanced black and white and grayscale prints as well, and using the right paper, the prints can last up to 300 years.
The resolution from the Canon FINE print nozzle, along with the six color wells, creates beautiful images –maybe not good enough for fine art prints, but enough to really pop in a portfolio or accurately represent an original work in your archive files – and much better than some of the prints you find for sale on Etsy and online stores & websites!
High-speed USB, AirPrint, PIXMA, PictBridge, Google Cloud, and WiFi allow for a whole range of wireless and wired connectivity, and the Canon IP8720 is exceptionally easy to use.
A fine choice for a beginner’s art printer or as a backup and companion to a more serious printer.
Pros & Cons of Canon IP8720 art printer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
➕ Great art print quality for the money | ➖ Build quality is not as good as with the higher-end inkjet printers |
➕ Easy to use | ➖ Color balance is not perfect (it tends to be a little warm) |
➕ Compatible with almost everything (e.g. WiFi, AirPrint, etc.) | |
➕ Intuitive color management | |
➕ Relatively affordable price and low running costs |
Tech Features of the Canon IP8720 art printer
- Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE)
- 6 Color Individual Ink Tank System
- Borderless prints up to 13×19 inches (A3+)
- Printing speed: up to 14.5 IPM (images per minute) B&W / 10.4 IPM Color
- Resolution: 9600 x 2400 DPI (dots per inch) color
My Pick – Canon PIXMA PRO-200 Professional Color Printer
My Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl and Transfer paper
8-color dye-based ink system :: 4800×2400 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 13″×19″ (A3+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 23.6mil (0.6mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
The lowest-priced art printer on my list with a full array of 8 printer ink cartridges, the Canon PRO-200 professional printer offers a significant value, with noticeably improved color fidelity, shading and transitions between colors and hues, and a new level of depth and realism in color images.
I think Canon PIXMA PRO-200 is the best art printer I’ve ever used at this price level, and it’s also the least expensive model we could reasonably consider to be a true professional grade printer, with really beautiful prints, flexible media options and consistent and reliable performance.
The PIXMA PRO-200 is a brilliant choice for even a serious fine or commercial artist and perfect for not just selling art prints online – Etsy or other art platforms or your own online store – but for making a portfolio that will wow galleries, agents, and potential clients.
With the ChromaLife100 ink cartridges system, Canon claims essentially archival print quality, with prints lasting up to 300 years, their accurate, highly saturated and subtle colors staying rich and true the whole time.
And that’s what strikes me about this inkjet printer – just how nice the prints look. Colors really pop, and feel natural and accurate even at their most vivid.
There is a sense of space, balance and flow in composition which less expensive printers don’t always get, and the detail seems much finer and more complete than the specifications suggest.
The Canon PIXMA PRO-200 inkjet printer is only a small step up in cost from the two previous entries on my pick for the best printer for art prints and artists list, but the difference in print quality can be striking, and I feel as if my original work is there in front of me.
Pros & Cons of Canon PIXMA PRO-200 art printer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
➕ Superb colors and reproduces incredible depth and detail | ➖ Higher priced printers (sometimes a lot higher priced!) can offer noticeably better quality – though nothing at this price range competes with the PIXMA PRO-200 |
➕ Prints amazing neutral black and white art prints | |
➕ High-quality look and feel | |
➕ Only slightly more expensive, it provides a significant step up in quality from the entry-level printers |
Tech Features of Canon PIXMA PRO-200 art printer
- Optimum Image Generating System
- Full-photolithography Inkjet Nozzle Engineering (FINE)
- Ambient Light Correction
- 8-ink cartridges long-lasting dye-based ChromaLife100+ system
- Borderless prints up to 13×19 inches (A3+)
- Printing speed: Not Rated but fast – an A4 took only about 5 seconds
- Resolution: 4800 x 2400 DPI (dots per inch) color
All-in-one Eco-Pick – Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Color Printer
Best Value Ink Tank and Supertank Printer
4-color dye-based ink system :: 4800×1200 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 8.5″×14″ (A4) :: Auto duplex (2-sided) printing :: Mid 2019 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
While all the other printers on my list focus on print quality and could be considered as offering the best prints in their price range, the Epson EcoTank ET-4760 is an all-in-one printer, offering at least very good print quality and a whole lot more.
I have a friend – a professional artist and graphic designer – who has this printer, and she is absolutely thrilled with it. She calls it her little office manager, and uses it pretty much every day.
She does not use it for fine art prints or her professional portfolio but still uses this decent printer all the time – for quick copies of sketches, for crafting and collage work, for cataloging, and sometimes just to see an image on paper to get a different perspective.
She also uses her Epson ET4760 to print invoices, announcements, mail, and internal paper records for her art business.
And while the scanner is not comparable to a fine art scanner (see my article Best Art Scanner for Artworks in 2023 ), it is also super-handy for quick scans of paper sketches, photocopy receipts, and other documents, making rough digitized images from books or other paper prints and lots more.
The Epson EcoTank ET-4760 also has fax capabilities (I can’t remember when I last used that :)), can auto feed paper for printing, scanning, copying, and faxing (all one or two-sided), and has the EcoTank ink cartridge system for amazingly low printing costs.
So, this Epson inkjet printer is not the very best printer for artists who want the finest print quality, and it is not the very best scanner for artists who want superb digitized images.
But as a secondary printer for the busy artist, graphic designer and photographer (especially one who is also trying to sell art and run a business) this will be one of the most useful tools you may ever get – and the color prints don’t look half bad!
Pros & Cons of Epson EcoTank ET-4760 as a printer for an art business
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
➕ For a 4-color printer, it provides excellent print quality – and it is very fast! | ➖ Despite its overall usefulness, it does not have good enough print quality for art prints and commercial pieces |
➕ Lot of features and makes a great all-around office tool for your art or design business | ➖ Prints only up to 8.5 x 11 inches (A4) |
➕ Relatively inexpensive, especially considering its usefulness | ➖ Scanner is adequate for most jobs, but will not replace a good art scanner |
➕ Easy to use, with a nicely intuitive user interface | |
➕ High-capacity ink tanks make it quite cheap to run, with significantly lower ink costs |
Tech Features of the Epson EcoTank ET-4760 wireless color printer
- 4 color EcoTank ink cartridges system
- 250-page paper tray
- Maximum document size: 8.5 x 11 inches (A4)
- Printing speed: up to 15 PPM (pages per minute)
- Resolution: 4800 x 1200 DPI (dots per inch) – optimized using Printer Core printing technology
- 2.4″ Color Touchscreen
Art Studio Pick – Epson SureColor P900 Color Printer
Art Studio Pick for Art Prints, Canvas, Cardstock, Stickers, Vinyl, and Transfer paper
10-color pigment-based ink system :: 5760×1440 DPI :: Borderless prints up to 17″×22″ (A2+) :: Max paper thickness: rear feed 11.8mil (0.3mm); manual feed 60mil (1.5mm) :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
Smaller version: SureColor P700 13″ Inkjet Color Printer
Of all the art printers on our roundup of the best choices for high quality art prints and artists, Epson SureColor P900 may well be my personal favorite, and is certainly a favorite as well in the art community, with many fine and commercial artists considering it the best printer for fine art prints – at least without having to spend thousands and thousands of dollars!
At any price, though, the Epson SureColor P900 is a true premium professional level product, and one of the finest desktop printers you can buy.
A great choice for even the most discerning artist, graphic designer and photographer, the Epson SureColor P900 inkjet photo printer offers printed images with the next level of resolution, color accuracy, energy and depth.
If you think all desktop printers are the same, you should see what the SureColor P900 can do!
Its 10 color pigment ink cartridges set means that – given the right original image and printing paper – Giclee and true archival printing are possible.
This is, in fact, the first item on my list of best art print printers that can offer an output that you can proudly, and without any reservations, sell as true high-end art prints, and be assured that the prints will last longer than the customer who bought them!
Several different advanced technologies – including UltraChrome Pro10 ink cartridges with Vivid Violet, Radiance technology, the three-level black technology, Automatic Nozzle Check technology and Epson PreciseColor – come together to offer unprecedented color fidelity for a desktop printer, smooth transitions between colors, shades and grays, far better reds than have been possible in the past, and consistent, reliable results.
The Epson P900 allows for roll-fed media (with the Epson Roll Paper Adapter, sold separately), making it a great printer for printing onto canvas or other materials. It also allows for thick card stock, as well as glossy, luster, flat photo stock, and fine archival cotton up to 17 inches wide.
Many artists will find a less expensive printer completely satisfactory for making art prints and most of what they want to do, but the Epson SureColor P900 photo printer – a bit of a price jump – offers a distinct and dramatic increase in quality.
It might be considered an entry-level model for Fine Art printing, and a perfect entrée into the world of professional production – and, for all of that, is actually an incredible value!
Pros & Cons of Epson SureColor P900 as a printer for art prints
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
➕ Gallery and exhibition quality art printing, and true archival / giclee quality | ➖ It comes at a bit higher price, however, when you consider it as an investment in your art business, it’s a no-brainer! |
➕ Great resolution, detail, and depth | |
➕ Superb color accuracy and subtlety as well as superior black and white and grayscale inkjet printing | |
➕ Quite affordable for a 10-color printer with this level of quality – a great investment for even a starting commercial artist | |
➕ Easy to set up and easy to use |
Tech Features of Epson SureColor P900 printer art printer
- UltraChrome PRO10 Pigment Ink Technology
- Advanced MicroPiezo AMC 10-channel printhead with ink-repelling printing technology
- Maximum printable area for borderless prints 17″ x 129″ (A3+++)
- Printing speed: 8.5″ x 11″ (A4) print: 1 min 29 sec, 13″ x 19″ (A3+) print: 2 min 23 sec
- Resolution: 5760 x 1440 DPI (dots per inch)
- Lab tested print longevity: color: up to 200 years; black and white: up to 400 years
Large Format Pick – Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2100 Color Printer
Large Format Pick for Art Prints, Photo Prints, and Canvas
11-color pigment-based ink system :: 2400×1200 DPI :: Borderless prints from 6″ to 24″ width; max 59″ (roll) & 63″ (sheet) length :: Max paper thickness: manual/roll feed 31.5mil (0.8mm) :: Integrated roll feed :: Late 2020 model :: Wireless & AirPrint
At this point in my guide to the best inkjet printers for art prints and artists, I am getting into the more rarefied territory, and providing a clear and exciting answer to the perennial question – which printer has the best print quality?
Most people would never consider spending this much money on a printer, but for larger formats and true fine art prints, this Canon imagePROGRAF Pro-2100 24in Printer is pretty much entry-level, and considered a pretty amazing value among professionals and industry artists.
No matter how good prints look on low and medium-priced inkjet printers, when you get to the level of this commercial Canon printer, the difference in quality is just amazing, and even huge industrial printers you might see in a print shop often won’t offer better print quality.
This remarkable printer produces truly spectacular prints that are a joy to behold. In fact, with its incredible detail, depth and accuracy of registration, color fidelity and subtlety, this is actually the first printer on my list of the 6 best printers for art prints and artists which I feel fully represents my original work and vision.
This Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2100 printer with 11 color system and Chroma optimizer provides astonishing color accuracy, and its resolution will capture any original work with breathtaking fidelity, depth, clarity and energy.
Really, the artwork just comes to life!
The specifications may not seem that impressive – sometimes not even as good as desktop printers! – but at this level this is misleading: the quality and precision of the bubble jet print head, the print algorithms, color management and precision alignment, the ink quality and many other factors make this a dramatically better printer, which produces superb prints suitable even for gallery and museum display.
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2100 will accept up to 24-inch wide stock, including an ultra-wide variety of media types, with no practical limit on length – some artists regularly print images over 5 feet long.
Borderless printing is also possible, with absolutely no shift or change in print quality from edge to edge.
Given the 12 color true pigment system and the ability to use dye-based inks, the high resolution and the wide range of stock you can print on, you can produce true archival fine art images with the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO 2000, including true Giclee prints.
Perfect alignment and accurate registration are possible, and printing onto canvas, vinyl, and other materials is easy and delivers professional results.
If you are a serious artist who needs the best quality printing, for gallery showings, to sell to customers or for a truly representational portfolio, the Canon PRO 2000 24 inch professional inkjet color printer offers astounding quality and a true value and a brilliant investment.
Pros & Cons of Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2000 as a printer for art prints
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
➕ Truly a professional art printer it provides superb color fidelity, gradations, and shading, as well as superb black and white art printing | ➖ Big and heavy printer (±40″ x 40″ x 40″ (1m x 1m x 1m); 150kg (330lb)), and perhaps more suitable for art and graphic design studios than for home use. However, if your art business is reasonably big and consistent, and you have the space, then this printer proves to be a great investment |
➕ Prints with absolute consistency | ➖ Due to the quality of prints it provides, and other factors, it has high printing costs |
➕ Total flexibility when it comes to media types and sizes | ➖ It is more difficult to set up and use, and you might want to consider having it professionally installed (which, at this price, kind of makes sense…) |
➕ True archival and giclée printing | |
➕ Built to commercial standards and is very durable and reliable |
Tech Features of Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2000 art printer
- 12 color Pigment ink cartridges
- USB Direct Print
- Resolution: 2,400 x 1,200 DPI (dots per inch)
- 18,432 nozzles (1536 nozzles x 12 colors)
- +/- .1% (or less) Line Accuracy
- Ink Capacity: Up To 700ml / Color
- 320 GB Hard Drive
- 2 Roll Feeds & 1 Cut Sheet Feed
- 3.5” color LCD touch panel
Archival Quality Fine Art Paper I Love Using
Below are my recommendations for three archival-quality fine art papers I love using for printing art prints (as you will see, one of them can be used as a high quality photo paper for printing photos, too).
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Main Criteria for Choosing an Art Printer
If you are planning on selling your printed art and photos online (on Etsy or in your own online store), at art shows or art conventions, hanging your work in a gallery, assembling a professional portfolio, or printing photos, you will need a printer that offers some basic features and qualities catering the artists, including:
High Resolution
As an artist, you want your prints to simply look amazing for the art shows and your customers. And the only way you will achieve that is if the printer you use can print in a very high resolution. I only included printers with a minimum resolution of 1,200 DPI.
Print Sizes
Most office printers offer a default print size of A4 (or 8.5 x 11″). In the case of wide-format printers, you get the maximum print size of up to A3 (11 x 17″) or A3+ borderless prints (13 x 19″). As an artist, however, you need the flexibility to print in various sizes, small and large, so the art printers in my guide will allow you to do just that.
Ability to Print on a Variety of Art Papers
As an artist, you may not want to limit yourself to printing just on one type of paper, and it’s important that your art printer supports your work. That’s why the printers in my guide support printing on various media and materials, such as art paper, photo paper, canvas, card stock, textured paper, glossy paper, vinyl sticker sheets, and so on.
Pigment-Based vs. Dye-Based Inks and Colors
While most of the printers in my guide allow you to use different ink cartridges for different purposes (like printing on paper vs. printing on vinyl or glossy paper), I made sure that most of them provide pigment-based ink technology (also known as pigment inks) with min. 6 to 10 colors.
Pigment inks allow you to retain the quality of your art prints for many years, with essentially archival quality so important to artists. And if the printer uses the dye-based ink technology (aka dye inks), I made sure they are long-lasting dye inks.
Print Speed
To take full advantage of the pigment-based inks, which settle for a bit longer, I didn’t look for printers focusing on print speed. Art printers generally print slower, which is OK for artists’ use cases!
Your Budget
Though you can definitely find less expensive basic printers, you should be ready to spend a bit more for a good art printer – anywhere from a couple of hundred to more than a thousand (or even several thousand) dollars.
If you are just beginning to print (and perhaps sell) your artwork, you might want to go for a more affordable printer, and if your art business goes well, you can think about a better and more expensive model.
Which are Better for Art Prints – Inkjet or Laser Printers?
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Is a laser printer good for art prints?
The answer is a kind of hard no with a bit of a soft yes – no, laser printers won’t offer the quality of color printing you are going to want and need, and they don’t work with a wide enough range of different media – including different thicknesses of paper and different kinds of materials.
For other reasons, a good inkjet printer is almost always the best solution, and all my choices are inkjets.
If I were going to recommend the best laser printer for artists who mainly work in black and white, I would definitely point you to the HP LaserJet Pro MFP M428fdw – a heavy-duty mid-priced printer that has beautiful black and white print quality and, with a scanner, two-sided printing, and other functionality, would make a great office printer to use alongside a fine art inkjet printer.
Who Makes The Best Printers for Art Prints?
You will notice that I only included two brands in my guide for the best art printer – Canon and Epson.
While many manufacturers make printers, like HP, Lexmark, Brother, Zebra, Samsung, Konica Minolta, and Ricoh, Canon and Epson offer special qualities and value for artists, graphic designers, and photographers that other printers companies don’t seem to quite get to.
This may be because Epson is probably the oldest printer company in the world, and Canon has tons of experience making the best photographic equipment and working with the best photographers.
What is Archival and Giclee Printing?
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Archival printing is printing that will maintain its quality for a long time, and is thus capable of providing a reliable archive of whatever artwork, text, or other images it displays.
While conditions – especially light, heat and humidity – can cause a printed image to fade, colors to shift, paper to disintegrate, or other issues to arise, archival printing and storage prevents these problems and offers as close as possible to a permanent record.
Giclee Printing (pronounced zhee-clay – and to be all proper and correct, you might want to spell it giclée) is related to Archival Printing but also considers the print’s quality – in particular, the quality of the colors.
A Short Guide to Archival Printing
- Utilize art printer with pigment-based inks
- Use archival quality paper, which must be acid- and lignin-free (especially cotton rag)
- Ensure correct storage conditions – archival sleeves and cabinets, atmospherically controlled storage room
A Short Guide to Giclee Printing
- Utilize art printer with pigment-based inks
- Use archival quality paper, which must be acid- and lignin-free (especially cotton rag)
- Print on an art printer with at least an 8+ colors system – preferably a wide-format printer
- Print from a high-resolution original image – at least 300 DPI
FAQs – Best Printer for Art Prints
To make art prints, you need an inkjet printer, preferably with either 6-, 8- or 10-color ink system (the higher, the better). A dye-based ink printer, such as Canon PIXMA PRO-200, is popular among artists. If you need archival, gallery, and long-lasting prints, get a pigment-based ink printer such as Epson SureColor P700 (13-inch) or P900 (17-inch). Remember that to achieve a high color accuracy with your chosen art medium (e.g., paper, canvas, vinyl), you will also need printer color profiles!
An inkjet printer is better for art prints because it can blend colors much better than a laser printer. Inkjet printers for art prints also have a wider range of colors, which means they can also print colors more accurately.
A standard printer resolution for art prints is 300DPI. DPI is “dots per inch,” which means how many ink dots are printed per inch. The higher the DPI, the smoother and more professional the print will look. To ensure your digital canvas size matches the DPI output you want to achieve, you should multiply the 300DPI by the print size. E.g., 8.5″x11″ (A4) at 300DPI needs a digital canvas of 2550 x 3300 px.
Giclee print is a type of archival print for galleries, museums, and other uses where the longevity of the printed artwork is the most important criterion. Giclee printing focuses on printing colors with the highest accuracy, which requires at least a 10-color pigment-based inkjet printer, such as Epson SureColor P700 (13-inch) or P900 (17-inch).
Conclusion: Best Printer for Art Prints
To sum up, here are my choices for the best printers for artists on the market today:
- Budget Pick – Epson Expression XP-15000 Color Printer
- Also Great – Canon Pixma IP8720 Color Printer
- My Pick – Canon PIXMA PRO-200 Professional Color Printer
- All-in-One Eco Pick – Epson EcoTank ET-4760 Color Printer
- Art Studio Pick – Epson SureColor P900 Color Printer
- Large Format Pick – Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2100 Color Printer
I hope my guide has helped you choose your new printer for art prints and you will have a lot of fun with your creative projects!
Other articles in the Printers and Scanners series:
- Best Canvas Printer
- Best Cardstock Printer
- Best Printer for Stickers
- Best Sticker Maker Machine
- Best Printer for Cricut Print and Cut
- Best Screen Printing Printer
- Best Inkjet Printer for Heat Transfer
- Best Sublimation Printer for Heat Transfer
- Best Ink Tank Printer
- Best Printer for iPad, iPhone, and Mac
- Best Art Scanner for Artworks
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