Best A3 Printers for Graphic Design

The printer is one of the essential tools for a graphic designer. From printing out contracts for clients to printing out drafts, a printer is a basic necessity every graphic designer should have.

Just think about your typical day without a printer? I undoubtedly cannot, and for me, my printer is critical and makes my day-to-day work run smoothly. So, in this article, I will tell you about the 5 best A3 printers for graphic design, which will come in handy for you in the long run. 

Before you read the best A3 printers recommendations, I believe I should tell you about the essential factors that make up an excellent A3 printer for graphic designers. So let us dive in and discover the necessary features you need to look at when you’re buying your next A3-sized printer.

If you’d like to find out about the best overall printers for a graphic designer capable of producing up to A2 prints, be sure to read THIS DesignyUp article.

Most Important Features of an A3 Printer are:

1. Color

The color output quality of your printer matters a lot because the graphic design profession is very demanding. The printer needs to output colors that will meet the demand of a design job you’re having.

For example: Think about a proof you printed out for a client. You used vibrant colors in your design, and you want to check them out on a hard copy. So, you print out the proof and realize that the printer produced poor color quality.

I believe you will be disappointed when you see the colors on the proof are not the same as you want them to be. This is why you need a printer that prints out really vivid and vibrant colors.

2. Speed

The speed at which a document is printed out matters a lot. Think about this situation: you have a client in front of you. You are discussing with them what they want the design to look like, and you are gathering all the information required to create the perfect design for them.

With all the information you’ve gathered, you create a design brief, and you want to print out a copy of it for your client.

You press print, and the printer starts printing out the document, but it takes an eternity to print a single sheet of paper. In your client’s eyes, you might look a bit unprofessional because one of the essential tools graphic designers should have is working with the speed of an old matrix printer.

To avoid any embarrassment like this and make your daily work process more manageable, you buy a printer with high printing speed.

3. Cost of Cartridges and Ink

It depends on the amount you are using your printer to print out drafts and proofs. Because the more you print out documents, the quicker your printer’s ink needs to be refilled.

Think about having a printer that can print out 5000 pages in one filling. So, you print out 100 pages a day, which means your printer will run out of ink within the next 50 days of usage. So, you will need to refill your cartridge every 50 days.

The cost of a refill should be in your mind when you look to buy a printer. Just think you purchased the printer for 100 dollars, and to refill the ink costs you $20 each time. So, within the next half-year, you will spend another $100 on the ink alone.

If you don’t want to bankrupt on the cost of ink, check out the price of cartridges before buying a printer you like.

4. Your Budget

The printer you will buy depends significantly on your budget. The amount you are willing to spend will determine the type and quality of your printer.  
We always want the best purchase that we can find for our budget. If you’re going to get the most bang for your buck, keep in mind all the features I focused on in this article.

5. Size

The size of the printer might be a big deal for you, and you want something compatible with your workspace. The best A3 printers provide the best output in a more compact size and help keep your workspace clean and peaceful.

The 5 Best A3 Printers for Graphic Design are given below:

1. Canon PIXMA iP8750:

This is one of the best photo printers out there in the market. When it comes to Canon printers, they are one of the leading brands in the printing market, and this printer ranks high on any graphic designer’s wish list.

Canon PIXMA iP8750 can take a whole range of paperweights and sizes. It can print pictures up to 13″ x 18″ (330x 457 mm). This printer has a 6 color printing system which includes gray ink and 9600 x 2400 maximum color dpi. You will have amazing details in both your color and black & white photos.

Pros:

It has an Amazon Dash Replenishment system that will keep track of your ink usage once it’s activated and automatically order new ink from Amazon when you are running low on it.

Cons:

The only thing I can complain about this printer is the lack of auto duplex

2. HP OfficeJet Pro 7720

This printer from HP is one of the best A3 printers out there. It proves that A3 printers do not need to be expensive to make excellent quality A3 printouts and have all the necessary capability to do so.

Pros:

This printer even has a wireless option, which means you won’t need to worry about your cables being too short for this printer to work correctly. You simply connect it to your network, and you’re ready to go.

Cons:

A pretty big printer, which is not ideal for a small office.

3. Expression Photo XP- 960

This printer is one of the best-looking printers out there. With this printer, you will print borderless photos up to 11″ x 17″ (279×431 mm). It has all the features you need for your work, and that’s why it is one of the best A3 printers should have.

Pros:

It supports auto-duplex mode, and the sheet tray will hold up to 100 papers.

Cons:

This printer has a high maintenance cost.

4. Epson EcoTank ET – 7750

This printer has all the essential features which put him on the list of the best A3 printers in the market. It has a sophisticated refillable ink system, which reduces the cost of printing per page.

Pros:

Epson EcoTank ET – 7750 comes with 2 years of ink in the box.

Cons:

The main disadvantage of this printer is its small non-touch display.

5. OKI C824dn

At first look, it may look like your typical A4 printer, but it is an A3 printer. It has a paper capacity of 300 pages. It is the most expensive printer on this list, but it prints out 51 (1.3 m) banners and paperweights to 256 gms.  

Pros: 

It can do auto-duplex print. It is NFC tap, and print enabled.

Cons:  

It has a slow printing speed

Final Words

In my opinion, the mentioned A3 printers for graphic design are the best ones on the market. If you are looking for the best one that you can use daily for your graphic design work, you can’t go wrong with choosing any of the printers from the list above.