If you’re ready to ditch paid services and start printing your artwork, you’ll want one of the best art printers to fully realise your work. It’s an investment, yes, but if you’re planning on printing regularly it’s well worth it.
Right now, the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300 is the best art printer overall, but there’s plenty of stiff competition – especially from the brand’s biggest competitor, Epsom. We’ve tested models from both printing giants below, recommending each device based on its colour reproduction and clarity, value, design and overall performance. Additionally, we’ve considered the compatible inks, as well as the archival quality (how well those inks will keep before fading) and if there’s the option to print in larger formats or on heavy fine art media.
Quick list
01. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-300
Small but mighty, the imagePROGRAF PRO-300 works well on a wide variety of media, offering high-quality prints without you ever needing to switch inks. Its colors are rich and deep, reproducing the source material excellently – and it’s wonderfully easy to set up, too!
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02. Epson Premium XP-6100
This small, light and cheap art printer is easy to use and incredibly quick, and for the money comes with some excellent features. It does the basics well, and while it’s best used as a photo printer, it can easily be used to print off art, though the compact size means you’re limited to A4 prints.
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03. Epson SureColor SC-P5000
If money is no issue for you, and you want the best no matter what the cost, the Epson SureColor SC-P5000 is what you want. It’s a remarkable printer, and for around $2,500, you’d expect it to be! Expect industry-leading colour accuracy and stunning print quality. This is really for exhibition work.
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Depending on the work you’re doing, you may need to be a bit more portable with your prints, and out of all the smaller models that still pack a punch in quality, the Selphy stands out to us. This is for when you want to print from your tablet or smartphone quickly and accurately. It’s a little powerhouse.
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05. Epson EcoTank ET-8550
An excellent all-rounder that works well on glossy and matte paper, the ET-8550 offers affordable running costs due to its efficient ink tanks. It’s easy set-up, and you get beautiful quality results, even using grey and deep photo quality black ink for impactful prints. It’s also a built-in scanner and copier, to boot!
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This one is great for larger prints, but it will set you back financially. However, for this big-ticket pricetag, you’ll get fantastic colour reproduction, great speeds and sharp prints that dry almost straight away. It’s very versatile, too, so you can use it for everything from standard paper to heavier media.
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