Best Printer for Art Prints and Artists in 2023

Here are our top picks for the best printers for art:

If you want to produce high quality prints of your digital art or photos then a good art printer is a must. Don’t let your printer hold you back in producing gallery quality art prints.

In my opinion these are the best art printers on the market today for printing stunning graphic prints. Because these are inkjet printers they will be great for printing high quality prints for high quality photos and art prints.

High quality art printers allow you to make your own fine art gallery at home by being able to create high quality prints with the touch of a button to display or sell. Let’s first look at our considerations for choosing an art printer.

Table of Contents

What Should You Consider When Choosing an Art Printer?

There are many things to consider when choosing the best art printer but to keep it simple there are a few fundamentals to look out for when buying.

Print Resolution

Resolution can be measured in DPI which stands for dots per inch and is an indicator of how your print quality may turn out. The higher the DPI the higher the resolution of your prints.

Print Size

As an artist you’ll want a variety of different options to print in regardless of the project you’re working on. These come in a variety of options but for the sake of brevity I’ll be listing the maximum size it can handle.

Printing Speed

Sometimes measured in PPM (pages per minute) gives you a rough idea for how fast you can expect a print to take. If you’re looking for quality then a high printing speed may not matter too much to you

Ink Cartridges and Pigment

C – Cyan
LC – Light Cyan
PC – Photo Cyan
M – Magenta
VM – Vivid Magenta
VLM – Vivid Light Magenta
V – Violet
Y – Yellow
K – Key (Typically Black)
PB/PBK/PK – Photo Black
MBK/MK – Matte Black
R – Red
GY – Grey
LGY – Light Grey

Affordability

The price of an art printer may matter to you depending on where you are in your professional journey. Keep in mind that there are two main costs to a printer, the upfront cost and the running cost. This is important because some higher priced printers have the cheapest ink costs which can save you a lot of money down the road.

INKJET vs LASERJET

An inkjet printer as opposed to a laser printer is ideal for printing art because it an inkjet printer prints art using ink droplets rather than using heat to melt powdered ink on a laserjet. The ink droplet method allows for high quality prints for art and colored photo printing making them the best art printers. So we will not be including laser printers for this list. Without further ado let’s get into the list.

What are the Best Printers for Art?

1. Epson Ecotank ET – 8550

Resolution: 5760 x 1440 DPI
Print Size: 13 x 19 inches
Print Speed: 16 black ppm; 12 color ppm
Color: 6 color tanks (PB, CMYK, GY)
Price: $$

The all-in-one overall best printer for art. This is a professional printer that will do it all. It’s the complete package with a printer, scanner, and copier. Also capable of printing in wide format. The premium print quality makes it a great art printer as well as a great photo printer. With the rising ink costs the Epson ET – 8550 will also save you money in the long run by having refillable ink cartridges. Epson estimates each bottle set is equivalent to about 100 ink cartridges.

PROS

All-in-one printer including copier and scanner
Very affordable refillable ink
Fast prints

CONS

Bulky

2. Canon ImagePROGRAF – 300

Resolution: 4800 x 2400 dpi
Print Size: 13 x 19 inches
Print Speed: 11″ x 14″ in 2 min 50 sec; 8″ x 10″ in 2 min 45 sec
Color: 9 color + Chroma Optimizer (CMY, PC, PM, PB, MBK, R, GY, Chroma Optimizer)
Price: $$

The Canon ImagePROGRAF – 300 is a professional grade art printer with the ability to print borderless. Even with it’s smaller size it is still able to print up to 39 inches making it able to print most posters and banners. If you don’t care about printing from rolls this is an excellent choice. It’s also capable of printing on CDs and DVDs.

Equipped with a 3″ display to navigate settings, check ink levels, and paper type. The connectivity on this printer gives you many options. You can print from a Canon camera, or from a tablet or smart phone using one of their multiple apps for Apple or Android.

PROS

Compact size
Very high quality prints
Wide color gamut

CONS

Higher Price
Slower printing speed
No support for paper rolls

3. Epson Expression Photo HD XP – 15000

Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi
Print Size: 13 x 19 inches
Print Speed: 9 ppm
Color: 6 color (CMYK, GY, R)
Price: $

The Epson Expression Photo HD XP – 15000 is the lightest one on the list at just under 19 lbs. This model produces very high quality images similar to it’s higher end models and yet is one of the most affordable options. It’s a great art printer especially if you’re on a budget but still want fantastic quality.

PROS

Fantastic quality
Lower purchase price

CONS

Slower print speeds

4. Epson SureColor P900

Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi
Print Size: 11 x 17 inches
Print Speed: 8.5″ x 11″ at 1 min 29 sec
Color: 10 color (C, LC, VM, VLM, Y, V, GY, LGY, PK, MK)
Price: $$$

The Epson SureColor P900 professional art printer is ideal for selling art prints or for displaying them like fine art. The SureColor P900 brings the art gallery to your home. The print quality is immaculate and immaculate costs money. If you care about the highest quality possible to show off your art then this is an ideal choice for you. This machine was made to print out the most beautiful masterpieces known and unknown to man. It prints banners and panoramas up to 17 inches wide. It comes with a HD 4.3 inch color touch screen.

It prints beautiful rich tones and deep blacks with its 10 color ink system that will make the ugliest wall a mural of pure beauty. It’s upfront cost can be steep but the running costs of this is much cheaper than the competition so you’ll be saving money in the long run. This is the fine art printer.

PROS

Immaculate print quality
Wide color gamut for stunning art
Competitive running costs

CONS

Bulky at 35 lbs
High purchase price

5. Canon PIXMA PRO – 200

Resolution: 4800 x 2400 dpi
Print Size: 13 x 19 inches
Print Speed: 11″ x 14″ – black: 1 min 30 sec; color: 2 min 55 sec
Color: 8 color (CMY, PC, PM, GY, LGY, BK)
Price: $$

Canon PIXMA PRO – 200 has wonderful print quality with great upgrades from the previous model. Complete with a 3″ color display the PIXMA PRO – 200 can print up to 39 inches in length banners or posters. It does exceptionally well printing greyscale with its two dedicated grey cartridges. It also has the ability to produce borderless prints for a more professional look.

PROS

Great quality prints
Excellent greyscale
Prints borderless posters and banners

CONS

Slower print times on borderless prints
No support for paper rolls

6. Epson Expression XP – 970

Resolution: 5760 x 1440 dpi
Print Size: A4
Print Speed: 8.5 ppm
Color: 6 color (CMYK, LC, LM)
Price: $

Epson Expression XP – 970 is the small-in-one printer. It has good print quality while remaining more affordable than other options on this list. It comes with a 4.3 inch touch display. Consisting of six ink cartridges this printer allows for better art and photo printing and is capable of printing borderless tabloid sized images up to 11 x 17 inches.

PROS

11 x 17 inch borderless printing
Affordable upfront cost

CONS

Higher running costs
Slower print times

7. Canon ImagePROGRAF – 1000

Resolution: 2400 x 1200 dpi
Print Size: 17 x 22 inches
Print Speed: 17 x 22″ in 4 min 10 sec
Color: 11 color + Chroma Optimizer (CMY, Photo Black, Matte Black, Photo Cyan, Photo Magenta, Grey, Photo Grey, Red, Blue, Chroma Optimizer)
Price: $$$

Capable of printing fine art prints. The Canon ImagePROGRAF – 1000 was released back in 2017 so it’s a bit dated but it is still regarded by professional artists as the best printer for art. With its 11 color options the quality of print is perfecto. If you’re looking for premium quality then this one delivers however the speed is to be expected, slow. The cost of quality is usually speed but if you don’t mind its slower times for a pristine print then this will do just fine.

PROS

Professional grade prints
Very wide color gamut
Supports up to 17 x 22 inches

CONS

Released in 2017
High purchase price

In Conclusion

In my opinion these are the best printers for art on the market for high quality art prints. Whether you’re printing photos or your own art prints to display or sell these printers will output amazing quality as some of the best quality prints on the market.

Once you’ve got a great printer for art prints make sure to invest in some fine art paper or photo paper to print your works on, they are worthy of the best.

What is your favorite art printer? If you think I missed something comment below what you think are the best printers for printing art prints.

As always, stay faithful.

If you’re as fascinated about art and creativity as I am and want to know my thoughts on the meaning behind it check out my article on creativity.

If you’re interested in knowing what I think a capable creative should have in their tool bag check out this article.

Also, if you want inspiration to help you create higher level works of art to print check out my article where I list the top books on creativity.

Disclosure: I may receive affiliate compensation for some of the links at no cost to you if you decide to purchase. You can read our affiliate disclosure in our privacy policy.

Best Printer for Art Prints and Artists in 2023