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The Best A3 Photo Printers

A3 photo printers are ideal for home use, offering double the size capabilities of A4, but with a far smaller footprint that a large format printer. Having a printer at home saves you time, as you don't have to wait for post to arrive from an online service.You can also get incredible gallery-quality results and tweak your photos with editing software to get perfect colours. This buying guide explores all of this, as well as well as looking at the best A3 photo printer for photographers who love see their work on the wall.

How to Choose the Best A3 Photo Printer for You

There are a number of considerations to think about before you decide which is the best A3 photo printer to get for yourself. It’s worth noting that you gain the option to print twice as large as an A4 printer, which means you can print larger posters, framed portraits and promotional displays, for example. However, A4 prints might be better for things such as family pictures and holiday snaps.

1. Print quality is an important consideration when it comes to A3 printers. Some printers offer great all-round results, which is fine for people who want to decorate their own homes or give prints as gifts.

However, you might want professional-quality, high resolution prints to sell or to exhibit in a gallery, in which case you’ll need the best quality available. This is usually a combination of resolution, which is measured as dots-per-inch (DPI), the number of print nozzles and the number of ink cartridges in the printer.

2. Even an A3 printer can be quite large, so make sure the footprint fits in the intended space you have available. Check where you’ll keep the printer, like on a desk for example. On the whole, they are too big to move around often, so will warrant a more permanent location.
3. Printer functionality can vary greatly between models. Some users look for 3-in-1 print, scan and copy functionality, while others simply want a printer-only model.
4. Printer connectivity is worth considering as some models have the ability to print from memory cards, CD’s, wirelessly and through a USB or Ethernet cable connection. If other family members will use the printer, WiFi connectivity is a must-have, as well as cloud photo-sharing or mobile phone connection.
5. Is it easy to use? Having a hassle-free interface with simple settings can save time and let you print easily without complicated settings.
6. Media handling is important if you want to print on various sizes and paper thicknesses. Some printers have trays for multiple sized paper and can print on very thick media, or even canvas.
7. Print speed is something to think about if you print a lot of photos. Slower printing is often a necessity for high-resolution results, but you might not need the best quality all of the time, in which case a faster printer can be useful.
8. Price is of course a consideration. Typically, the better the print quality and the more features available, the higher the price will be. Ink cartridge capacity or cost per print falls under the remit of ongoing costs, which can play a long-term part in the price of the printer. Look for larger capacity replacement inks to save money over time.

The Best A3 Photo Printer for Professionals

Professional photographers use A3 printers for proofing and to produce prints to sell or exhibit. If that’s you, or an aim you have, then look for the best print quality possible.

Printers with a higher resolution, more print nozzles and more colour ink tanks will tend to get better results for photos. Print speed is a consideration as is the cost of replacement inks. It’s a tough call, but we would recommend the Epson SureColor SC-P700 as number one, with the Canon ImagePROGRAF PRO-300 being the choice for some professionals due to ink replacement costs of the Epson.

Epson SureColor SC-P700 Pros:

• High maximum resolution 5,760 x 1,440 DPI for photo lab quality images
• Excellent colour accuracy with 10-ink system
• Two black inks for gloss and matt paper giving excellent monochrome results on any surface
• Compact size at 515 x 368 x 185 mm
• 180 Nozzles for black inks and 180 nozzles per coloured ink for excellent detail
• Versatile options with duplex printing and 120 sheets standard
• Great connectivity with USB 3.0, Wired Network, Wireless LAN IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Wireless LAN b/g/n (2.4GHz), Wireless LAN a/n (5GHz), Wi-Fi Direct

Epson SureColor SC-P700 Cons:

• High running costs with replacement inks On the plus side, the inks are 25 ml each.
• You’ll need replacement inks relatively quickly after purchasing the printer as the included ones are slightly smaller capacity.
• The printer is quite large when all of the paper trays are extended, so if you have limited space a more compact printer could be a better option.

The Best Compact A3 Photo Printer

Whilst the Epson just pipped number one slot for pro printers, the Canon ImagePROGRAF PRO-300 provides similarly excellent print quality but comes in as our best compact A3 photo printer. It measures a very reasonable 639 x 379 x 200 mm, whilst delivering lab-quality results from a 10-ink set with one Chroma Optimizer.

Canon ImagePROGRAF PRO-300 Pros:

• Compact size professional quality photo printer with high 4800 x 2400 DPI
• 10-ink system with excellent colour accuracy
• Low-cost replacement ink cartridges
• Large 3.0-inch LCD screen for ease of use
• 768 nozzles per colour for extreme detail
• Can also load 100 sheets of plain paper

Canon ImagePROGRAF PRO-300 Cons:

• The maximum thickness of 0.6 mm paper (approx. 380 g/m) omits the thickest media which some may wish to use occasionally
• 14.4 ml replacement ink cartridges may need more frequent replacement than some alternatives
• This model doesn’t support extremely long panoramas using paper rolls, but can still print up to around 1m long.

The Best Photo Printer for Vibrant Photos

If you’re an aspiring photographer, the Canon PIXMA PRO-200 makes an excellent choice for showcasing your vibrant photos without costing as much as our professional printers. It offers excellent connectivity, reasonable replacement ink costs and bright, vibrant colours from an 8-ink system with high-resolution capabilities.

Canon Pixma Pro-200 Pros:

• High 4800 x 2400 DPI print resolution
• 8-colour dye-based ink system for bright, vivid colours
• Easy to navigate 3-inch LCD screen
• Versatile media handling up to 380 gsm for a range of print options
• Auto paper skew correction to minimise paper wastage
• Fast 10x15cm prints ready in just 34 seconds
• Great connectivity with Wi-Fi, Ethernet and Apple AirPrint
• Small footprint saves space

Canon Pixma Pro-200 Cons:

• The 12.6 ml ink cartridges may deplete quite quickly for heavier users
• Takes up a larger space so small studios might need to compare with smaller options
• This printer is aimed at squarely at photo printing and has no scanning functionality. If this is essential to you, look at the multi-function printer below.

The Best All-In-One Photo Printer

If you enjoy printing your photos but also want an all-in-one device for other tasks like scanning and copying without needing to buy two printers, an all-in-one (or 3-in-1) printer is the way to go.

Not only will you be able to print excellent quality photographs, but you’ll also be able to perform quick scans and copying without visiting your local copy shop. This can be useful for those who occasionally work from home, print assignments for school projects or enjoy crafting.

Look out for cost-effective printing, easy-to-use functionality and versatile media to get even more out of an all-in-one. If this sounds like what you’re looking for, we recommend the Epson ET-8550 EcoTank All-In-One printer as it checks all of these boxes, including the ability to print up to an impressive 2,300 high-quality photos with one set of ink bottles! You can also print from SD cards and USB flash drives, CDs and DVD’s and, of course,WiFi and ethernet. A real bonus with the ET-8550 is the ability to use thick media up to 1.3mm and 2m long for any craft projects.

The Best A3 Photo Printers Compared

Here’s a handy comparison table of the best A3 photo printers we offer:

Which Accessories Do I Need for an A3 Photo Printer?

The printer you decide to buy will come with everything you need to start printing straight away, aside from paper media. However, in order to keep printing high-quality photos, you may need to purchase the following printer accessories:

• A3 photo paper – you’ll need to buy some paper right away as most printers don’t come with paper, although you may find a sample pack included.
• Replacement ink cartridges for your specific printer model, which are sometimes available in money-saving multipacks.
• You may want to get a memory card so you can print directly from the card with a compatible printer as many printers offer this as a time saving option.
• Transferring images from USB flash drives like the SanDisk Ultra 64GB Dual USB Drive Type C is fast and lets you move images and files around easily between computers and other devices.

Now you know how to choose the best A3 photo printers for your needs, including checking the resolution or DPI, number of ink tanks and the size, you can find the ideal printer for you. Why not explore our entire range of camera accessories? With a wide range of printers, memory cards and other essentials to support every level of photographer, you can start printing off your work for the world to see.

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By Park Cameras on 18/11/2021