Your business needs to print posters, signs, banners or blueprints. Find the perfect printer out there for your needs. Don’t overspend on something with fancy features you won’t use. But ensure it can handle whatever you need it to.
Printers come in many sizes. And they cater to different budgets. These range from super expensive heavy-duty models to budget versions. But they still produce high quality prints.
If your small business needs to print signs, banners, and blueprints, check out these eight large format laser printers.
Large Format Laser Printers
OKI C844dnw A3 Color LED Laser Printer
The Oki C844dnw ranks as one of the smallest A3 laser printers on the market. But it still prints out banners measuring up to 52 inches long. The printing action remains fast thanks to the integrated LED technology. The printer also produces the first page in just 6.3 seconds. The compact size means it fits comfortably on a desk even though the main tray can hold 300 sheets of A3 paper. The running costs are low which make the mid-range $1k-plus price an excellent investment.
Canon imagePROGRAF TM300
Another compact large format laser printer is the Canon imagePROGRAF TM300 which features fast printing and a L36ei scanner mode with a three-inch touchscreen interface. The TM300 is the more affordable of this series, plus this version has been upgraded to be significantly quieter than its predecessor. It can print out an A1 CAD drawing in less than half a minute with the Lucia Pro inkjet cartridges producing colorful rainproof images, while outdoor posters can also be printed using Canon’s special waterproof paper.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-1000
This specialist photo-printing wide format laser printer from Canon lets you print high quality borderless A2 images. It can print on glossy or matt finishes and uses twelve separate 80ml pigment-based inkjet cartridges to print professional grade photos. The price of such high print quality is a slow print time, with one A2 page taking approximately six minutes. The Canon PRO-1000 is ideal for both color and black and white photography.
Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-2000
Towards the steeper end of the price range at around $2k is the Canon PRO-2000, another member of their popular imagePROGRAF range of large format laser printers. While the price is significantly higher than others in the range, this is absolutely reflected in the superior print quality. Using the Canon Lucia Pro inkjets featuring eleven colors and a Chroma Optimizer, the PRO-2000 is a large and heavy printer that can print up to 61cm wide.
HP DesignJet T120
A much more affordable option is this HP DesignJet T120, which is versatile as it prints in full color from either rolls or sheets of up to 61cm wide. It features a touchscreen control panel and can operate wirelessly from either a computer or a smartphone. It uses CMYK cartridges with a print resolution of 1,200 x 1,200dpi which makes it a reliable and well-rounded printer for photos as well as documents and diagrams.
Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 Wi-Fi Printer
This wide format laser printer from the Epson Expression range combines wireless networking with good photo quality for a relatively low price. It features a 200-sheet paper tray at the back and a 50-sheet photo paper feeder tray at the front. With an expensive though extensive range of ink colors for HD-quality printing, this Epson XP-15000 can produce borderless prints with a fantastic resolution of 5,760 x 1,440dpi.
HP Designjet Z9+ PS Large Format Color Inkjet Printer
As one of the most expensive printers on the market, this HP DesignJet Z9+PS provides exceptional color control with a secure wireless connection and fast printing. Without a doubt this is a large format laser printer of the highest quality which can produce prints up to 44 inches wide. The ink colors are limited to nine, but the high quality is achieved through advanced printhead technology as well as the proprietary HP Pixel Control. The print speed is a remarkable 70 or so square yards per hour.
Epson SureColor P20000
The Epson SureColor P20000 is another high end large format laser printer which has been designed for heavy usage. It can handle massive print sizes of up to 64 inches wide and prints out at a reasonable speed, especially for such a large printer. The print quality is excellent as you would expect, although they also incorporate a ‘fast print mode’ which produces quicker prints at a lower resolution rate of 600 x 600dpi. This mode makes it ideal for situations where a number of samples or copies of something need to be printed before being finalized. If heavy duty high quality is what you need and you have around $10k to invest, this printer is well worth investigating.
Image: Epson