Whether for art studios or even for artists themselves, the significance of giclee prints and archival can’t be emphasized enough. The prime reason is that they ensure that the print quality doesn’t degrade over time.
What’s more, is that the print quality this kind of printers can provide are miles ahead of what you would expect to find in regular inkjet printers of a typical home/office.
But like most printers available on sale, the market has become extremely crowded-giving you more options to be confused about when making your buy. Hence, we are about to relieve you of the headache of ransacking the market by discussing a few of the best printer for giclee prints right now.
To find out more about which would be most suitable for you; and what factors to consider before finalizing your purchase, buckle up and read on till the very end.
Top Pick
Canon Pixma iX6820
- Two – Sided Printing :Yes
- Speed :14.5 ppm
- Max Page Size :13 x 19 inches
- Connections: Wireless, Ethernet, USB
Comparison Chart For Top 11 Giclee Printers
| IMAGE | NAME & Details | DETAILS | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Epson Stylus Pro 3880 |
| Check The Price |
| Canon Pixma iX6820 |
| Check The Price |
| Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 |
| Check The Price |
| Canon ImagePROGRAF PRO-1000 |
| Check The Price |
| Canon PIXMA PRO-100 |
| Check The Price |
| HP Designjet T100 |
| Check The Price |
| Canon PRO-2000 |
| Check The Price |
| Epson SureColor P400 |
| Check The Price |
| Epson Artisan 1430/a> |
| Check The Price |
| Canon 9856B002AA imagePROGRAFiPF770 |
| Check The Price |
| Epson Stylus Pro 3880 |
| Check The Price |
Best Giclee Printer Reviews
1. Canon Pixma ix6820 | Best Archival Printers
This amazing creation from Canon can deliver an outstanding resolution of 9600 x 2400 DPI (color) and 600 x 600 DPI for black. This can result into giving you the most impeccably vivid and detailed prints, and hence has earned itself the position of being Amazon’s choice.
It also has and an incredible printing speed of up to 10.4 PPM for color and 14.5 PPM for black. The device is comprised of five individual inks of high-performance capacity- one of which contained pigmented black ink for delivering spectacularly clear and crisp texts.
Using the freePIXMA Printing Solutions (PPS) app, you can print directly from your compatible devices and even organize and edit your photos before printing via the My Image Garden software.
Original Canon photo papers and the ChromaLife100+ system can enable you to print magnificent borderless photos with an archival life of maximum 300 years.
The device comes along with Ethernet networking support, built-in wireless connectivity and also mobile printing through Google Cloud Print and AirPrint. You can even save power and time using its Automatic on/off feature and its Quiet Mode can enable you to work away like a pro, noise-free.
Highlighted Features
- 9600 x 2400 DPI color resolution; 600 x 600 DPI black
- 300 years’ photo archival life
- 5 IPM speed for black; 10.4 IPM for color
- My Image Garden software allows toedit and organize photos
2. Epson Expression Photo HD XP-15000 | Best Epson Printer For Giclee Prints
This device comes with 6 Claria photo HD individual inks; which includes gray and red inks for a more versatile range of colors and improved B/W prints.
It is perfect for home or personal use with its resolution of up to 5760 x 1440 DPI and speed of up to 9 PPM for color; 9.2 PPM for black.
It supports Ethernet networking and wireless and mobile printing via AirPrint, Epson iPrint, Wi-Fi Direct, Mopria, Google Cloud Print, etc. It is equipped with auto-duplexing, ADF and a 200 sheet front ray which saves more of your time and ensures more convenience. A separate rear tray supports specialty media.
This model can make all your professional projects easier to print with these features. It is compact to save space and is easy to use with buttons and a 2.4 inches LCD screen. It is also Energy STAR certified to save up on energy while you breeze away through your tasks easily.
Highlighted Features
- Compact size saves space
- Six Claria photo HD inks
- ADF and Automatic Duplexing
- Dual paper trays for normal and specialty media
3. Canon Image PRO-1000 | Best Home Printer For Giclee Prints
A device to serve both endeavoring newbies and pros, this model contains 12 Lucia Pro inks to produce amazing color and detail along with its 2400 x 1200 DPI resolution.
It has an anti-clogging technology where the fine print head enacts a tubular ink distribution method, which produces higher print speeds and eliminates clogging possibilities.
Denser droplet positioning provides excellent glossiness/ anti-bronzing and offers a wider color range.The Canon Air Feeding System stops each page from skewingfor precise ink positioning independent of the form of paper.
The Chroma Optimizer ink device helps improve color consistency, visual transparency and darker regions. It reliably recreates colors and dark regions which are important for the printing of important artworks.
The device can produce a 17 x 22 inches (its max capacity) photo-quality print in 4 minutes and 10 seconds and 13 x 19 inches photo with border in around 2.5 minutes.It supports Ethernet and wireless connectivity as well, which will enable you to print via AirPrint, Mopria, Canon PRINT Business and Wi-Fi.
Highlighted Features
- Anti-clogging technology
- Air Feeding System ensures precise ink positioning by preventing skewing
- Chroma Optimizerimproves color consistency and visual transparency
- 12 Lucia Pro inks
4. Canon PIXMA Pro-100 | Best Giclee Printer For Home
8 ChromaLife 100+ inks can provide you awesome gradients and color. 3 of the inks are designed for grayscale printing and beautiful B/W prints. They deliver improved, dark black density to elevate your level of professional quality prints; while producing the powerful style of grayscale photography.
The Optimum Image Generating System can recreate colors as you want them by choosing the best mixture and location of the ink. 4800 x 2400 DPI resolutionalong with fine technology can create breathtaking details.
It has a speed of around 51 seconds for printing 8 x 10 inches bordered image on A4 and 1.5 minutes for creating 11 x 14 inches bordered image on A3+ paper.A PictBridge connection can be used to print photos computer-free directly from compatible devices such as camera phones, digital cameras, DV camcorders, etc.
The device can be used by up to 5-10 users and is even capable of printing CD/DVDs. It can support a wide range of paper sizes and materials and also includes and ADF for a hands-free fast printing experience.
Highlighted Features
- 8 ChromaLife 100+ inks
- 3 inks for grayscale photo print
- OIG System recreates colors by choosing appropiateink mixture and location
- Can be used by 5-10 people
- PictBridge connection for computer-free printing
5. HP Designjet T100 | Large Format Giclee Printers
Perfect deal for engineering, architects, and construction professionals who work at small offices or homes and require a user-friendly, compact, and affordable plotter for themselves. It could be the perfect fit and also within your budget.
The device includes 4 HP DesignJet Ink Cartridges and can support various paper sizes including 11 to 24 inch rolled paper with automatic cutter. Its resolution of 1200 x 1200 DPI produces detailed papers and full color graphics. The device has a speed of 70 seconds/page to print A1 and hourly can print 32 pages.
This model comes with Ethernet networking and directly supports printing from Chrome OS and Android; and the HP Smart App aids iOS and Android.You will also save time by connecting and printing directly with built-in Wi-Fi.HP DesignJet Utility enables it to support both Windows and Mac.
Project sets and PDF sheets can easily be printed with HP Click printing software. You can also build posters with HP Poster App using free premium images, patterns and graphics.
Highlighted Features
- 4 HP DesignJet Ink Cartridges
- Supports rolled paper and has an automatic cutter
- HP Poster App has free images, patterns and graphics for making posters
- HP Smart App enables to support iOS and Android
Printer For Giclee Prints Buying Guide
Ink Quality
This is the most crucial factor that makes all the difference between a good and a great giclee printer. Another more important thing is what it contains and what it doesn’t.
Pigment-based inks are always used in giclee printers instead of dye-based inks that you find in your typical office/home inkjet printers. The device must also support both black and white inks as both of them perform very contrasting tasks.
Types Of Media Supported By The Printer
A printer’s ability to support various media types is also versatile. Some can offer to print cut sheets; while some of the best giclee printer models can support rolled paper which can automatically cut when printing.
If you are in a job that requires heavy printing, it’s wiser to opt for a model that supports rolled paper as it will save both time and costs as cut sheets are less economic.
Desired Size Of Prints
This is another vital difference between various numbers of printers. If you don’t need prints of various sizes, there is no reason whatsoever to go beyond a specific width.
This is because it would also affect the amount of space the printer itself would need to occupy. The more specialized the model is, the more likely it is to be heavier, bigger and more expensive.
Document Resolution
This is one of the key factors that will trigger to either go for or go against a certain model. This is mainly because the purpose of archival prints is to reproduce exceptionally high quality and detail. Hence, the higher the resolution the printer can provide, the more extraordinary the output
Usage
It would be an unwise move to purchase you own giclee printer if you only require to print a couple of times in a month. It’s best to resort to your nearest color lab for such occasional needs.
This is because you will only be able to notice its cost-savings after frequent usage and with making enough income out of the prints. And if you do intend to have one of your own, choose large ink cartridges that have higher ink capacity and yields.
It would also be ideal to have a spectrophotometer close to your hands as they can make an amazing difference to the final print output across the board.
Conclusion
This article wraps up some of the best giclee printer along with some pointers to keep in mind when making your buy.
Hopefully what seemed like a feeble task a few minutes ago, now feels a whole lot easier for you through these guidelines.
So why wait any longer? Go ahead and get your desired gear for a dream-team printing experience!
