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5 Best HP Printers for Artists in the UK
Stephen Mash
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December 15, 2022
When looking for printers for artists, it's essential to choose the right one for their needs. Anyone creating digital art who wants to generate physical copies will wish to produce pictures with the best quality available. However, print speed will also be a factor when making copies in quantity.
In this article, we will look at the range of printer options available from HP to match the varying needs of artists. These include printers for creating a copy of digital art for a portfolio or producing commercial quality prints for retail.
Artist's printing needs
When choosing the best art printer for their creative needs, an artist must consider several factors.
- Colour accuracy, intensity and clarity are crucial for producing high-quality prints.
- Ink quality is vital for print longevity, with pigment-based inks prone to fading over time, particularly when exposed to sunlight. Dye-based inks offer better permanency for art that will be on display.
- Cost can be significant when most printing costs come from the ink used. Larger artworks rich in intense colours can use considerable ink per print.
- Colour usage can also influence choice. Suppose the art predominately uses a narrow range of colour hues. In that case, printers for art prints that use a single-colour ink cartridge may prove wasteful if cartridges need replacement because only one of the three primary coloured inks is exhausted.
- Print size is a determining factor when the artist creates works larger than the typical A4 size of most available printers. Printers are typically available in each standard page size from A4 up to A0.
- Print speed typically requires a compromise of quality; the better the print quality, the longer it generally takes for the print process to finish.
Ranking the five best HP printers for artists
HP has an extensive range of art print printers available that will meet the needs of any artist looking to turn their digital art into a tangible product. The range includes one of the leading paper sizes to match any print format needs.
We have provided this list of recommendations for the five best art printers available at the time of writing to help you find your perfect option from HP's extensive range of options. All these printers offer different features to best fit your specific requirements.
In addition, the HP website includes a complete list of available printers and a helpful set of filter options to help narrow searches so you can find the suitable model for you.
HP DesignJet Studio Steel A0 - Best HP A0 plotter printer
For artists who produce art up to the A0 paper size, the HP DesignJet Studio Steel A0 Plotter Printer can easily handle their printing needs.
This compact device comes with a stand and sheet feeder option that can handle A3 and A4 paper with a weight between 60 to 220 gsm. Larger sheets must be manually fed but can accommodate weights of up to 280 gsm.
Alternatively, this plotter can handle rolls of paper up to 36 inches wide with a weight between 60 to 280 gsm. An automatic horizontal cutting blade supports the roller option, making bulk printing of large sheets simple.
The printer can handle bond and coated paper, technical paper, film, photographic paper, and self-adhesive media to match any artistic need, making it one of the best printers for artists.
For added flexibility, the printer can automatically switch between paper sizes, so you don't need to pre-plan the order in which you send different size pictures to the printer.
If speed is an issue, this printer can produce over eighty A1-size prints in an hour.
For ease of use, you can manage the printer remotely using the HP Smart app installed on any connected device.
The printer uses four separate ink cartridges. The cyan, magenta and yellow cartridges use dye-based inks for optimal colour accuracy and print longevity. The black cartridge uses the more cost-effective pigment-based ink.
Printing technology comes from a single thermal inkjet head with 1,376 individual nozzles to deliver precision results. This number offers the ability to print lines with a theoretical minimum width of 20 microns to an accuracy of a tenth of one per cent.
Print quality at its best setting is an impressive 2400 x 1200 dpi.
Connectivity options include high-speed USB, standard WiFi and Ethernet for maximum speed. These options will handle printing from almost any device, from smartphones to graphics workstations.
HP DesignJet T630 A1 - Best HP A1 plotter printer
If the largest art pieces you produce are up to the A1 paper size, then the HP DesignJet T630 A1 Plotter Printer offers excellent performance.
This stand-mounted plotter includes a sheet feeder and collection bin for automated production of A3 and A4 prints on a range of paper-based media with weights between 60 to 220 gsm. Printing sheets larger than A3 require manual feed but support media with weights of up to 280 gsm.
This plotter can handle rolls of paper up to 24 inches wide with weights in the 60 to 280 gsm range. It also comes with HP's automatic horizontal cutter to help manage printing from a roller.
The digital art printer can handle the standard range of media types, including photographic paper, bond and coated paper, self-adhesive paper and specialist technical paper.
This printer can produce over seventy A1 size prints per hour when operated in fast mode, where having the highest print quality is not required.
The plotter supports remote management and printing using the HP Smart app.
The printer uses three individual colour ink cartridges and an additional black ink cartridge. High-quality dye-based inks are available for cyan, yellow and magenta, plus pigment-based ink for the black cartridge.
A thermal inkjet head with 1,376 individual nozzles produces the required precision for high-quality artwork with 2400 x 1200 dpi resolution. In addition, HP's standard plotter technology draws precise lines of 0.02 mm width.
Connecting computers or mobile devices is simple with HP's WiFi Direct facility. Alternatively, wired Ethernet or high-speed USB connectors are available along with standard WiFi.
HP Colour LaserJet Professional CP5225n - Best HP A3 printer
The artist has a broad range of choices for printing at the A3 paper size. The HP Colour LaserJet Professional CP5225n A3 Printer can cope with commercial printing from postcard size up to A3 using HP ColorSphere toner. It's ideal for high-volume printing, comfortably handling over 75,000 pages of A4 per month for artists producing commercial products for businesses. Moreover, it does this while achieving consistent results at speeds of up to 20 pages per minute.
The best A3 printer for art prints needs to deliver outstanding results. This printer uses separate yellow, cyan and magenta toner cartridges that provide consistent, print shop-quality results for professional quality printing.
The paper feed for the printer can accommodate up to 850 sheets at a time if you need to leave it running a print job while you pop out of the studio.
This art prints printer can produce copies with a resolution of up to 600 x 600 dpi in colour and greyscale on the standard range of media types with weights up to 220 gsm.
It's also ideal for collaborative use, supporting up to 15 users simultaneously using its WiFi connectivity or direct connection using the high-speed USB or Ethernet ports.
HP OfficeJet Pro 7720 - Best HP A3 all-in-one printer
If toner printing is not the best option, HP also produces a range of inkjet A3 printers. If you're looking for more than just a printer, the HP OfficeJet Pro 7720 A3 Wireless All-in-One Printer delivers noteworthy functionality with its built-in A4 scanner and copier features.
The outstanding feature of this art printer is its A3 borderless printing ability with professional quality using cost-efficient pigment-based inject cartridges. Separate cyan, magenta, and yellow cartridges will produce around 700 pages in their standard option.
The option of using high-yield cartridges will last for about 1,600 pages. The black ink cartridges will last longer, with the highest yield option supporting the production of approximately 3000 pages.
Print quality comes from four separate print heads, each with 1568 nozzles. This number means the printer has 6270 print nozzles in total. This concentration allows a printing resolution of up to 1200 x 1200 rendered dpi.
The A3 art printer can handle common paper types, including plain, photo and presentation paper, with weights between 34 and 250 gsm.
HP ENVY Inspire 7220e All-in-One - Best HP A4 printer
If your artwork is A4 or smaller, then the HP Envy range of printers offers high-quality printing at affordable prices. The HP ENVY Inspire 7220e All-in-One HP+ Wireless Colour Printer is one such printer. Designed as a day-to-day office printer, it can handle high-quality photographs printing, making it perfect for an artist looking for a flexible option.
A combined colour ink cartridge containing high-quality dye-based cyan, magenta and yellow ink will produce around 165 pages in their standard option. High-yield options for these cartridges will last for about 415 pages. The black pigment-based ink cartridges will last longer, with the highest yield option supporting the production of around 600 pages.
Print quality comes with having two separate print heads. The black ink cartridge has 704 nozzles, while the combined colour ink cartridge has 684 nozzles for each colour. This arrangement provides a 1200 x 1200 rendered dpi maximum printing resolution.
The printer can handle standard HP paper types, including plain, photo, matte and glossy paper with weights between 70 and 300 gsm.
Summary
Artists looking for a new art printer to turn their digital creations into printed paper have various options. Decisions include ink type, paper size, and productivity factors. Your priority may be print quality or speed, large print area or ink quality.
If you are looking for the best printer for art prints, HP has a product that will be perfect for your media creation requirements.
