Whether you’re selecting an avant-garde A3 printer for brilliant photographic printouts or a corporate functional area, the core aspects to consider are color prints, monochrome accuracy, versatility, and tonal range. With recent advancements in print technology, choosing A3 laser printers or MFDs that can expertly handle A3 paper size is not a daunting task. Use our tips below to pick the best printer for your posters, colored brochures, and infographics.
Performance and Versatility
By taking advantage of the versatility and performance of the A3 printer, you can enhance the quality and aesthetics of your printouts and design ideas. With such a printer, you can benefit from a large printing area that is two times more than that offered by a conventional A4 sheet measuring 297mm X 420mm. When purchasing, make sure you check for diversity in performance and scalability by running test prints at the shop. Also buy printer encompassing a range of external attributes like high capacity paper trays, A4 print adaptability, and multiple trays. These versatile features allow you to use the printer for multiple high-resolution corporate projects with A4 and A5 support.
Multifunction Features
A printer is supposed to have multifunction attributes. If you’re going to run printing tasks in-house, then you’ll definitely need a high-quality A3 printer that comes equipped with multifunctional features. These include wireless connectivity, ability to handle different paper sizes, options for scanning, and copying, support for software updates and functionality for printing directly from mobile devices. A good option is to purchase a multifunction device (MFD) with robust A3 printing features that allow you to do all of the above.
Accuracy of Color
For bright and vibrant photos, images and infographics, you’ll need a printing device that reproduces different colors on paper accurately, so they look good in different types of ‘lighting’ conditions. Check for color accuracy and an even spread of tonal range from high tones to intense greys and blacks. For an appropriate color display, an A3 printer must have correct ink distribution, so it could not deliver subtle color patterns. If you’re focusing on B&W or monochrome printing, then select a device that has two or even three black inks with a firm grip over an extensive tonal range.
Ink types and Print Longevity
The best printing devices deliver long-lasting printouts. Prints made using pigment ink toners are considered more apt for quality printing compared to the ones containing dyes. Another factor you might want to check is the longevity of the paper by using test data for printing from Wilhelm Research Institute. The site contains guidelines for popular printers based on standardized tests that facilitate manufacturer’s evaluation and comparison.
Cost Per Page (CPP) Feasibility
The printing power of an A3 printer can be gauged by the number of papers it can print within a minute and the cost per page or CPP. It’s a powerful metric that can be used to check the feasibility of any printing device. 95% of the printing cost per page is attributed to the paper, toner and power consumption. Most A3 printers have the same CPP as that of an A4 printer, however, printing an A3 page is slightly costlier due to the large paper area and amount of toner required.
