Canon - imagePROGRAF PRO-310

If you're wanting to do high quality "archival" prints and selling them for hundreds of dollars then pigment ink printers are the way to go. For less than $1k your options are Canon Pro 310 or Epson P700. I prefer Canon. If you are making prints to sell for $20-$50 then dye ink printers like Epson Eco-Tank are great.

I just got the new canon prograf 310 and its BEAUTIFUL. interface is def. outdated af but the machine itself prints amazing. It was on sale for 799$ earlier but now at 890$. I wouldnt go with a 200S because it uses Dye instead of Pigment and for a little more you get waaaay nicer prints with pigment. https://preview.redd.it/2o1lawrfa1yf1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=50311f331074f0ab126912c1bee1b41a48909eb7 Left was my first print uncalibrated with no profile. Second is reprint with calibrated profile. Its just amazing as it looks. Heavyweight 68lb glossy premium epson paper.

Exactly as mentioned above; - CP1500 is perfect for 10x15 prints and it is cheap to run. approx 0.33€/print - G550 or G650 are a great option if you don’t want to deal with any cartridge printers as they both work work bottled ink - PRO-1100 seems overkill in this scenario, it prints up to A2 - PRO-200S or PRO-310 are better option as they give you more control over your prints with more colors to work with. Or if you find a PRO-300 on the cheap. Go for that. They are both cartridge printers. The cost of running is higher the a G650 but you do get better color reproduction. I hope this helps!

Well it will be expensive for sure (printer, inks, you have to print let's say every month or it will dry out) For many people ordering prints is better option But if you want your own photo printer then there are few good options - Canon pro-200 (dye based inks, but long lasting) - Canon pro-300 (pigment based inks so if paper survive the photo will be still good) - Canon pro-310 (upgrade to pro-300, more inks for better color reproduction) - Epson ET-8550 (it's eco tank so cheap inks and easier to use non-OEM inks - but not sure how long lasting OEM inks are, on the other hand have friends that are using non-OEM pigment inks and it works [well, needed some color calibration])

I just got a Canon imageprograf pro 310. Great printer, does 13x19. I do find myself already regretting not getting the 1100 to go bigger and have more options for roll paper, but I'm financially irresponsible enough that I could end up just ordering a 2600 one day so *shrugs*

So first question would be are you working on a calibrated monitor and soft proofing your prints? If not, a calibrated printer is pointless. I just went through this and ended up going canon with an imageprograf pro 310. One of the main things I want to print is panoramas and there were far too many reviews of feed issues with larger and custom papers for me to buy an Epson. I do wish I had gone bigger, but the printer has been great so far. The software is great and my prints have come out fantastic!

With a calibrated monitor, soft proofing, and the profiles from Canon and Red River, my prints have mostly been bang on color wise without any messing around on my 310

Normally one of the 5/6-ink Canon PIXMAs would be my recommendation for high quality home photo printing, using only genuine Canon ink and high quality photo paper. Canon's own photo paper is excellent and works superbly with their ink, as you'd expect, but some people choose to go with a high end third party brand photo paper instead (Canon even sell some high end third party photo paper alongside their own). With a larger budget, one of Canon's PRO-series machines would be the next step up. The PIXMA PRO-200S is the prosumer/enthusiast model with 8 dye inks. The imagePROGRAF PRO-310 is the professional photographer's A3 machine with 10 pigment inks. The imagePROGRAF PRO-1100 is the professional photographer's A2 machine with 12 pigment inks. There are also large format imagePROGRAF PRO-series roll-fed machines from 24" to 60" width, but those would be beyond your budget and a long way beyond what you describe. You really need good pixels, and a lot of them, to get the best results printing on A3 or A2. I'm sure those machines would do excellent work with a high res photo from an exceptionally good phone, but they really need images from a Canon EOS camera (or a high spec Canon PowerShot), or something equally good, to get the best out of them and perform to their full potential. Now, in all honesty, a Canon PIXMA G500/600-series (A4), TS8700/8800-series (A4) or TS9500-series (A3) can do a superb job with a high quality image. Those are the 5/6-ink machines 1 step below the PRO-200S. I've got a Canon EOS camera and PIXMA TS9550, and the prints I get on A4 and A3 Canon photo paper are excellent. That could be all you need. Sure, the prints I would get from my EOS on a PRO-series would be a step closer to perfection, but I love what my PIXMA can do with a good image on good photo paper, and it was relatively affordable. If you don't already have a good enthusiast/pro level camera, I would spend that $1,500 on one of the Canon PIXMAs a step below the PRO machines and the remainder on a PowerShot or EOS R50/R10 starter kit (don't get the R100, it is still a good camera, but a generation behind on the image processor and kinda the no-frills model to entice people into the EOS ecosystem).

If the ability to print larger than A3 posters and banners appeals, have a look at the Canon imagePROGRAF TC-21/TC-21M. It's a 24" roll machine, so can do A1 & A2 or up to 24"-wide banners from the roll, and can additionally handle A3, A4, A5, A6 cut sheets. If you don't want to go as big as 24", have a look at the imagePROGRAF PRO-310 (A3) and PRO-1100 (A2) professional photo printers, or the PIXMA PRO-200S (A3) if you need to bring the price down. Paper weight is a complicated thing, as it's really the stiffness and thickness which matters. All of Canon's PIXMA printers will handle Canon's own photo paper up to 300 gsm, and their PRO-series photo printers will do slightly heavier stuff. Check the spec sheets for each model to get the specifics of what they say it can handle. The spec sheets tell you the maximum paper thickness that the machines will handle, which can be more important than the paper weight. In terms of photo paper quality, you might not really need to go above 300 gsm for business marketing. That gets you all the way up to Canon PT-101 Pro Platinum or LU-101 Luster paper from their professional grade papers. Their PRO-series machines will give you professional photo studio quality prints on their pro paper.

I know you said Epson but will put in a plug for the Canon Image ProGraf 300 (now 310). It's $850 at BH photo. I bought it in May 2024 and now produce 8x10 loose/framed and 11x14 matted/framed landscapes at local shows. In five shows I grossed 5k that year which, minus printer, ink, frames, mats and paper still netted me 2500. Way better than I could ever do with a lab. Best was being able to reprint popular ones for 2-day events.