Help me find a great printer for printing colored pencil drawings
December 8, 2011 11:44 AM Subscribe
Which printer is best for printing colored pencil artwork?
My dad creates very detailed colored pencil drawings. He would like to print matte images that are at least 16 inches wide and wants to use up to 140 weight fine art paper.
He also would like to add detail to the images after they have printed, so ideally, the ink used would allow him to use the colored pencils over it.
I'm clueless as to what to buy. The budget is up to $1,000 but would prefer to spend less so we can also buy a decent scanner.
I've been researching printers and feel even more confused than when I started my research.
I'm completely new to this type of technology, so even basic advice would be helpful. If no products within my price range exist, I'm open to alternatives.
My dad creates very detailed colored pencil drawings. He would like to print matte images that are at least 16 inches wide and wants to use up to 140 weight fine art paper.
He also would like to add detail to the images after they have printed, so ideally, the ink used would allow him to use the colored pencils over it.
I'm clueless as to what to buy. The budget is up to $1,000 but would prefer to spend less so we can also buy a decent scanner.
I've been researching printers and feel even more confused than when I started my research.
I'm completely new to this type of technology, so even basic advice would be helpful. If no products within my price range exist, I'm open to alternatives.
This thread is closed to new comments.
13-inch yes. 16-inch (for $1000?) no. consumer printers generally top out at 13" wide and then it jumps to (rarely) 36" and (mostly) 48" in the very expensive professional range. there MIGHT be something out there that fits in the middle, but it will be enough of an oddball that getting service/inks/etc for it might be an issue...
inks:
colored pencils (like most art supplies) use a wide range of pigments (compared to a printer) to reproduce color (each colored pencil=1 pigment) so you want to get a printer with a wide color gamut. look for printers with 6 or 8 different color cartridges...it will be a huge PITA to deal with compared to a printer with only 'black' and 'color' cartridges, but the results will be a lot more accurate.
paper:
most printers will handle cardstock (148lb is what i use) but anything with a really rough surface (like watercolor paper) will look blotchy, but i doubt he's using that (since you said 'very detailed'...most printer companies will sell (and/or include with the printer) a 'sampler pack' of their various papers. it might be worth picking one up to make sure colored pencils will work with them. I have an epson printer and get really good, sharp results with their 'photo-quality inkjet paper' (different from their 'photo paper' which is more like a glossy photo print and undoubtedly unsuitable for what your father wants to do) it's like standard bond paper but with a light coating that keeps the ink from absorbing/spreading, BUT it repels certain kinds of pen (like gel pens)...i haven't tried it with colored pencil. i imagine he is using 16x20 bristol board, which should be fine, other than the size...
hope this helps :)
posted by sexyrobot at 1:30 PM on December 8, 2011