The best printers for designers

As the way we work becomes ever more flexible, it's increasingly important that your home office or studio is equipped with the tools you need to do your job effectively. For those working in the creative industries, particularly designers, a printer is an essential tool. From proofreading layouts to creating hard copies for client approval and taking care of day-to-day admin, a high-quality printer can save you time and help you win commissions. But what features should you look out for?

Sharp text and design details, smooth gradients, colour fidelity and print-to-print consistency are essential requirements for client proofs. Versatility is another vital printer attribute. As a designer, you may be tasked with producing everything from business cards and flyers to poster-sized prints, so a printer that supports a wide variety of media types and sizes will give you more creative options and mean fewer trips to your local print bureau. Reliability and ease of use are vital qualities too, as are convenience features such as wireless connectivity, automatic paper feeding and fast printing speeds.

To help you decide which is the best printer for your design needs, we've put together a selection of suitable Canon PIXMA printers to consider.

The all-in-one Canon PIXMA TS9550 Series printer takes up much the same space as an A4 printer but it's able to produce borderless A3 prints, and has a host of features that allow designers to be more productive with their time. A 10.8cm LCD touchscreen makes it simple to adjust printing settings, while automatic two-sided printing and a 20-sheet ADF (Auto Document Feeder) for A4 paper reduces the amount of refills you need to carry out. It's a well-connected model too, with both Ethernet and wireless options, and support for AirPrint (iOS) and Mopria (Android) and the Canon PRINT app, so you can print, scan and copy ideas and inspiration straight from your smart device.

Of course, the ultimate test of a printer is the print quality itself, and the PIXMA TS9550 Series uses five individual ChromaLife100 ink cartridges, including a pigment black ink for sharp text, in order to produce detailed prints with an album life of up to 100 years¹. The PIXMA TS9550 Series supports a wide range of creative media too, including Canon High Resolution Paper, Magnetic Photo Paper and 12x12inch cardstock.

For graphic designers who have no need to print larger than A4, the Canon PIXMA TS8350 Series all-in-one printer is as beautiful to look at as the prints it produces. The sleek design will complement any designer's workspace, and take printing performance to the next level, with a six single inks system that reduces graininess.

For designers who have to produce a high volume of hard proofs, a model in the Canon PIXMA G Series MegaTank printer range is a very practical option. The Canon PIXMA G6050 has four high-yield refillable ink tanks, and is capable of delivering up to 18,000² pages from three black ink bottles or 7,700² pages from a set of colour inks. It also boasts a 350-sheet plain paper capacity and automatic duplex printing, so you can spend less time refilling the PIXMA G6050 with paper and ink, and more time taking care of the creative side of things.

The printhead technology in the PIXMA G6050 ensures sharp and detailed prints, and it also offers borderless printing from 89x89mm square up to A4. It's a versatile three-in-one option too, with both a copier and an A4 scanner, which enables you to import artwork and other source material into a design project without the need for additional hardware. The PIXMA G6050 is also cloud-ready, so designs can be printed from any location using compatible services, such as Google Drive and Dropbox.

Whether you're a graphic designer who's looking to produce proofs for a client pitch while you're on the road or working remotely – or you simply want to reclaim some space in your home office – the lean and lightweight Canon PIXMA TR150 printer is a great choice. Able to deliver documents and borderless photos up to A4 size, this portable printer can be powered by mains or via an optional battery pack for a truly mobile solution.

The PIXMA TR150 uses a hybrid ink system that features a pigment black ink with dye-based colours for vivid archival prints. It's quick too, with print speeds of up to 5.5 ipm³ (images per minute) in colour and 9 ipm³ in black and white.

All the connections and cables are fixed to one side of the printer, so it's easy to accommodate in tight spaces, and it comes with 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi support⁴, as well as Wi-Fi Direct so you can continue to print wirelessly without access to an internet router. There's even a 1.44-inch OLED screen, so you can check the connection status, access settings and ink levels directly too.

If your mobile printing needs aren't so demanding, the compact and convenient Canon SELPHY Square QX10 produces vibrant 68x68mm images with a caption-able border, so you can add notes or comments, which would be ideal for creating a mood board. Useful features include USB charging and Wi-Fi connectivity, with SELPHY ink and paper refill sets enabling you to replace both in one simple step.

Written by Marcus Hawkins