Shopping for an A3 Printer

Before trying to understand the use of an A3 printer, a person must know the significance of the codes A3 or A4. These are internationally accepted paper standards (ISO paper-sizes) used all over the world, with the exception of North America. The actual size of an A3 paper is 11.69” X 16.54” (297 mm X 420 mm) while that of the A4 paper is 8.27” X 11.69” (210mm X 297 mm). There are different categories of A3 printers present, varying in their features and prices. Some categories are unique and comprehensive providing scanning, printing, faxing and copying facilities together. Obviously, the prices of these are more and a person needs to buy one only if there is a real need. An A3 printer scanner is a perfect example of multi-functionality.  Adequate research is required to get in-depth info on the various products before they are purchased.

OKI makes some of the best A3 black & white laser printers. These printers are capable of providing ledger-size and A3 prints.  High print resolution along with large number of pages printed per minute account for this brand’s success. People who are searching for an A3 in the mid-price range can choose an HP A3 printer. The HP Officejet-Pro K8600 costs under $300 and is capable of delivering 35 pages / minute, which is not too bad. Also these printers can give A3-plus prints with a paper capacity of 250 sheets. Other higher-priced models are also present in HP which can be chosen by the people who are capable of paying more. People have got this notion that it is an arduous task finding the A3 color laser printer. This is not true as many manufacturers make A3 color printers.

On the other hand, finding a good A3 photo printer is tougher.  People who are in the domain of professional photography are willing to pay extra for these costly machines. Prints made by the high-quality A3 photo printers are long-lasting. To give instances, matte-media can last for nearly 100 years, while the glossy paper-prints have longevity of 80 years. In terms of speed, a photo measuring 11” X 14” is printed within 3 minutes. A 4” X 6” photo takes just 45 seconds to get printed. Professional and stylish DVD and CD covers can also be made with these photo printers.

People prefer buying the printers with inkjet capability more than the laser printers because of the underlying price difference. But certain notable differences exist between an A3 laser printer and an A3 inkjet printer. The size of a laser printer is more than the inkjet printer. With a laser printer a large drum is present which rotates with the specific page to be printed. Hence these printers are naturally heavier. With inkjet printers just a printer head is adequate to weave backward and forward till the page’s end is reached. Laser printers are not able to give high resolutions that are at par with the inkjet printers. But printing accuracy is achieved with the laser versions and these can print dots measuring 0.1mm too. Printing speed is more for laser printers and due to the printing technology used, prints never remain wet. Inkjet printers have to use wet inks, and if the right kind of paper is not used it might also get wet or blotted.
 
An A3 colour printer might also be supported with other facilities like scanning, copying, or faxing. But ensure that the code A3 is mentioned within the printer’s specifications. Depending upon the size and functionality of the A3 colour laser printer the prices differ. Prices begin from the $500 mark and reputed manufacturers like Hewlett Packard, Xerox, Lexmark, and Konica Minolta all make genuine products.