Lab

A3+ Inkjets

As the saying goes, bigger is better, and a large print of your favourite picture is much more impressive than a postcard-sized one. Whether you're a keen amateur photographer looking to show off your skills or a pro hoping to sell you wares, then an A3 inkjet printer makes a good investment.

They aren't, however, an impulse purchase. If you do decide to buy one, you'll need to make sure that you've got the space for it and, more importantly, the pixels to cover the page. You won't get much joy from compact digital camera images when it comes to prints that cover 297 ~ 420mm.

The good news is that the fruits of research and development into inks usually find their way into these machines first, so you'll get the latest dye and pigment-based inks in an A3 printer.

The larger format printer is becoming increasingly popular and, though prices can still be high, they represent good value for money. You'll have to be prepared to make an investment in paper and ink, though. All of the printers on test here have separate ink tanks, but this does mean it's pricey to replace them all. Each device also handles a range of speciality papers that offer various finishes, but these aren't cheap either and any wasted prints add to the cost. You'll also need to account for the time it takes to get a perfect end result. The larger size is less forgiving and you'll want to spend time processing your shots until they're perfect before putting your pixels on the page. Even though print times are fast, overall post-production can take much longer than you'd imagine.

In this Labs, we asked the manufacturers for A3 printers aimed at photographers. We placed no restriction on price, but wanted two from each of the companies that make A3 inkjets. HP could only supply us with one device in the timescale.