​​Top 5 Wide Format Printers for High-Volume Users

HP DesignJet XL 3800 7QR88A

Our top pick, because it meets all of our criteria. It’s relatively new to the market, hits demanding green requirements and is one of the quickest printers in our selection. It’s multifunction as standard, with PostScript included out of the box, and its pigment ink set makes it a great all-rounder for technical drawings, blueprints, maps, presentations and posters.

Green credentials and ink

The XL 3800 meets HP’s stringent green design requirements for all new products. The highlight is the cardboard ink cartridge – it’s like a wine box, but with ink – so you’re disposing of a cardboard outer and an inner bag. Ink details are printed straight onto the carton rather than on a stick-on label, which massively reduces waste at worldwide scale. Cartridges are 500ml, bigger than the norm, which further cuts waste and operator time and brings down the cost per ml.

Speed

At 6 A1s per minute for CAD drawings, it’s four times faster than most inkjets, which makes it ideal for production and fast-turnaround print rooms. The optional dedicated folder boosts productivity further, so prints are ready to distribute much sooner.

The speed comes from staggered printheads – two per colour – laying down a double swathe of ink. The heads are snap-fit and operator replaceable, and you don’t waste ink when you dispose of them, as they hold only a minimal amount.

Paper and media

The XL 3800 is an aqueous inkjet, so it can use low-cost bond or coated papers, including photo paper, though it slows slightly on these for better ink adhesion and quality. It’s also happy printing on drafting film, polypropylene or crystal-clear film, giving print rooms and copy shops plenty of flexibility. With two online rolls, an 841mm bond and a 420mm roll will produce A0, A1, A2 and A3 prints automatically, cut to size.

Tools

The new HP Click print driver and the popular HP Click printing app make job submission easy, catching print errors before you know you have them. The new DesignJet range also includes cloud-based raster-to-vector scan conversion – a hugely valuable tool for CAD and BIM professionals that cuts the time spent manually converting paper drawings.

• Speed 6 A1s per minute (CAD)
• Best for Technical drawings, maps, presentations and posters
• Ink cost 30p per ml ex VAT

View the XL 3800

Canon imagePROGRAF TZ-32000 6852C003AA

The flagship of Canon’s imagePROGRAF wide format range, with fast output from two large online rolls and a low total cost of ownership. It’s very attractively priced, giving volume users an extremely positive return on investment.

It’s ideal if you want to step off the more expensive ColorWave platform (and its costly TAC charges), and an ideal replacement for Canon PlotWave users moving to colour without compromising speed or build quality. Its industrial feel underlines its focus on fast CAD output.

At up to 4 A1s per minute, it’s faster than the majority of inkjets (our No 1 aside). You can add a scanner for copy and scan – see the TZ-32000 MFP – and a folder with full cross-folding. Our only reservation is that the folder sits at the front, so you have to lift the bridge to change media. That’s a small inconvenience on an otherwise very well-rounded machine.

It uses a single, customer-replaceable printhead, which tends to be extremely robust in busy environments. When idle, the machine regularly maintains the head to keep uptime high, firing a little ink into an easily replaced maintenance cassette (a consumable).

Its two online rolls take a wide range of media, similar to our top pick, and bond rolls can be up to 200 metres long – that’s 336 A1 prints before you change the roll.

Tip: if you mostly print black and white, simply opt for the large black cartridge.

• Speed Up to 4 A1s per minute
• Best for Technical drawings, maps, presentations and posters
• Ink cost 43p per ml ex VAT (330ml or 700ml)

View the TZ-32000

HP PageWide XL

We haven’t picked a specific PageWide XL model, because the right one depends on what you print and how much. It’s the fastest range here, printing up to 30 A1s per minute, and it’s lightning fast when fully configured.

PageWide XL delivers fast A0+ output for CAD and technical drawings, GIS maps and chart production. The Pro models also handle graphics, including point-of-sale, and many other applications – direct to board (up to 10mm), gift wrap, blue back, polypropylene, scrim and more.

Accessories include a choice of folders, a rear stacker for flat delivery and up to six rolls online, and MFP versions are available. Some models also offer a take-up reel, an inline XY trimmer and a cut-sheet delivery tray for double-sided printing – our experts can talk you through the right configuration.

There are hundreds of compatible media, and we have sample packs if you have a specific application in mind. With a 40-inch print width and up to six rolls, you can cover a lot of sizes and print mixes.

PageWide XL uses eight fixed printheads rather than heads moving side to side on a carriage like most inkjets – that’s where its speed comes from. A cleaning cassette and a maintenance cartridge keep it running at full speed. The cost per ml drops considerably on the bigger models, with the largest ink cartridge a whopping 5 litres.

• Speed Up to 30 A1s per minute
• Best for The fastest output for drawings, maps, POS and graphics
• Ink cost 6p–30p per ml ex VAT, depending on model

View PageWide XL printers

Epson SureColor SC-P8500DL STD C11CJ75301A1

Epson describe this 44-inch printer as a six-colour photo printer, but it’s very happy producing CAD and technical drawings too, thanks to a six-colour ink set that includes grey. Grey ink is ideal for construction and manufacturing drawings where most of the output is black and white – and it’s equally happy producing full-colour renders or graphics.

At 2 A1s per minute it’s slower than our other picks, but its other strengths earn it a place on the list.

It has very large 1.6-litre ink cartridges (only beaten by some PageWide XL models), which keep the cost per ml down and suit continuous printing from its two large online rolls.

The included two-year warranty covers the printhead, fitted by an Epson technician, and if you buy a 3- or 5-year extension the head stays covered (terms apply). You can add a flat front stacker for volume printing. It’s the widest printer in our selection at 44 inches (1118mm), making it ideal for cartographers, civil engineering, education and manufacturing. It’s also compact and slim, with a flat top that works as a table, and can be pushed against a wall.

As an aqueous inkjet, it works with an extensive range of Epson and third-party papers and films.

• Speed 2 A1s per minute
• Best for CAD, maps, education, posters and photos at 44in
• Ink cost 21p per ml ex VAT

View the SC-P8500DL

Canon ColorWave T60 CW T-60

Highly successful for more than a decade, the Canon ColorWave is robust and reliable. It uses a toner-based system (Canon CrystalPoint technology), where toner is melted and then propelled onto the media like inkjet droplets.

At 4 A1s per minute, it’s on a par with the cheaper TZ-32000. You can boost productivity with a folder such as the new Canon Express Folder, which has a very small footprint. Like the others in our top five, it’s available as print-only or multifunction.

It has the widest choice of media of any printer here, largely thanks to its toner-based technology. Check with us for anything specific you need.

Running cost is worked out differently, as there are several elements. Toner pearls are sold in 500g units (£220 ex VAT per cartridge), and the Canon service contract includes a mandatory Total Area Coverage (TAC) charge. We can calculate the running cost for you before you buy. The cartridges are made from heavy ABS plastic, so they’re not the most environmentally friendly.

• Speed 4 A1s per minute
• Best for The widest media choice, with toner-based robustness
• Running cost Toner plus a TAC charge – ask us to calculate it

View the ColorWave T60