Printing on thick cardstock is very different from printing on a normal paper. Before printing, you must have the right printer otherwise your job will not have the desired quality or the imagined beauty. In addition to being able to print quality prints, the best cardstock printer should also support the size you would like to print. Printers come with pre-defined paper sizes in the printer’s driver, which you should check. Furthermore, all printers have a maximum and minimum paper size that they support, which determines the kind of jobs you can create using the printer. It is also worth ensuring that the printer supports the paperweight and thickness you would like to work with for your projects.
Our Recommendations
Canon PIXMA Pro-100
Canon PIXMA Pro-100 – Click here for more info
With a capability to handle a maximum paper weight of 165 lbs, the Canon PIXMA Pro 100 inkjet is the preferred choice for those looking to print very thick. The printer also handles a maximum paper size of A4 legal, which means that it has the capability to handle a wide variety of cardstock papers. Furthermore, with a paper input capacity of 150 and a standard output of 2, the PIXMA Pro 100 can handle any moderate printing job. Moreover, with 8 dye-based inks, the Canon Pro 100 produces images and colors as intended. For even more quality print, you can let the printer select the optimum placement and combination for the inks thanks to the optimum image generation system.
The Canon Pixma Pro 100 also comes with the Full-photolithography Canon inkjet nozzle engineering feature that uses microscopic droplets to ensure that your images are not grainy. The optimizer also ensures that all images are printed from a uniform height eliminating the challenge of surface reflection while maintaining the natural integrity and color in the photos. Furthermore, with a printing resolution of 4800 by 2400 dpi and a maximum print vision of 13 by 19 inches, the printer is flexible enough to handle most cardstock printing jobs with ease.
Epson Workforce WF-100
Epson Workforce WF-100 – Click here for more info
If you are looking for a printer that can handle your cardstock printing jobs at home, at the office or on the move, the easy to pick up and carry, the Epson Workforce WF-100 is designed for you. With a maximum paperweight capacity of 64 lbs and an ability to handle up to 8.5 by 14-inch paper sizes, the Epson WF-100 is capable of printing most of your cardstock printing jobs with an assured high-quality print thanks to the printer’s 4800 by 1200 dpi resolution. The front and rear feeding trays of the printer are also designed to allow printing of papers without bending or folding for neat prints.
Despite compact design, the Epson Workforce WF-100 can print full 8.5-inch wide pages, which is amazing when compared to the capability of other miniature printers. When closed up for travel or storage, the WF-100 measures 6.1-inches from front to back, 2.4-inches high and 12.2-inches across. The printer also has an internal battery that lets you print even without the power connection. To print, the printer uses the 4-color (CMYK) drop-on-demand microPlenzo inkjet technology for exceptional print quality. The printer also features wireless connection as well as a mini USB lead for easy connectivity.
HP LaserJet Pro 200
HP Laserjet Pro 200 – Click here for more info
The HP Laserjet Pro 200 is a symbol of functionality and beauty. The attractive faux brushed-black exterior and a flip-up touch control panel can make you mistaken the low-cost printer for a high-end device. The Laserjet pro 200 also features helpful major connection technologies that include USB, Ethernet, and Wi-Fi for easy connectivity. The setup process is straightforward and can be done using the standard setup wizard or the Wi-Fi protected setup. The printer also supports the cloud-printing, ePrint services by HP enabling remote printing through website based apps and email. Nevertheless, the strong point of HP pro 200 printer is in the quality of prints.
While most of the low-cost color printers print slowly and produce low-quality prints, the HP LaserJet Pro 200 differs by producing better-than-usual image quality at an exceptional speed rate. The prints by the pro 200 printer tend to have super sharp texts and smooth and even monochrome graphics. The 3.5-inch touch control panel is also highly responsive to touch. Compared to other printers in this review, the HP pro 200 has a 150 sheets feeder, which means that when it comes to printing cardstocks, you may have to put one piece at a time.
Epson Artisan 1430
Epson Artisan 1430 – Click here for more info
With a capability to print papers with sizes of up to 13 by 19 inch, the Epson Artisan 1430 is for those looking for borderless printing. When it comes to quality, the Artisan 1430 printer uses high color definition 6 Claria ink cartridges and also features exceptional color correction and lighting correction for brilliant photos and documents that can be shown in the gallery. In fact, the documents printed with the artisan 1430 last up to four times longer compared to other prints by printers in the same range. Furthermore, the documents printed with the printer are highly resistant to scratches, fading and fading, which makes the Epson 1430, the best printer for cardstock.
It is also worth noting that the printer uses individual ink cartridges, which means that you will only replace the specific color when it runs out, eliminating the challenge of buying all ink cartridges at the same time. The printer has a print resolution of 5760 by 1440 dpi, which means that your cardstock prints will have a smooth quality gradation. Furthermore, when it comes to printing images, the printer can recreate accurate skin tones that are smooth, attractive and grain free. Unlike other printers in its range, the Epson Artisan 1430 was built to print high-quality images and thus, you can expect exceptional prints.
Dell Wireless E525W
Dell Wireless E525W – Click here for more info
If quality print is all you want, you should give the Dell Wireless E525W a try. The printer is attractive to people who usually print materials that require exceptional quality like the marketing materials, trifold brochures, and PowerPoint handouts as well as high-quality cardstock prints. The printer uses LEDs to draw the image of each document on its drum, which enables it to lower the cost of printing remarkably especially for big projects. When the low-cost printing is combined with the high-quality output, the Dell E525W easily stands out as one of the best cardstock printers.
In addition to the quality, highly affordable prints, the E525W printer is also designed to offer ease of use by providing easy connectivity. You can choose to upload your document through USB, Ethernet or Wi-Fi depending on your preferences. The printer also has acceptable printing speeds, which means that you will not have to wait longer to get your cardstock printed irrespective of the color options. The printer delivers the print quality of 600dpi LED engine, which delivers bright, attention-grabbing colors with smooth color fills. The features that come with the E525W Dell printer include the 4-line by 20-character mono LCD display, Dell printer hub, and ID copy.
Types of Cardstock
Cardstock is the material that is commonly used for scrapbooking, business cards, catalog covers, wedding cards and anything that requires higher durability. Its basically more durable and thicker than the average copy paper and tolerates excess liquid and heavy embellishment applications better than the regular paper. That said, it comes in a wide variety of textures, weights, and colors, which enables them to be worked into an extensive array of designs. The common types that you will encounter include:
- iridescent – has a coating that displays a range of colors that shimmer and change depending on the observers position changes.
- glossy – has a lustrous or shiny coating.
- textured – made up of various fibers and other content that provides it with a unique texture.
- vellum – basically a fine parchment paper that ranges from almost opaque to almost transparent.
- matte – a chemical added to it for a satin finish. Because of this, pigment inks and dye inks work the best.
- glitter – has a coating made up of colored glitter.
It is also important to note that cardstock also comes in various sizes that range from 6 by 6 inches to 12 by 12 inches among other custom sizes.
Things To Consider When Choosing A Cardstock Printer
Choosing the right cardstock printer is a personal experience for different individuals and organizations have different needs, preferences, and budget. Furthermore, different printer models and brands come with unique features and functionalities, which make choosing the right cardstock printer a complicated task for even experienced buyers. Some factors that you should consider when choosing the best printer for cardstock printing include:
Printing Speed: Waiting for a long before the printer can finish printing your job can be exhausting and frustrating especially when the project is urgent or big. However, printers with high speeds are also known to have poor quality prints than those that print slowly especially on more detailed projects. Therefore, as a buyer, your main goal should be to look for a printer that has high speeds without affecting the quality of prints. A good indicator of the printing speed, although not highly reliable is the manufacturer engine-speed specifications.
Print Quality: There are several ways you can determine the quality of prints but one of the most reliable methods is to consider the resolution of the printer. The higher the resolution, the better print quality you will have and thus, it is always good to purchase the printer with the highest resolution that you can afford.
Budget and Price: The price of the printer and your budget play an important in helping you find the right cardstock printer for your needs. Your budget determines the price range of the printers that you should consider. Going for the cheapest printer or the highest priced printer is not a good buying habit, instead, you should for the best printer in terms of features, functionality, and ease of use within your budget.
Conclusion
In addition to above factors, the best printer for your cardstock printing should also offer the best cost to benefit value. When determining the cost of printing, you should also factor the operating costs including the cost of supplies as well as the maintenance cost. The right printer should also add value to your printing job by offering features that ease the printing process. Therefore, it is a good idea to prefer a printer that offers connectivity flexibility such as USB and wireless connectivity and convenient paper handling. If you find yourself choosing between two printers, you should go for the one that offers ease of use, easy setup and extra features.
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