Large Format
Printers for Photographers

Both are genuinely excellent and the honest answer is it depends on your priorities. Epson SureColor P-series — particularly the P700, P900 and SC-P5300 — is the default choice for most professional photographers. The UltraChrome Pro ink set handles neutral greys and shadow detail with very little metamerism under different light sources, and the media support for fine art cotton rag is excellent. Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-series has a slight edge on certain colour gamut extensions and the LUCIA PRO ink behaves particularly well on baryta and RC paper. If you print predominantly on fine art media, Epson is the safer starting point. If baryta and photographic gloss are central to your work, Canon is worth a direct comparison. We can run test prints on both before you decide.

For studio and gallery photographers, a 24-inch (610mm) printer covers the majority of exhibition print sizes up to roughly 24x36 inches on roll media. If you regularly produce panoramic or very large format work — 40x60 inches and above — a 44-inch (1118mm) model gives you that room without compromising print quality. The cost jump between 24 and 44 inch is significant, so it is worth being honest about how often you actually need the extra width. A 24-inch machine producing A1 and A2 work covers most photographers comfortably.

The gap between screen and print usually comes down to three things: a calibrated monitor, the correct ICC profile for your paper and printer combination, and soft proofing in Lightroom or Photoshop before printing. Epson and Canon both supply ICC profiles for their own media ranges, and most fine art paper manufacturers publish profiles for their papers on specific printer models. Where those profiles are not available or not accurate enough for your standards, we can build custom profiles on your specific printer and media combination. That service is available through our colour management team.

On current pigment ink sets from Epson and Canon, prints on matched fine art or photographic media are rated for 70 to over 200 years under normal display conditions — framed, under glass, away from direct sunlight. The longevity rating drops considerably on unmatched media or under UV exposure without glazing. Wilhelm Imaging Research publishes independent longevity testing data for specific printer and media combinations if you need verifiable figures for client or gallery work. The key point is the paper matters as much as the ink — using a generic media without a matched profile reduces both accuracy and longevity.

Yes, and many photographers do. Fine art paper manufacturers including Hahnemuhle, Canson Infinity, Ilford Galerie and Breathing Color all publish ICC profiles for their papers on Epson and Canon printer models. The results can be excellent. The trade-off is that warranty claims involving printhead damage from third-party media can be more complicated — manufacturers take the position that OEM media is required for full warranty coverage. In practice, professional fine art papers from reputable manufacturers rarely cause problems. We stock a range of fine art media and can advise on which papers work well on specific models.