what do i need to print playing cards

Us crafters use printers for lots of dissimilar reasons. Press photographs and mounting them on a card blank is one of the easiest and quickest means to make cards. Nosotros print out sentiments, digi stamps, printables and colouring pages. Nosotros print out artwork for our craft areas and print templates then that we don't demand to figure out how to make the 3D models ourselves. We print invitations, tags for presents, inserts for cards and step-past-step instructions for when we don't want to look at a screen. We print stencils for lino-cutting, screen-press and painting, and nosotros impress pictures that nosotros transfer onto wood. We impress limited edition artwork for our Etsy shops, business cards, stickers and even impress out designs that can be used with foiling machines. We print mood boards and inspiration for future art projects.

Many places, including hither at Gathered, have lots of free resources for you lot to print at home and go artistic with. It'due south incredibly useful having a stash of free digi papers, that you lot tin print out at whatsoever fourth dimension without having to brand a fully masked, socially distant visit to the shops.

It'southward safe to say that having a proficient printer is essential for the small business concern owner, and for crafters, makes things a lot easier. The showtime thing you need to consider is what you volition use your printer for. Possibly, like me, you'll utilize information technology for a bit of everything, or specifically, perhaps y'all want to know the best printer for 300 gsm card? Possibly you're looking for a greeting card printer or a good all-rounder and the best printer for cardstock. Peradventure you lot're subsequently a small craft printer that can print photographs for your scrapbook pages? Whatever the reason, we've got y'all covered.

Can you impress on card on a normal printer?

Not ever! If your printer tray is underneath where the paper comes out, then the menu will need to feed through the rollers, and the card will need to bend almost in one-half to get through the printer mechanism. This means that the printer rollers volition need to grip onto the carte du jour firmly so that it doesn't slip. The excess pressure caused by the thicker weight card means that a lot of printers just tin can't exercise this.

To get around this, some printers take a second feed at the back. This is often just a flap that tin can exist folded downward, where you tin manually feed the bill of fare through, i sail at a time. Having this second feed at the dorsum of the printer ways the card does not demand to bend in one-half to get effectually the rollers, and therefore can be gripped improve by the printer mechanism.

Most printers can handle lightweight carte upwards to around 125gsm, but if y'all desire to print on thicker cardstock then y'all might desire to consider looking at the best printer for cardstock.

Buy white carte

Buy now: £four.99, Amazon

This A4 menu is 220 gsm in weight, which is an ideal weight for going through your printer. It'south sturdy enough to experience luxury, just not too thick that it tin can't go effectually the rollers. There are 50 sheets in the pack, and it's adept value for money. There are over 8 m reviews for this cardstock on Amazon, most being iv.5 or 5-star – check 'em out!

What to look for in a craft printer

There are a few cardinal factors to consider when y'all are choosing the printer that is correct for you:

Card weight

Practice yous want to impress on carte du jour?

Do y'all desire to impress on photo paper?

Size

Do you want information technology to impress A4 or A3?

How much space do you have?

Ink

Practice you lot want to utilise it for hot foiling?

How expensive is the ink?

How much can you impress before needing to supplant the ink?

Does the machine take off-brand substitutes?

Extra features

Do you lot need a scanner?

Do you demand wireless connectivity?

What to look for in a cardstock printer

A lot of print manufactures will proudly tell you how fast their printer can impress. And that's great if you need to print a lot and are up against the clock. But what is the best printer for cardstock? This is quite often disregarded in production descriptions and it tin can be frustrating to find that your make-new printer volition just print on 90gsm newspaper.

Speaking from experience as an artist and designer, I am far less interested in how many pages a printer can spew out in a minute (and let's face information technology, they're all pretty fast these days) than I am the quality of the print, and what type of card information technology tin print on. The terminal matter I desire to be doing is bankroll all my designs onto menu using a Pritt Stick. It may seem obvious, simply the main thing you want to look for (bated from budget) is whether or not it can print on cardstock. If y'all do a lot of hand-drawn art that you desire to scan in (and perhaps sell equally prints for a side hustle), then you'll also want i that has a scanner.

Next, you will want to think about the newspaper size. Are you happy with A4 or would you prefer something that can impress 12×12″ for scrapbooking? If it'southward the latter, then yous will want an A3 printer. Not sure about newspaper sizes? Take a wait at our simple explanation of the basic card sizes.

If yous know you take a large project involving a lot of press (for example, wedding invitations), then you might want to think well-nigh tray capacity. How many sheets can the printer hold? It'due south not the stop of the globe if it'due south only got a modest chapters, you'll simply need to refill information technology more often.

Technology has advanced a lot since the plough of the millennium, and printers are no different. About now offering wireless connectivity and automatic software updates equally well equally computer-free printing via smartphone and USB connectivity. If yous have a new mac without the USB ports or are planning to use it with a tablet or smartphone, then a wireless printer is the way to get (or yous'll need to become a USB adaptor).

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Impress quality and ink is a big one. 300dpi (dots per inch) at 2480 ten 3508 pixels is the recommended print resolution for printing on A4, so you will want a printer that tin can handle this. If you're looking at A3 printers, then at 300dpi over again (remember, its dots per inch then you do not demand to double this to 600dpi when printing at A3) you'll want a printer that can handle 3508 ten 4961 pixels.

Ink, of class, is a consumable, so you lot'll likely get through many ink cartridges in the printers lifetime. Some printers are simply uniform with their own make of ink, which makes replacing ink expensive (and let's face information technology – annoying), while others are compatible with cheaper off-brand substitutes that are just every bit good.

What type of printer practice you demand for foiling? If you're looking at using your printer for utilize with hot foiling systems, then y'all'll want a different printer birthday – a monochrome laserjet. As you're foiling your designs, you'll be covering up the ink with foil. So, although you tin can get colour laserjet printers, I do not recommend them for hot foiling. It'southward much more than economical to get for a good monochrome (black and white) laserjet printer that prints onto carte.

You can not use inkjet printers for foiling, as the ink on your printed page needs to react to the estrus of passing through your foiling machine. The ink in inkjet printers is not heat-reactive, so you'll need 1 that uses light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation printer ink for the foil to stick to. This is why the paper from laserjet printers feels nice and warm when information technology comes out of the machine!

          All-time printer for card making          Canon TS9550 Wireless Crafting Printer
Epson EcoTank ET-2750 A4 Printer
Epson Workforce WF-7840 Printer
Catechism PIXMA Pro 200 Printer
HP Green-eyed 6032 All-In-One Wireless Printer
Brother MFC-J1300DW A4 Printer
Canon PIXMA iX6850 Printer
          All-time printer for hot foiling          Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer
Xerox B325 Laser Printer
HP LaserJet Pro M404dn Printer
          Something a little dissimilar          Phomemo M02 Mini Thermal Printer
Canon Selphy Square QX10 Printer
Brother VC-500W Wireless Design n' Arts and crafts Printer
LaserPecker1 Engraver
KiiPix Smartphone Printer
Selpic P1 Handheld Printer
        

Best printer for carte du jour making

Catechism PIXMA TS9550 Wireless Crafting Printer

The Canon PIXMA TS9550 printer series is often hailed as 'the crafting printer', and information technology'south easy to see why. It's a borderless printer, press upwardly to A3 in size, and it's besides a scanner and copier. But what I really love about this printer is its compatibility with 12″ x 12″ papers, which makes information technology hands down, the all-time printer for scrapbookers. It's WiFi-enabled, only you can also print straight from memory cards (in that location'south a slot in the front for retentiveness cards) or from your smartphone and tablet. It takes cardstock and photo paper upwards to 300gsm hands and fifty-fifty has congenital-in patterns for you to create your own patterned paper straight from the machine (you can see this in the image above), and can print double-sided. Although this is an A3 printer, it only has the footprint of an A4 automobile, so it's not going to overwhelm small spaces. This does however hateful that the scanner is simply A4 size, so go along that in mind if you want to scan artwork larger than A4 size. Information technology takes five ink cartridges, ii of which are black (this is welcome as I get through black much quicker than whatsoever other colour ink) and it costs around £xx for a replacement pack of all five inks – which is not bad at all. Overall – this is a groovy choice of printer and my number 1 printer choice for printing on cardstock.

In that location are stock shortages on this printer (perhaps because it's fabulous, perhaps because of COVID), just as I write this (November 2021) it is not discontinued and Amazon are expecting it back in stock.

Epson EcoTank ET-2750 A4

Desire to exercise your bit in helping to relieve the planet? The EcoTank from Epson does exactly what yous might await it to from the name. It uses ultra-high-chapters ink tanks to completely remove the need for cartridges – and you can get upward to iii years (three years!) without buying more ink. This printer has an extremely low cost-per-folio and produces fourteen,000 pages in black and 5,200 in colour with the included ink. The ink comes in bottles, and thanks to the front ink level display, you lot tin physically see when it'southward finally due for a refill. The pigment blackness and dye colour inks produce prints with crisp, articulate text and vivid colours, so it's a really good choice for crafters with a side hustle. And yep – it prints on bill of fare, too – up to 300 g/grand².

Epson Workforce WF-7840 Printer

The Epson Workforce WF-7840 is some other all-in-one printer and is able to browse, re-create, print and fax. It prints slightly larger than A3 if needed, which is brilliant for scrapbookers – and the 10.9cm colour touchscreen is a nice characteristic that makes it more than user friendly. It offers double-sided (duplex) printing, scanning and faxing all up to A3+, and its automatic document feeder tin process up to 50 double-sided A3+ pages. This printer is as well compatible with individual inks which are fifty% more efficient compared to tri-colour cartridges, and importantly, helps to go on costs downwardly. It has three paper trays to accommodate a range of speciality papers, including photograph newspaper and cardstock upward to 255g/m^two. You can connect via wired ethernet cable, just it besides offers a wireless connection and is compatible with smartphones and tablets. It takes Epson'due south quick-drying Durabrite Ultra Ink, which is h2o, smudge and highlighter resistant, making it a good choice for using with digi-stamps or printable colouring pages.

Catechism PIXMA Pro 200 Printer

Another in the Catechism PIXMA range, the PIXMA Pro 200 is a groovy choice for photograph enthusiasts, every bit it prints at professional photo lab quality. Printing upwards to borderless A3 in size, it'south the best printer for anyone wanting to sell art prints or batch-made greetings cards. It besides has fine art and panorama options so you tin focus on finding the perfect shot. Information technology stores upwards to 150 sheets in the tray, but too has a transmission feeder for cardstock up to an impressive 380g/yard^two (0.6mm) making this a nifty choice for artists besides as crafters. It even has a tertiary feed pick – a multipurpose tray that tin be used for printing straight onto discs, or even nail stickers!

Connectivity-wise, it has all the usual options of connecting via wired or wireless methods, besides every bit with smartphones and tablets. Information technology takes 8 ink cartridges (black, grey, light gray, cyan, photograph cyan, magenta, photo magenta and yellowish), making this a pricier pick, just in terms of photo printing, this printer is acme-of-the-range and worth the investment, especially if you're selling your work.

HP Envy 6032 All-In-1 Wireless Printer

If y'all're looking for something cheap and cheerful, then the HP Envy 6032 is a good place to start. Information technology comes with five months instant ink, which although may have a trivial longer than usual to be delivered given the current situation, is time-saving and gives us 1 less matter to worry nearly. Just brand sure you take upwards the offer straight abroad once you lot go your machine equally the offer has quite a short window (around 7 days from purchase).

Instant Ink is HP's ink commitment service – one time y'all sign up, your automobile will automatically reorder when you're running low and information technology will be delivered to your door. It should exist noted, however, that this machine does not have ink substitutes, it volition just work with cartridges that have the original HP electronic circuitry. That said, nonetheless – the HP cartridges are non expensive; it takes one colour and i blackness cartridge at around £10 each and HP also offer a recycling service.

The lower price point of the car means that information technology doesn't have an LCD control panel like some of the others, but it even so offers an all-in-1 car that prints, scans and copies at A4. Wireless or wired, it is uniform with smartphones and tablets via the HP app, and it tin print on cardstock up to 200 g/m² and photo newspaper upwardly to 300 g/m².

Blood brother MFC-J1300DW A4 wireless printer

Purchase now: £314.99, Amazon

The Brother MFC-J1300DW Printer is a (relatively) compact A4 printer, scanner, copier and fax motorcar all rolled into 1. Information technology takes up to 150 sheets of paper in the main tray, but also has a transmission feed for speciality papers and cardstock as well equally a 20 sheet automatic document feeder. You can also print directly from USBs, which is a brilliant feature for crafters (I'thou thinking of all those Create & Craft USBs stuffed full of digi papers). This printer prints on cardstock upwards to 220g/1000² (grams per metre squared, which is another style to write GSM), besides as sleeky paper and photo paper.

The box includes upwards to one yr of inks, and what's particularly nice about these inks, is that they have been fabricated with re-engineered ink tanks, making this one of the near economic printers in its grade (at the moment). And just to prove it – this printer has the green Climate Pledge Friendly badge on Amazon.

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Canon PIXMA iX6850 Printer

Print up to A3 at an impressive 9600 x 2400 DPI print resolution with the Canon PIXMA iC6850. Like all the printers in this list, you tin can choose between wired ethernet connectivity or wireless printing from your computer, laptop, smartphone or tablet. It has a 150-sail tray capacity and can support photo paper upwardly to 300g/mⁱⁱ. I should note that this printer does not have an SD bill of fare or USB slot, so if you're printing craft papers or templates from USBs, you'll demand to interface with a reckoner or laptop beginning. As well – if you desire double-sided, or duplex printing you'll need to do it manually as the automobile doesn't back up automatic duplex press. That said, the print quality is excellent, and given it'southward an A3 printer, it takes up a remarkably small footprint.

Best printer for hot foiling

Blood brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printer

The Blood brother HL-L2300D is a meaty A4 monochrome (black and white) light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation printer with wireless connectivity. Information technology prints quietly so is ideal for the home role of 2022, simply crucially for those of us who desire the best printer for hot foil – it prints on cardstock of up to 230g/grand². This means that yous'll exist able to make loftier-quality hot foil prints that are not going to crumple equally easily, preserving your artwork and giving a much more professional finish. It takes one standard toner cartridge, black ink, that costs around £30 with a page yield of 1200 pages. Just it's important to think you go a lot more than press from your laser printers than you lot do inkjets – so one cartridge goes a long way.

Xerox B325 Monochrome laser printer

Like we often say, to hoover something – when nosotros really hateful vacuum, information technology's not unusual to hear someone say they're going to xerox something when we actually mean to photocopy. Founded in 1906, Xerox has had well over a century to establish itself in our language. And then, included in the line-up for all-time printers for hot foiling, is the Xerox B325 multifunction printer. If y'all want to do away with computers altogether (I definitely feel like that some days!) and want to create hand-drawn hot foil projects, then all you lot need do is photocopy your cosmos with a light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation copier similar this one, and the copy will exist prepare to be foiled.

This black and white machine prints onto a variety of different media types, including plain paper, cardstock, transparency, envelopes, thick envelopes and more, so you can foil away without worry. And of form, it hooks upward to your estimator too, via ethernet or wireless if you lot do want to impress out digital designs to use with your hot foil automobile. Information technology also scans and faxes as well equally all the usual functions you would come to expect from an established brand like Xerox (although it does not offering automatic double-sided scanning). It comes with a pre-installed starter cartridge with a yield of 1200 pages.

The Xerox B325 is the latest model of the discontinued B215 (which is as well recommended if y'all can get your hands on it).

HP LaserJet Pro M404dn Monochrome Printer

The HP LaserJet Pro series has long been the go-to printer for use with hot foil machines. The M404dn is a monochrome (black and white) printer that takes cardstock of up to 200g/m2 in Tray i, so it's a good selection for using with hot foil systems. Like the inkjet HP printer featured in a higher place, this HP LaserJet Pro volition only function with genuine HP toner cartridges. But dissimilar the inkjet, toner for this model is expensive – yous'll demand the HP 59A Black Original LaserJet Toner Cartridge, which comes in with an RRP of a cool £112.99 (or £89.47 on Amazon). That said – y'all do get a page yield of 3000 pages, so – swings and roundabouts?

Something a fiddling different

Phomemo M02 Mini Thermal Printer

This is a squeamish piddling black and white printer, and information technology comes in at a brilliant price point. Information technology's the ideal Christmas or birthday gift for your crafty friends and fits neatly in the palm of your manus. Weighing just 190g, it's vivid for taking to scrapbooking meet-ups, and requires just iii steps to print. It operates via the Phomemo app, where yous can easily insert texts or upload images to the app with a convenient interface. There are too various templates bachelor, as well as different types of paper to impress on.

This arts and crafts printer uses ink-free thermal printing, generating patterns on the thermal newspaper by heating, requiring no ink or any other consumables apart from the newspaper itself. This mini printer offers press quality in 203 dpi for black & white texts and images (information technology does not impress in colour), and is great for scrapbooking or journaling as you can also utilize it to make stickers! It's rechargeable, and will work continuously for 8 hours – just besides while charging, so no need to worry if you get caught out with a flat battery. There are a huge range of different papers bachelor in different colours, fifty-fifty gold, transparent and semi-transparent – brilliant if you want to create your own blackness and white washi stickers at home.

Canon Selphy Square QX10 Printer

Polaroid-style photos have been popular for years, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. Not bad for scrapbooking, handmade cards or even decorating uni adaptation, the Catechism Selphy Square QX10 Printer also makes a lovely souvenir in itself. Available in mint (pictured), pink, black or white, this palm-sized gadget connects wirelessly to your smartphone to impress square 2.7″ 10 ii.7″ prints (68mm x 68mm), which concluding up to 100 years (although this hasn't been tested!). Information technology charges via USB and uses the Selphy Photo Layout App where you can also add stamps, filters, borders, text and overlays to your photos. It's worth checking the price of the unlike colours of this arts and crafts printer – equally you tin can frequently make big savings by choosing a different colour.

Brother VC-500W Wireless Design n' Craft Printer

Have your arts and crafts projects to the adjacent level with this super-portable Pattern 'n' Craft colour label printer. The printer works with a gratis app where you tin create and print your ain unique designs all in total colour on glossy adhesive paper. Cull from hundreds of icons, frames, filters, fonts and brilliant backgrounds in the complimentary app, or print photos direct from your camera curlicue. With five different roll widths available, this little gadget is a really versatile production, ideal for carte du jour making, journaling, scrapbooking, home decor and, of form, organising all your crafty storage. There'due south no ink required as it uses Nada Ink (or ZINK) technology, where the ink is included within the rolls, so you can avoid having to buy and change ink cartridges. The Blood brother Pattern 'n' Craft Printer is a fun addition to your craft room and makes press small photos a piece of block.

Okay, okay, okay. So I know this isn't technically a printer – but look how absurd it is! This tiny gadget is the LaserPecker 1 – substantially a mini engraver. It's operated via an app where yous can upload a picture, type text, or a Yard-code file and engrave your design with a blueish light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation. Due to the modest work expanse, it can only work with sizes up to 3.9''x three.9'', merely this makes it ideal for arts and crafts projects and making decorations on items similar wallets, notebooks, and phone cases. And if you're worried almost safety, it comes with various safety features including goggles, a password lock, motion detection, light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation indicator and overheat shut down. It has a 0.01mm accuracy – so you tin can go super fine details, and it volition engrave onto newspaper, card, leather, bamboo, woods, cork, plastic, textile, felt, acrylic – even fruit peel!

KiiPix Smartphone Printer

The KiiPix Smartphone Printer is unique in that information technology doesn't need battery or mains power to work. Yous simply choose which photo you would like to impress, load it upwardly on your phone so that it fills the screen, plough your screen brightness upward all the way, popular your phone confront down on the acme of the KiiPix, push the button and plow the creepo. The photo slides out the side and volition develop in a few seconds. The motion picture is sold separately, but with such a low price point for the device itself makes this a great niggling printer for brightening up your papercraft. And as a bonus, you can often selection this up from high street stores.

Selpic P1 Handheld Printer

Purchase now: $199, Selpic.com

The Selpic P1 is the worlds smallest handheld printer. This keen trivial gadget will print on virtually any smoothen surface, including card, leather, plastic, glass, sail and even wood! The printer is controlled via an app, and information technology works using inkjet technology but operates like a pen. Equally you sweep the Selpic P1 over your surface, the printer will transfer your text, barcode, QR codes, logos, line art, fifty-fifty monochrome photos. There are 8 unlike colours of ink to choose from, and equally it only prints in one colour I recommend going for the black ink. Useful for adding sentiments to cards!

Introductory photos by Jonny Caspari, Evelyn Geissler, Elana Mozhvilo

We hope you've enjoyed our round-up of the best printers for card making. Card makers could call up virtually investing a Cricut car with the help of our guide. If you're after more tech gadgets to help you out in your crafting, cheque out the best drawing apps for iPad, the all-time cartoon tablets for beginners or the all-time daylight lamps for those long winter nights. If you are wanting to endeavour making some cards by hands, exist sure to check out these lovely paper cutting templates.

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Source: https://www.gathered.how/papercraft/best-printers-for-card-making/