When it comes to office or professional printing, choosing the right type of printer can significantly affect your workflow. Among the many types available, such as inkjet printers, thermal printers, and laser printers, A3 printers stand out for their ability to handle large paper sizes. In this article, we’ll explore what an A3 printer is, how it compares to other printers, and what to consider before buying one.
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Definition: A3 printer
An A3 printer — as the name suggests — prints on printer papers that have A3 paper dimensions, which measure 9.7 × 42 cm or 297 × 420 mm, which equals 11.7 × 16.5 in. A3 paper is part of the international paper size system and is double the size of the common A4 paper dimensions. However, an A3 printer doesn’t just specifically handle A3 paper, it can print on numerous sizes, including A4 paper, Tabloid and Ledger, also known as 11×17, and even postcards and envelopes.
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Uses
Since A3 paper has more surface area than A4 paper, this makes it useful for architectural firms, design studios, hobby artists, and businesses that require oversized prints.
- Flyers
- Posters
- Brochures
- Blueprints
- Photographs
- Spreadsheets
- Presentations
- Engineering plans
- Maps
- Charts
- Reports
- Banners
- Sketches
- Canvas prints
- Portfolio prints
- Contracts & forms
Benefits & disadvantages
The benefits and disadvantages of A3 printers are listed below.
Pros
- Uses less paper and ink
- Can perform many tasks
- Has high-capacity drawers
- User-friendly with a screen
- Prints on various paper sizes
- High PPM (pages per minute)
Cons
- High printer cost
- High maintenance
- Takes up a lot of space
- Limited automatic duplex printing
Is it worth it?
Due to its price, an A3 printer is mostly worth it for big businesses that deal with contract-heavy printing, such as businesses in the legal and real estate fields. A3 printers, as well as many A4 printers, can do it all from printing, copying, and scanning to faxing documents; however, when it comes to finishes like automatic stapling, stacking, folding, and hole-punching, the A3 printer is a clear winner.
Overall, smaller offices or teams should invest in a high-quality A4 printer or use a professional online printing service instead, while big businesses can strongly benefit from investing in an A3 printer.
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FAQs
An A3 printer is designed not just to print on A3 paper, but also on smaller sizes and envelopes. It’s commonly used for large prints, such as posters and blueprints.
It’s worth buying an A3 printer if you need to print large documents like blueprints, posters, or marketing materials regularly. However, if you only print standard-sized documents, an A3 printer may not be necessary due to its price and size. In that case, you can use an online printing service instead.
Yes, you need a printer specifically designed for A3 paper. Standard printers usually only handle A4 size. A3 printers have larger paper trays or feeding systems to accommodate bigger and smaller sheets.
At BachelorPrint, you can purchase affordable and professional A3 prints for CAN$0.21 per black and white page.
