Alice
Comic books have exploded in popularity with the ubiquity of superhero movies and TV shows. New writers and artists looking to create a comic book are not depending on the established companies, however; more and more creators are eschewing print shops and large publishers to print their books at home. If you’re looking to self-publish in print, you’ll need a printer that’s up to the job. We’ve reviewed hundreds of printers considering the key criteria that matter to comic book creators – colour output, resolution, speed, media type and automatic features – to bring you our list of the best printers for comic books in 2022.
Product Comparison Table: Best Printer for Comic Books
| Title | Price | Rating (Amazon) | Best in class | Buy | |
 | Canon Pixma Pro 200 Color Photo | $$$ | 4 stars | Best colour | Amazon |
 | Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless | $$$$ | 4.5 stars | Best premium | Amazon |
 | HP Envy Photo 7855 All in One Photo | $ | 4.5 stars | Best value | Amazon |
 | Brother MFC – J5330DW All in One | $ | 4.5 stars | Best black and white | Amazon |
 | Canon Pixma TS620 All in One Photo | $$ | 4.5 stars | Best overall | Amazon |
Canon Pixma Pro 200 Color Photo
The Canon Pixma Pro 200 Colour Photo Printer is great for colour comic books, due to its extremely high resolution. At 4800 x 2400 dpi, this printer will produce beautiful vivid prints on any size media up to 13 X 19 inches. It can also support a range of paper stocks including glossy photo paper, and double sided matte photo paper – the preferred papers for most comic books. You can create borderless prints too for a print-shop style finish. A 3 inch LCD screen allows you to program the workflow directly on the printer itself, making it possible to print several copies of your comic book with minimal fiddling around on computers. One downside of this machine is the ink system; it uses 8 individual dye-based inks, which increases the cost per-page as more ink is used overall. Another is the print speed – an abysmal 0.3ppm for black, or 1ppm for colour.
Pros
- Very high resolution for professional print quality
- Supports a range of media sizes and stocks
- Comes with ink included
- Straightforward setup process
Cons
- Very slow printing speed
- Ink replacement is expensive
Verdict
If you’re planning colourful characters and intricate artwork, prioritising quality and trueness of colour, the Canon Pixma Pro 200 Colour Photo printer is the right choice for you. As our best option for print quality, it boasts the ebay resolution of all the printers we’ve reviewed. Although eight inks can be costly, the larger number means colours are brighter and more closely reflective of the original. The only flaw is the ridiculously slow print speed, meaning this might be one for smaller print runs or special editions.
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Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless
The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless printer promises sharp text, high resolution (5760 x 1440 dpi) and vivid prints – meaning your readers can enjoy every line of dialogue and stroke of colour in glorious high definition. Matte, glossy and offset paper are supported up to 25mm thickness, making this machine quite versatile. It can also print duplex and borderless; however, the relatively small maximum print size of 8 x 10 inches means you might have to rely on the trusty print shop to produce your front covers. Despite this, the Epson printer moves at a fast clip (16ppm black and white, or 11ppm colour), has a 30-page automatic document feeder, and uses incredibly sophisticated cartridges. The 5-colour Claria ink cartridges claim resistance to smudging, fading and water damage.
Pros
- Automatic features (duplex and document feeder)
- High resolution for high quality prints
- Borderless printing on a range of media
- Fast printing speed
Cons
- Very expensive
- Smaller print size
Verdict
The Epson Expression Premium XP-7100 Wireless printer lives up to its name – premium. This model is far more expensive than others on our list, but has the features to match, making it possible for you to print a 30 page comic without even touching the machine! You probably never had to touch it in the first place anyway, considering it connects entirely wirelessly. The high resolution and advanced features make the Epson perfect for users looking to get premium quality, at a premium price.
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HP Envy Photo 7855 All in One Photo
The HP Envy Photo 7855 All in One Photo printer is a multipurpose machine, meaning it doesn’t just print but scans and copies too. You can print on a wide range and size of media, from glossy paper to cardstock, which borderless prints on all. Hands-free paper handling is facilitated via a 35-page auto document feeder, meaning all you have to do is press print! It even has an auto-duplex to save sheets by printing on both sides. The HP Envy is the lowest priced printer on our list to purchase, yet the savings don’t end there; this printer works at an incredible 5 cent cost per page. This is thanks to the HP Instant Ink monthly subscription plan, which automatically detects when ink is low, and orders it via Amazon. The resolution is decent also, at 4800 x 1200 dpi.
Pros
- Good resolution for quality prints
- Printing cost low due to high yield cartridges and Instant Ink
- Borderless printing on a range of media
Cons
- Slightly flimsy construction (tends to jam)
- Doesn’t use third party inks
Verdict
Want to print your comic without spending too much cash? The HP Envy Photo 7855 All in One is the printer for you. Our best value option, the HP Envy’s multipurpose nature saves buying three machines – it could even save you more money by scanning comics for publication online. The flimsy construction does mean it jams occasionally despite the ADF, but at this price that’s very tolerable!
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Brother MFC – J5330DW All in One
The Brother MFC-J5330DW may be small, but it’s very powerful; where most models on this list have only a 30 or 35 sheet automatic document feeder, this one can handle a very impressive 50 sheets at a time. The resolution is fairly standard at 4800 x 1200dpi, but the print speed is blistering, at 20ppm for colour, or 22ppm for black and white. This means it really shines when printing black and white comics, which it can handle on cardstock, matte and glossy paper. It can also print from a variety of sources due to its wireless connectivity: cloud printing via Dropbox, Google Drive or OneNote, sent from phones, laptops, Macs and even kindles! The ink is also very high yield, especially in mono.
Pros:
- Very fast printing speed
- High yield inks bring costs down
- Large automatic document feeder
- Wireless connectivity
Cons
- Low resolution in colour prints
Verdict
The Brother MFC-J5330DW All in One printer is exceptionally good at producing high quality black and white comic book prints. If you prefer a text-based mono style, this is the printer for you. The extremely fast print speed, range of cardstocks and huge automatic document feeder make it a perfect fit for simplistic indie comics or zines. However, if you have a very colourful or artwork-focussed comic in mind, this is not the printer for you.
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Canon Pixma TS6320 All in One Photo
The Canon Pixma has a standard resolution of 4800 x 1200, but something about the way it prints makes the results look far better. Like the premium Epson Expression, it has a five individual ink system, giving it impressive results in both mono and colour. Plus, the ink costs are low enough to rival the HP Envy; cartridges can be replenished individually, and Canon claims the Pixma will reduce your costs per page by 10% with the automatic Dash Replenishment system. Although the printing speed is less than the Brother MFC-J5330DW, it is still faster than most others at 15ppm black, or 10ppm colour. The automatic output tray also works to facilitate hands-free printing, by automatically extending itself to catch prints once input is detected. Auto-duplex printing also helps to remove human error from your comic printing process.
Pros
- High quality prints despite dpi
- Setup easy, wireless connection
- Low cost per page
- Decent print speed
- Automatic features (duplex, output tray)
Cons
- No ADF feature
Verdict
The Canon Pixma T2620 combines all the features of the other printers on this list in a sleek, compact package – making it our top overall contender for the best comic book printer available in 2022. It may not have an ADF, but the other features more than make up for that in our opinion! No matter which media or colour format you wish to print in, the Canon Pixma will be able to handle it to a high standard.
