Best Printers for Crafting
I’m updating this Best Printers for Crafting post, as it’s become very difficult to find the Epson Pigment Ink Printers that I have used, and loved, for many years. As far as I can tell, they don’t seem to be making them anymore. I’ve asked Diana to jump in today and help us to explore the world of Laser Printers, as I believe this is the way to go now if you enjoy making crafts with your printer. I’ve not been able to find any inkjet printers that have the water resistant ink like my old Epson has, so I will hang on to it until it no longer works and then I will replace with laser. Now I will let Diana explore this subject with you….. Hello Graphics Fairy friends! I’m Diana from Dreams Factory and I’m really happy to be here once again for another one of our creative get-togethers! Today we are mixing things up a little bit and we are talking about my experience in the DIY crafting world with my faithful laserjet printer. I will walk you through a few of the most important things you need to know and what to consider if you are thinking about buying a craft printer for yourself. I will also like to share a few ideas and examples from my projects on how you can use your printed graphics or images and how you can alter the images afterward. This way you’ll be able to make the purchase according to your needs and benefit the most from your printer.
I know printers can be annoying sometimes, but if you manage to find the perfect one for you, it can easily become your best friend!;) My adventure with my laserjet printer started almost 10 years ago when I started my own handmade business and my DIY blog. Before that period I’ve only used an inkjet printer for regular non-craft related everyday printing. I learned more and more about waterslide decal paper transfers and decided to use them exclusively to decorate our handmade items. Waterslide decal is a special type of paper with a 190 gsm thickness that requires a laserjet printer for printing so I started looking for the perfect printer for me with this value in mind. The high thickness of the paper, which was a crucial factor, actually turned out to be more difficult to find than I would have thought, but I managed to find this HP 1025 laserjet printer online and we definitely became best friends! Friends with good and bad times, moods and inexplicable tempers, but now, while looking back, I would say it was definitely THE BEST option for my needs. And just like friends do, we still rely on each other (mostly me, haha) and I’ve used it exclusively for all the handmade decorations and the DIY projects that I’ve shared for the past 10 years. It might be a little obsolete considering how quickly technology is evolving these days, but the oldest friends are supposed to be the best, right?;)
Laserjet printers are reliable and produce the greatest results. They are consistent, giving you final printed text and images that are crisp, vibrant and beautiful, no matter the type of paper you are using. You are able to alter the paper after printing, which in my books is a big plus because you are able to get creative on your own terms!
DIY Vintage French Bee Postcards
– black and white print on cardstock paper (180 gsm) altered with distress inks –
Here are a few things you need to consider before buying or switching to a high quality printer.
WHAT’S MY INITIAL BUDGET?
Let’s start with the budget, which is always the key point in making a purchase. Your budget will definitely dictate the terms of your purchase, so depending on your needs, you might need to dig a little deeper into your pocket.
WHAT ARE THE COSTS FOR THE CARTRIDGE REPLACEMENTS AFTERWARDS?
Colored laserjet printers have 4 cartridges with 4 colors – black, cyan, yellow, magenta – and rely on these colors for all printing. You will find the corresponding color buttons on one side of your printer and when a specific color is low, that colored button will flicker. One thing I didn’t know back in the days while buying my printer is that original cartridges can be quite expensive! If you are mainly using your laserjet printer for everyday printing, you might be able to fit the original replacements into your budget. But if you are printing on a medium-larger scale, you might find yourself looking for an alternative solution, like I did! I was lucky enough to find a local company in my area that is specialized in producing compatible laserjet cartridges – they have the option of filling or replacing your old cartridge with a compatible one and I’ve been using their services ever since! These days I’ve seen similar companies popping up everywhere, so I’m guessing it won’t be hard to find one close by or even online.
BLACK AND WHITE OR COLORED LASERJET PRINTER?
Depending on your needs, one of the very first questions you need to ask yourself is whether you need a black and white or a colored laserjet printer, when shopping around for a craft printer. If you’ll be printing exclusively black and white images or text, a black and white laserjet printer would be the choice for you. They are a little bit less expensive, so cost-wise, that might be a better option. If you are planning on printing colored images or text, you’ll need a colored laserjet printer. Keep in mind that you can print a black and white image using a colored printer if you want to, but you cannot print a colored image on a black and white printer!
DIY French Violet Tags
– colored print on cardstock paper (180 gsm) painted with eye shadow –
DO I NEED A SCANNER ON MY PRINTER?
If you are an aspiring artist that beautifully paints or draws, you might need your future laserjet printer to also have a scanner to scan your work. Or maybe you adore vintage images or ephemera and love raiding flea markets in search of old books that you can scan. In this case, you might need to consider an All-in-One laserjet printer with a scanner, which is usually a little bit more expensive than a regular one.
WIRELESS PRINTING?
When I purchased my printer wireless printing was not really a thing. I had a long period of time when I used my desktop computer to design my graphics and print my projects so a cable plugged printing was OK. Nowadays I’m mainly using my laptop and would have loved to have the WI-FI option available. There are a few other pieces of equipment that you can purchase to make this wireless thing happen, but it would be best to have this option built-in right from the start, if possible.
WHAT DO I NEED MY LASERJET PRINTER FOR?
It would be ideal if you already knew the specifics of your prints (like me with the 190 gsm waterslide decal paper), but if not, try to imagine all the situations when you might need a laserjet printer and include all the range for those prints. For example, if you are thinking about using your new laserjet printer for printing mainly your DIY projects and keeping it for personal use, you don’t need to invest in a too expensive printer and can opt for a smaller one. If you are planning on selling your prints or your finished projects on a larger scale, you might need to dig deeper in your pocket and invest in a larger one. If the latter is the case, you will also need to consider if this is cost-effective.
WHAT TYPE OF PAPER CAN I USE WITH A LASERJET PRINTER?
The type of paper you will be using should be an important question to ask yourself.
As I mentioned before, I knew I needed a laserjet printer that could print a 190 gsm type of paper, so I looked for something in that range. My printer can print anything between 60 to 220 gsm, you’ll usually find these details listed on the specification page while buying the product.
I’ve listed a few of my favorite types of paper below, these are definitely the ones that I love using the most: tracing paper (absolutely love its sheerness – about 70 gsm), cardstock paper (I’m currently loving the all media cardstock from Seawhite of Brighton – about 220 gsm), cream sketching paper (about 110 gsm, can be thinner or thicker), regular paper (70-90 gsm) and waterslide decal paper (190 gsm). I also love using white or clear sticker paper!
(Paper samples for the best printers for crafting)
Tracing Paper Birds
– black and white print on tracing paper (70 gsm)
DIY French Recycled Containers
– black & white print on decal paper (190 gsm) –
DIY No-Sew Lavender Sachets
– a mix of black & white / colored print on iron-on paper, applied to fabric –
BEST PRINTERS FOR CRAFTING: HOW TO PROPERLY USE YOUR PRINTER?
Make sure you install the drivers for your printer before using it and keep everything updated afterwards. If you are regularly using a specific type of paper, set your default printing to match that paper or choose what you need when you need it.
WHAT CAN GO WRONG WITH MY LASERJET PRINTER?
Except for the occasional paper jams, you shouldn’t have any big issues with your laserjet printer. I had to replace the imaging drum unit at some point, but other than that, everything else went smoothly. If you notice your colors are starting to look a little bit off when printing, make sure you check your cartridge levels, one or two colors that are going low might cause this issue.
CAN I ALTER AND DISTRESS THE PAPER AFTERWARDS?
So you dream to have a laserjet printer, but what you can actually do with the printed images afterward? I’m listing this question here because for me it’s really important to be able to alter or distress the paper after printing! YES, this is one of the wonders of laserjet printing, you can perform all sorts of mixed media techniques on your printed paper without hurting the printed image or text. This thing right here might even be the turning point for you in wanting to buy a laserjet printer, after stumbling upon so many (of my) beautiful DIY projects that use a laserjet printer!;) I know many of you don’t have a laserjet printer and I know how frustrating can get not to be able to get creative on your own terms. I feel you! A laserjet printer will scratch that frustration off and will allow you to play around and experiment as you want. It will basically open up so many new worlds and exciting possibilities for your crafting projects! They really are the best printers for crafting.
I love using watercolors, DIY spray inks, mini distress inks, highly diluted acrylic paint, avocado or coffee dyes, there are so many ways of getting creative after printing your images!
Project ideas created with the Best Printers for Crafting:
How to make vintage stickers
– black & white print on different types of paper –
How to make ephemera
– black & white print on regular paper (90 gsm) distressed with coffee
As an experiment, I even tried altering the paper before printing. There are a few things you need to consider if doing this so you don’t damage your printer in any way, but it can be done! And the final results are absolutely amazing!
DIY Butterfly Bookmarks
– colored print on cardstock paper (180 gsm), distressed with coffee
One amazing thing that you can do exclusively with your laserjet printer is to apply metallic gold foil using a laminator! I’ve tried this technique a few times already because I’m in love with gold foiling everything and got the most stunning results! You just need to print your laserjet image, feed it through your laminator with your gold foil, then peel it off and watch the magic happen! It’s pretty amazing, the gold foil adds a new dimension of gorgeousness!
DIY Birthday Cards
– black & white print on cardstock paper (220 gsm) altered with spray inks and gold foiled
WHERE TO BUY YOUR LASERJET PRINTER?
There are lots of online options available, here are a few suggestions from Amazon:
HP LaserJet Pro CP1025 (the one I have)
HP LaserJet Pro M404n Monochrome Printer
Brother HL-L3210CW Compact Digital Color Printer
Brother HL-L3230CDW Compact Digital Color Printer
That’s it for today, I hope all you found my best printers for crafting post useful! As you can see, there are a few things to consider, but depending on your needs as a crafter, your new laserjet printer can accompany you on your creative journey and even become your best friend! Surrounding yourself with plants and French recycled jars might even help with the printing process!;)
If you have any questions, feel free to leave them below.
Happy crafting,
Diana | Dreams Factory
Jessica says
Hi, I need a new printer. I’ve gone through so many Epson Printers that I was looking into other brands. Then I saw your post. You said you can print on fabric and card stock with this one? I know my old stylus Epson printers did print on card stock but my current artisan that just stopped working did not print on card stock even with the lightest weight card stock. Upon research, it seems people say this one does not print on card stock. Or if you can get it to, it ruins the rollers and breaks the printer. Have you or any others reading the comments had any issues with card stock? Also, how do you print on fabric. I never knew you could do that! I go through so much ink and do a lot of printing, all for crafts and things so looking for something that works well for crafting needs as well as a printer that doesn’t go through so much ink and isn’t so expensive with ink. I went through so much ink with my artisan. I know Epson is currently making one that has bottles of ink that you can fill, but seems like not all the kinks are worked out of them, they don’t do too much and are expensive. Also, I need something that prints great with photos as well. Would you be able to let me know your thoughts on this printer or the models up that print on both sides of the paper (such as the 630) and if they would work well with card stock and also how you print on fabric? I would greatly appreciate that and if any others reading the comments have other suggestions of a good printer as well, please feel free to let me know. Need to get something ASAP. Thank you so much!
Jane Hogg says
I currently have the Epsom ET – 2550. Recommended to me by the saleperson in PCWorld as it would print on cardstock etc – BUT IT DOESN’T. Big expensive mistake! Woud love to find one that does though! Anything over 100gms is a pain and Epson just spout the usual ‘Well if you use our photo paper it’s fine’ No it’s not! The only saving grace is I print a lot of work related paper stuff so the eco tanks are great for that and seem to be saving me money on ink. Probably use the savings to buy yet another printer! x
Teri Kirkwood says
I just ordered the Epson 330 on Amazon for like $44 plus the 4 package of ink cartridges that was $40. I see the ink is rather costly but I can keep my old Brother printer for just printing out “junk” and save this baby for creating awesome things! Thank you for the tutorials and your advice!
graphicsfairy says
Good thinking Teri and it ‘s my pleasure 🙂
Jennifer says
Thanks for this great post! I am in the market for a printer and am looking at the
Epson P400 (uses pigment ink). I make mixed media art pieces and am wondering if you truly can use lots of wet medium with these prints without ink bleed. If you can with your current printer that is…
Judy Joyce says
Thanks so much for all the great info you provide! Is there any way to transfer on to cloth and make it washable without it washing off…other than getting a new printer with the pigment ink?
I have used a regular inkjet printer (Canon) and found that the transferred image will wash off of things like towels, napkins, placemats. Sure wish I knew about the Epsom products with pigment ink before I purchased a new printer.
graphicsfairy says
Thanks Judy! Unfortunately, unless you can find water proof ink for your current printer I don’t know how you can achieve what you want 🙁
Judy Joyce says
Thx so much for your prompt rely!
graphicsfairy says
It’s my pleasure Judy!
Jessi says
Do the Epson printers you mention do full bleed/ borerless printing on all sizes or just 8.5×10? Does it have settings for cards and envelopes too?
Juliett says
Hi. Can I use the Epson Expression Home XP-430 Wireless Color Photo Printer with Scanner and Copier to print on iron on transfer paper?
graphicsfairy says
Hi Juliett,
You are probably fine but just make sure it uses the Dura Brite Ink! It is water resistant, fade proof, smudge proof…you name it. It is the best ink for crafting so just double check to be on the safe side . I hope that helps 🙂
Marisol says
Hi Karen and thank you for this post . . .and for all you do for us crafters. I have now a huge doubt though. I have an inkjet printer so I cannot print my own transfers. I thought that PIGMENT inks was what we were after when doing image transfers, like on wood or fabric for example. I have never been able to know where to have prints made with pigments or what printer to use for that so I take mine to be printed locally in a place that uses laser. When I read this post I was sooo happy thinking I could buy this printer that uses pigments and Voila! I could print my transfers but from an answer of your here I seem to understand that pigments are no substitute for laser for transfers???? Can you clarify this for me please?.
Also, is there a way to have a larger print to be use for transfer? I mean, since I have not been able to find a place here that can print a larger format on laser I can only do as large as a double letter size. What kind of printer can produce a larger print good for a transfer? I sure hope you have the time to bring some light into this. Many thanks!!!
Karen Watson says
Hi Marisol,
We have lots of transfer method posts on the blog here https://thegraphicsfairy.com/12-easy-image-transfer-methods-for-diy-projects/ each method will tell you in the post, what type of printer or copier you will need for that method. Unfortunately I don’t believe there is one printer that will work for all transfer methods or mediums, some methods/mediums do work well with ink jet and others work better with laser and some only work with toner based copies. My recommendation for this printer is that it works well for general crafting. As I mentioned in the post, the ink is fade proof and water resistant. This blog focuses on all sorts of crafts, not just transfers, (although we do love transfers here!) so that’s why I picked, and use, this printer since for most crafts I find it very useful. Some of the transfer mediums/methods, that do work with this printer are … Printing directly on fabric, the Iron on Method with Tap transfer paper, transfer a simple image onto glass, and the Transfer Method for Inkjet or Laser Printers found here https://thegraphicsfairy.com/12-easy-image-transfer-techniques/ I’m pretty sure there are others as well since this is just off the top of my head. Just go through each of the methods on both of those posts to find them all. And then have fun experimenting with those methods! As for your last question, that is also answered in that first post on number one. There is a wealth of info on both of those posts. Take some time to read both articles, as I think they will answer all of your questions much better than I can here! I hope that helps!
Marisol says
Thank you Karen! You are a Fairy indeed!
graphicsfairy says
You are so welcome Marisol 🙂 Thank you!
Tuti says
Amazon’s price went down on this item to $64.99, but now they have a newer version for only $49.99, which makes no sense. Here’s the link:
https://www.amazon.com/Epson-Expression-Wireless-Printer-Scanner/dp/B01BIGO5IW/ref=dp_ob_title_ce
graphicsfairy says
Thanks for the info Tuti 🙂
Gigi Floyd says
Hi Karen,
It sounds like this is the perfect printer for image ‘durability’, but how does it perform for image quality/resolution? I’m also wondering how it works for regular document printing and if you can enlarge/reduce in small increments. Oh yeah, and do you find that it stays close to the original colors of whatever you’re copying? Sorry for so many questions—I’m just excited about the possibilities!
Huge thanks!
~Gigi
Karen Watson says
Hi Gigi, the image quality is quite good, just make sure that you use the proper settings and paper. Here’s a post that I did about that https://thegraphicsfairy.com/tips-get-great-quality-print-images/ I always enlarge or reduce images using Photoshop or Picmonkey, here’s a tutorial for resizing with Picmonkey, which is a fun free program! https://thegraphicsfairy.com/resize-rotate-mirror-images/ I hope that helps!
Marti says
This printer info is quite helpful. I have an additional requirement for my printer. I need it to do double-sided printing with really good alignment. My current printer starts out aligned and slips as it moves down the page–NOT GOOD!! Anyone have any suggestions.
graphicsfairy says
Oh no Marti!! Hopefully someone will chime in and help you out with an answer!
Sonya Randle says
Epson also has a 430 and 434 version now. Do you have any idea if one of these would be an even better choice?
Karen Watson says
Sonya, just make sure that they use Dura Brite ink. If they do, then they will work just fine! The ink is the key here, more than the printer.
Sonya Randle says
Thanks!
Karen Watson says
You’re welcome Sonya!
Barbara Busby says
Hi Karen, Will this printer work for digital collage sheets? Thanks for you time and info! Barbara
Karen Watson says
Hi Barbara, Yes, perfect for collage sheets!
Sally Edwards says
Karen I went to Amazon to check out the printer you suggested, and they have an updated model, The Epson Home XP-430! It has the scanner and the copier, but can this printer be used to print images on fabric? This is what i want it for basically! And i was wondering does the ink come with it or seperately? I would like the high Yield ink! And thank you very much for all this info. I was just looking for the perfect printer to print images on fabric when i found this article. Thank You so much Karen for all of this! Sally Ann Edwards!
Karen Watson says
Hi Ann, That’s great! Just make sure that it uses Dura Brite ink! Typically the printer will come with a set of ink cartridges, but they are not high yield. When they run out you can replace them with the high yield ones. I do use mine to print directly on fabric. However the ink is water resistant, but not waterproof, so it probably won’t hold up in the wash. I use it on decorative fabric projects only. Here’s the printing method that I use on fabric https://thegraphicsfairy.com/print-fabric-freezer-paper-method-2/ I hope that helps!
Sally Edwards says
Karen can you print images on fabric in this printer? Sally Edwards!
Sophie says
Hi Karen, I love your post but wondered if you could advise on e similar printer available in the UK. I can’t see to find the two models you suggest over here but have found Epson Expression Home XP-422 at a very reasonable cost. Only thing is I can’t work out if it takes the same ink. You have made me determined to find Dura Brite ink! I’d like to do mode lodge transfers, general crafting, printing on card, light canvas and acetate and on recycled paper. x Sophie
Karen Watson says
I Sophie, I’m sorry but I don’t know what types of printers you guys have in the U.K. The Dura Brite ink is the only inkjet printer ink that I know of that’s water resistant, and that ink is made by Epson. You may want to look into laser printers, although I think they are probably more expensive.