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What can an A3 Photo Printer do?
The A3 paper size is 420x297mm (11.69x16.65 inches). Most printer manufacturers include in their lineups printers specifically targeted at the photo print trade. These printers use inkjet technology for the most part, work best with glossy or semi-glossy (luster) papers, are limited to cut sheet sizes and are probably best used by paper bearing the same brand name as the printer. A3 defines the largest size printable by these printers, which often can print smaller sizes down to at least A6 (148x105mm/5.83x4.13 inches).
Photo printers are typically aimed at the home market and are positioned just below the manufacturer's pro level printers. Leaders in the field are Epson, Canon and Hewlett Packard, listed in order of their current market position in the photo printer field (HP leads in the overall office market). In the A3 photo printer category Epson offers its R1900 vs its pro model the R2880. In Canon's lineup it is the Pixma i7000 vs the pro Pixma Pro9000 Mark II or Pixma Pro9500 Mark II. And Hewlett Packard offers the Photosmart B8550 as its base photo printer and the Photosmart Pro B8850 as its entry level pro level printer with the Designjet series being overall the more desirable (and costly) product lineup.
There are two main differences between the photo printer product lineups and the manufacturers' pro offers. The first is paper handling. The pro models handle a wider variety of paper types, thicknesses and sizes including rolls. And, more importantly, the type and sizes of ink cartridges.
Among A3 photo printers the number and size of cartridges is more limited and this varies quite a bit among the brands. In all cases the black ink is segregated from the colors, but the color can range from 2-5 cartridges. In all cases, the printers produce high quality output, especially on glossy paper. It is sometimes difficult to tell the quality apart from the manufacturers' pro models. The difference shows up much more clearly when printing black and white.
Because printers in the photo printer segment are aimed at the home/consumer market, some models include viewers and card readers that permit the user to go straight from their camera to the printer, a feature missing from the pro segment.