Wide format printer manufacturers, the creators of large format printers, came into their own in the 1980s. The first wide format printers were used to reproduce art onto everything from textiles to canvas.
Iris was the manufacturer pioneering this revolution. Their iconic Iris Graphics Model 3047 inkjet printer sold for an astonishing $126,000 in the 1990s.
However, the Iris printers were costly to maintain, and their proofs were short-lived. Over time, other more familiar brands dominated the large format printing market.
Nowadays, large format digital printers cover all kinds of applications—from fine art reproductions to technical drawings. Some super-wide printers can print materials as large as 48 x 36 inches, whereas others are designed for the more moderate poster and proof printing needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about the leading companies manufacturing large format digital printers today, read on.
1. HP
HP introduced its DesignJet series of plotter printers (which is still going strong) way back in 1997, and that wasn’t even their first foray into large format digital printing—the CP series pre-dated the DesignJet.
Where HP’s DesignJet series has helped professionals in the construction industry to plot maps and put CAD technical drawings to paper for decades, HP knew it had to innovate in other areas. Around 2008, they introduced latex printers for applications like vehicle wrapping and wallpaper printing, super-wide printers for repro-house needs, and specialist stitch dye sublimation printers for textile design.
Today, HP has four lines of wide format inkjet printers:
- DesignJet plotters
- PageWide XL printers
- HP Latex printers
- HP Stitch printers
Of course, the company is perhaps even more well known for its quality plotter and other printer paper lines.
2. Canon / Océ
Many of Canon’s wide format printing offerings come from the company’s buy-out and subsequent rebrand (to Canon Production Printing) of 140-year-old European printer powerhouse Océ.
Their wide format printers service printing needs larger than A3 for various mediums, including glass, tile, paper, vinyl, and textile. They also have plotter printers for use in engineering and architectural offices. These products are still marketed under the Océ name.
Of course, the company has its own series of Canon-branded large format printers.
For instance, just this year, Canon launched the world’s first large-format inkjet printer line with aqueous pigment Fluorescent Pink ink. They also have numerous printers suitable for indoor and outdoor printing needs. And their Canon TZ-30000 series, popular with engineering firms and government departments, won Germany’s coveted iF Design Award.
3. Epson
Originally a watch company under Japan’s Seiko, Epson launched its first printer in the late 1960s. It wasn’t until the mid-1980s that the first Epson digital printer was born, followed by an inkjet printer in the 1990s.
Today, Epson’s SureColor large format printer line includes dozens of models printing on everything from paper to textile to vinyl, and in some of the largest sized high productivity printers on the market today.
In 2017, for example, the company partnered with California’s Computer History Museum. They jointly held the exhibition “Make Software: Change the World!” The exhibition showcased American image-maker Bert Monroy’s famed “Times Square” image printed using an Epson SureColor® P20000 64-inch printer.
4. KIP
KIP is a large format printing supplier that has been in business since the mid-1940s. The company operates from its head office in Novi, Michigan, though it has R&D and manufacturing centers worldwide.
It’s most famous for its wide format color laser printers, favored by industries with heavy production and high volume needs, like higher education, aerospace and defense, engineering, and manufacturing. In 2020, KIP joined forces with Kyocera to create the KIP 600 Series Color Wide-Format print system.
They also have a popular line of fast, high-quality large format scanners.
5. Xerox
For some people, the word “Xerox” is synonymous with copier machines. In fact, like Google, the brand even graduated to a verb—as in, “I just Xeroxed that for you.”
Xerox, the company, is now well over a century old. It was founded in Rochester, New York, as a photographic paper and equipment manufacturer. True to its roots, it’s still in the image-making business today.
Xerox released its first wide format inkjet printer in the 2010s. From there, it expanded its product selection into the variety we see in 2022.
This includes:
- Xerox PrimeLink C9065/C9070 printer and B9100 Series (both multi-function printers)
- Xerox Color EC70
- Xerox ED95A/ED125 Copier/Printer (black and white)
Most large format Xerox printers max out at 13 x 26 inches, far from the biggest options on the market.
6. Ricoh
Ricoh is another printing company with origins in Japan; its history dates back to the mid-1930s when it specialized in paper production and camera development.
It was a pioneer in photocopier technology, but it wasn’t until the company released its full color, digital imagio MP C3500RC/C2500RC printer series that it became noted for its printing technology.
Today, Ricoh has nine wide format inkjet printers available:
- Color wide format printers IM CW2200, Pro L5160e, Pro T7210, EFI H1625/Pro 16h, and MP CW2201SP
- Wide format LED (or UV LED) printers EFI Pro 30h and Pro TF6251
- Wide format flatbed printers Pro 24F
- A B&W wide format printer, the MP W6700SP
Their printers cover applications ranging from CAD compatible to textile and latex printing—and everything in between.
The Plotter Paper Guys Know Wide Format Inkjet Printers
From the Iris of the 1980s to the printer manufacturers we’re familiar with today, the technology driving wide format printing today is incomparable.
Now, we can print with more depth and breadth of color, precision, realism, speed, and size than ever before. There are also far more brands and models on the market than ever before.
At The Plotter Paper Guys, we have large format printer media to suit most needs—technical, photography, production and signage.Reach out to our team today to discuss your wide format printer and printing paper needs. With over 40 years of experience in the industry, we’re America’s experts in wide format printer supplies.
