# Best A3 Printer 2026: 10 Ranked

Source: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer
Published: 2026-10-11 | Updated: 2026-10-16 | Prices checked on Amazon UK on 2026-10-10

## Quick answer

The best A3 printer for most home offices is the Brother MFC-J5340DW at £185.90: it prints A3 at 28 ppm and works out at £6.64 per page per minute, the lowest figure of the five all-in-ones on this page. It scans and copies at A4 only, so choose the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90 if A3 originals need scanning, or the Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW at £154.19 if you only ever print.

Cost per page separates the A3 field far more than the headline price does. The Brother MFC-J5340DW prints A3 at 28 ppm for £185.90, which is £6.64 for every page per minute of speed. The Canon PIXMA TS9550a prints at 15 ppm for £176.99, or £11.80 per page per minute, so £8.91 more buys almost double the throughput.

The gap matters because A3 is slow work by nature: one A3 sheet covers exactly twice the area of A4, and a 200-page job that takes 7 minutes on a £185.90 machine takes 13 minutes on the cheaper Canon. Divide price by mono speed for any shortlist and the order changes, which is how the ten machines on this page were placed.

The split in this group is simple. Six of the ten print A3 but scan and copy at A4, which keeps the body down to desk size; the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 and the Canon PIXMA TS9550a handle A3 scanning too. The rest of the field divides between document machines at 22 ppm and above and photo machines that trade speed for ink range, some of them running six inks at 8.5 ppm.

## The ranking

### 1. Brother MFC-J5340DW

- Price: £185.90 | Amazon rating: 4.2 from 192 ratings | ranked10 score: 9.0/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/brother-mfc-j5340dw
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B253JCNW?tag=ranked10-21

For a home office that prints A3 spreadsheets and posters but scans and copies at A4, at the lowest cost per page-per-minute among the all-in-ones here.

This is the A3 all-in-one to buy for a small office that prints far more than it scans. It takes A3 through the printer while scanning, copying and faxing stay at A4, which keeps the body at 53 cm wide, and 192 owners rate it 4.2. If most of your A3 work is printing rather than scanning, this is the best A3 printer to buy here.

The number that puts it first is 28 ppm mono, and £185.90 divided by 28 comes to £6.64 per page per minute. That is the lowest of the five all-in-ones on this page, and it means a 100-page A3 document run finishes in about 3.6 minutes. The 6.8 cm colour touchscreen and the Brother Mobile Connect app handle setup and phone printing, and 550 pages of ink arrive in the box.

The limit is the scanner. A3 originals have to go through an A4 platen, so a full A3 page takes two passes or a trip to a copy shop. The Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90 scans, copies and faxes at A3+ for £46 more, and it prints at 32 ppm.

Pros: 28 ppm mono, the fastest A3 printing under £200 on this page; £6.64 per page per minute, the lowest figure among the five all-in-ones here; 6.8 cm colour touchscreen plus the Brother Mobile Connect app for phone printing; 550 pages of ink in the box; £8.91 cheaper than the Canon PIXMA TS9550a, which prints at 15 ppm
Cons: Scanning and copying stop at A4, so a full A3 original needs two passes; 17 kg, more than double the 8.1 kg of the Canon PIXMA IX6850, so it wants a firm shelf; It comes with no warranty cover, which is unusual at £185.90

### 2. Canon PIXMA IX6850

- Price: £178.98 | Amazon rating: 4.2 from 1,521 ratings | ranked10 score: 8.8/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/canon-pixma-ix6850
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HZDLDK6?tag=ranked10-21

For anyone who only prints, and wants A3+ borderless photos and posters from a machine 1,521 owners rate 4.2.

Buy this if you never need to scan or copy and your A3 work is posters, spreadsheets and borderless photos. It is the most reviewed A3 machine on this page, with 1,521 owners rating it 4.2, and at 8.1 kg it is the lightest printer here apart from the photo models. At £178.98 it costs £1.99 more than the Canon PIXMA TS9550a.

The mono figure is 14.5 ppm, which comes to £12.34 per page per minute, the third-highest of the ten. Where it earns its keep is photographic: five individual inks let you replace only the colour that runs out, an XXL pigment black cartridge reaches 1,000 monochrome pages, and a 10 x 15 cm borderless photo takes about 36 seconds. Colour runs at 10.4 ppm.

The trade-off is that nothing here scans or copies, so a signed A3 form has to be photographed or taken elsewhere. The Canon PIXMA TS9550a at £176.99 adds A3 scanning and copying with a 10.8 cm touchscreen for £1.99 less, but it prints at 15 ppm and costs £11.80 per page per minute.

Pros: 1,521 owners rate it 4.2, the largest feedback pool on this page; A3+ borderless printing, with a 10 x 15 cm photo in about 36 seconds; Five individual inks, so you only replace the colour that has run out; An XXL pigment black cartridge reaches 1,000 monochrome pages; 8.1 kg, about half the 17 kg of the Brother MFC-J5340DW
Cons: No scanner and no copier, so paper documents cannot be digitised here; 14.5 ppm works out at £12.34 per page per minute, nearly double the Brother MFC-J5340DW's £6.64; Colour drops to 10.4 ppm, so mixed A3 runs take roughly half as long again

### 3. Brother MFC-J5740DW

- Price: £228.90 | Amazon rating: 4.4 from 207 ratings | ranked10 score: 8.6/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/brother-mfc-j5740dw
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B2555B3D?tag=ranked10-21

For an office that wants A3 printing at 28 ppm with a bigger 8.8 cm touchscreen and the higher owner rating of the two Brothers.

This is the pick for an office that wants A3 printing with the best owner feedback in the group: 4.4 from 207 owners, the strongest rating on a large sample here. It prints A3 and keeps scanning, copying and faxing at A4, and the 8.8 cm colour touchscreen makes short work of the menus that a 6.8 cm panel turns into scrolling.

Speed is 28 ppm mono, identical to the Brother MFC-J5340DW, which makes the value figure £8.18 per page per minute against the £6.64 of its cheaper sibling. Double-sided scanning is built in, so a stack of A4 paperwork can be digitised in one pass, and 550 pages of ink come in the box. The body is 53 cm wide and 37.5 cm tall.

The £43 extra over the MFC-J5340DW buys the larger screen, the higher rating and double-sided scanning, not speed. It is also heavy at 20.5 kg, so once it is on a desk it tends to stay there, and A3 originals still need two passes through an A4 scanner.

Pros: 4.4 from 207 owners, the strongest rating on a large sample on this page; 8.8 cm colour touchscreen, 2 cm larger than the 6.8 cm panel on the MFC-J5340DW; 28 ppm mono, matching the faster-value Brother at £185.90; Double-sided printing and double-sided scanning; 550 pages of ink in the box
Cons: 20.5 kg, so it needs a solid desk rather than a folding table; £8.18 per page per minute against £6.64 for the MFC-J5340DW: £43 more for the same 28 ppm; Scanning and copying stay at A4

### 4. Epson WorkForce WF-7840

- Price: £231.90 | Amazon rating: 4.1 from 209 ratings | ranked10 score: 8.4/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/epson-workforce-wf-7840
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08J7G93QT?tag=ranked10-21

For a busy office that needs A3+ printing plus A3 scanning and copying, with a 50-sheet ADF and twin trays.

This is the machine to buy when A3 has to go both ways: print, scan, copy and fax all work at A3+, so a large plan or a drawing can be digitised and sent without leaving the desk. It is the fastest all-in-one here at 32 ppm mono with 12 ppm colour, and 209 owners rate it 4.1.

At £231.90 the value figure is £7.25 per page per minute, second only to the print-only Epson WF-7310DTW. Twin paper trays plus a rear feed let you keep A3 stock and plain A4 loaded at the same time, and the automatic document feeder handles multipage scans without supervision. Ethernet and Wi-Fi Direct suit an office with a wired network.

The cost of all that is weight: 20.6 kg, the heaviest machine on this page, and a body that needs a permanent spot rather than a shelf you rearrange. If you print only, the Epson WF-7310DTW does the same 32 ppm for £154.19, which is £77.71 less, and skips the scanner entirely.

Pros: 32 ppm mono at £7.25 per page per minute, second only to the print-only Epson; A3+ scanning, copying and faxing, not just A3 printing; Twin paper trays plus an automatic document feeder for multipage scans; Ethernet and Wi-Fi Direct for an office network; 209 owners rate it 4.1
Cons: 20.6 kg, the heaviest machine here, so plan a permanent home for it; £77.71 more than the Epson WF-7310DTW, which prints at the same 32 ppm without a scanner; Colour printing drops to 12 ppm, less than half the mono figure

### 5. Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW

- Price: £154.19 | Amazon rating: 4.0 from 108 ratings | ranked10 score: 8.1/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/epson-workforce-wf-7310dtw
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B099KDRS6M?tag=ranked10-21

For A3+ printing on the tightest budget, with two paper trays and the cheapest cost per page-per-minute on this page.

This is the way to put A3+ on paper for the least money: £154.19, the lowest price on this page, with 108 owners rating it 4.0. It prints only, so it suits a desk where documents arrive as files, and it takes A3 through two paper trays plus a rear feed without needing a scanner bolted on top.

At 32 ppm mono it matches the fastest all-in-one here, and £154.19 divided by 32 gives £4.82 per page per minute, the best figure of all ten machines. Automatic double-sided printing works up to A3, so a 100-page report uses 50 sheets, and the 6.1 cm LCD handles the settings you change most often.

Two things to know before buying. Nothing here scans or copies, so the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90 is the upgrade at £77.71 more if A3 originals need digitising. And it weighs 16.5 kg, about double the Canon PIXMA IX6850 at 8.1 kg, so it is a two-person lift on to a shelf.

Pros: £4.82 per page per minute, the best value of all ten machines on this page; 32 ppm mono, the joint fastest figure here; Automatic double-sided printing up to A3; Two paper trays plus a rear feed for different stock; £154.19, the lowest price in this group
Cons: Printing only: it cannot scan or copy anything; The 6.1 cm LCD is smaller than the 6.8 cm touchscreen on both Brothers; 16.5 kg, double the 8.1 kg of the Canon PIXMA IX6850

### 6. Epson Expression Photo XP-15000

- Price: £263.99 | Amazon rating: 4.1 from 172 ratings | ranked10 score: 7.9/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/epson-expression-photo-xp-15000
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0788VDMNB?tag=ranked10-21

For photographers who want A3+ prints from a six-ink Claria Photo HD set, backed by 172 owners rating it 4.1.

This is the photo printer of the group for anyone who also needs A3+ documents. It weighs 8.5 kg, a third of the 20.6 kg Epson WorkForce WF-7840, and 172 owners rate it 4.1. At £263.99 it is the most expensive single-function machine here.

The ink set is the reason to choose it: Claria Photo HD inks with red and grey give portraits and black-and-white prints a range that a standard four-colour machine cannot reach. It prints at 29 ppm mono, which comes to £9.10 per page per minute, £2.70 less than the Canon PIXMA TS9550a, and front and rear paper trays keep photo paper separate from plain stock. CD and DVD printing is built in.

The catch is that it prints and nothing else, and double-sided printing stops at A4, so long A3 documents come out one side at a time. The Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW at £154.19 is £109.80 cheaper and prints at 32 ppm, but it has none of the photo inks.

Pros: 8.5 kg, the lightest A3+ printer on this page; Claria Photo HD inks with red and grey for portrait and monochrome photo work; CD and DVD printing plus front and rear paper trays; £9.10 per page per minute, £2.70 less than the Canon PIXMA TS9550a; 172 owners rate it 4.1
Cons: Prints only: no scanner and no copier; £109.80 more than the Epson WF-7310DTW, which prints faster at 32 ppm; Double-sided printing only up to A4, so A3 duplex is not available

### 7. Canon PIXMA TS9550a

- Price: £176.99 | Amazon rating: 3.9 from 82 ratings | ranked10 score: 7.6/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/canon-pixma-ts9550a
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0D49H76WT?tag=ranked10-21

For a compact A3 all-in-one for the home office, with a 10.8 cm touchscreen and Ethernet networking.

This is the A3 all-in-one for a home office that needs scanning as much as printing. It handles A3 print, scan and copy in a body 46.8 cm wide, narrower than the 53 cm of the Brother MFC-J5340DW, and 82 owners rate it 3.9. At £176.99 it is the cheapest way here to get A3 scanning alongside A3 printing.

The 10.8 cm touchscreen is the biggest on this page, which matters when you are switching between A3 stock and plain A4, and Ethernet plus the Canon PRINT app covers both a wired desk and phone printing. Pigment black keeps text sharp on plain paper, while five individual inks cover colour and photos.

Speed is the price you pay: 15 ppm mono comes to £11.80 per page per minute, nearly double the £6.64 of the Brother MFC-J5340DW. A 200-page A3 run takes about 13 minutes, which is fine for short jobs and painful for a weekly print run. The Brother prints at 28 ppm for £8.91 more.

Pros: 10.8 cm touchscreen, the largest on this page; A3 print, scan and copy in a 46.8 cm wide body; Ethernet, Wi-Fi and the Canon PRINT app; £1.99 cheaper than the print-only Canon PIXMA IX6850, and it scans; Pigment black ink for sharp plain-paper text
Cons: 15 ppm mono is £11.80 per page per minute, nearly double the £6.64 of the Brother MFC-J5340DW; A 200-page A3 run takes about 13 minutes, so it suits short jobs; 3.9 from 82 owners, against 4.2 from 192 on the Brother

### 8. HP OfficeJet Pro 9720e

- Price: £189.99 | Amazon rating: 3.8 from 207 ratings | ranked10 score: 7.4/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/hp-officejet-pro-9720e
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CJY274VN?tag=ranked10-21

For a small office that wants wide-format A3 printing with 3 months of Instant Ink bundled in.

Buy this for a small office that prints wide-format documents and wants the ink cost handled by subscription. It prints, scans and copies, with 207 owners rating it 3.8, and 3 months of Instant Ink are included when HP+ is activated, which HP prices as up to 70 percent off ink.

At 22 ppm mono the value figure is £8.64 per page per minute, mid-table in this group but ahead of the Canon PIXMA TS9550a at £11.80. A 250-sheet input tray means fewer refills on long runs, and the 35-sheet automatic document feeder takes multipage scans. Colour prints at 18 ppm, the quickest colour figure below £220 here, and P3 support widens the gamut beyond sRGB for posters.

Two limits stand out. Scanning is sheetfed only, so bound reports and fragile originals cannot be copied, and it costs £4.09 more than the Brother MFC-J5340DW while printing 6 ppm slower. The 3.8 rating from 207 owners is the lowest in the top ten, so read the reviews before committing.

Pros: 3 months of Instant Ink included, which HP prices as up to 70 percent off ink; 250-sheet input tray and a 35-sheet automatic document feeder; 22 ppm mono and 18 ppm colour, the quickest colour figure under £220 here; Wide-format printing with P3 support for a wider gamut than sRGB; £8.64 per page per minute, ahead of the Canon PIXMA TS9550a at £11.80
Cons: 3.8 from 207 owners, the lowest rating in the top ten; £4.09 more than the Brother MFC-J5340DW, which prints 6 ppm faster; Sheetfed scanning only, so bound or fragile originals cannot be copied

### 9. Epson Expression Photo XP-980

- Price: £219.99 | Amazon rating: 4.6 from 9 ratings | ranked10 score: 7.2/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/epson-expression-photo-xp-980
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0GSXGL79G?tag=ranked10-21

For photo-focused buyers who want A3 prints, two front paper trays and a 10.9 cm touchscreen, and can accept a new model with only nine ratings so far.

This is for the buyer who prints photos at A3 and documents occasionally. It combines a 6-ink Claria Photo HD system with a 10.9 cm touchscreen and two front-loading paper trays, one for A4 and one for photo paper, so you are not swapping stock between jobs. Nine owners rate it 4.6, the highest rating on this page.

The rating comes with a catch: nine owners is the smallest sample here, so it carries less weight than the 4.2 from 192 owners on the Brother MFC-J5340DW. Speed is 8.5 ppm mono, which works out at £25.88 per page per minute, the highest of the ten machines and nearly four times the Brother's £6.64. Even colour runs at 8 ppm.

That makes it a photo machine first. If speed matters, the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 prints at 29 ppm and costs £44 more at £263.99, though it prints only. In daily use this one scans and copies A3 originals, which the XP-15000 cannot.

Pros: 4.6 from nine owners, the highest rating here on the smallest sample; 6-ink Claria Photo HD system with a 10.9 cm touchscreen; Two front paper trays, one for A4 and one for photo paper; Scans and copies as well as printing, unlike the print-only photo models; 10.4 kg, so it is a one-person lift
Cons: 8.5 ppm mono works out at £25.88 per page per minute, nearly four times the Brother MFC-J5340DW; Only nine ratings so far, so the 4.6 has less evidence behind it; Documents are slow: colour at 8 ppm means about 7.5 seconds per page

### 10. Brother MFC-J6760DW

- Price: £249.97 | Amazon rating: 4.1 from 18 ratings | ranked10 score: 7.0/10
- Full review: https://www.ranked10.co.uk/home-office/best-a3-printer/brother-mfc-j6760dw
- Buy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FY782MP2?tag=ranked10-21

For an office that wants A3 and A4 four-in-one work with a 250-sheet tray and a 50-sheet ADF, accepting a new listing with 18 ratings.

This is the office four-in-one for anyone whose day includes multipage scanning. It prints, scans, copies and faxes across A3 and A4, and the 250-sheet paper tray plus a 50-sheet automatic document feeder mean a full report can be loaded, scanned and filed without standing over it. Eighteen owners rate it 4.1.

Brother's MAXIDRIVE print head sits at the centre of the machine, and the 6.8 cm colour touchscreen and Mobile Connect app cover setup and phone printing. Speed is 13 ppm in both mono and colour, which gives £19.23 per page per minute at £249.97, the second-highest figure of the ten.

That cost per page is the reason it sits at the bottom of this group. The Brother MFC-J5340DW prints at 28 ppm for £185.90, £64.07 less, and the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90 costs £18.07 less while printing at 32 ppm. Buy this one for the feeder, not for the throughput.

Pros: 250-sheet paper tray plus a 50-sheet document feeder for multipage scanning; A3 and A4 four-in-one: print, scan, copy and fax; MAXIDRIVE print head technology from Brother; Touchscreen and the Brother Mobile Connect app; 18 owners rate it 4.1
Cons: 13 ppm mono is £19.23 per page per minute, three times the £6.64 of the MFC-J5340DW; 20.2 kg, so it needs a permanent desk position; 18 ratings so far, fewer than the 82 on the Canon PIXMA TS9550a

## All 10 compared

| # | Product | Mono ppm | £ per ppm | Functions | Ink | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brother MFC-J5340DW | 28 ppm | £6.64 | Print A3, scan/copy A4 | Cartridges | £185.90 |
| 2 | Canon PIXMA IX6850 | 14.5 ppm | £12.34 | Print only | 5 cartridges | £178.98 |
| 3 | Brother MFC-J5740DW | 28 ppm | £8.18 | Print A3, scan/copy A4 | Cartridges | £228.90 |
| 4 | Epson WorkForce WF-7840 | 32 ppm | £7.25 | Print/scan/copy/fax A3+ | Cartridges | £231.90 |
| 5 | Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW | 32 ppm | £4.82 | Print only | Cartridges | £154.19 |
| 6 | Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 | 29 ppm | £9.10 | Print only | 6 cartridges | £263.99 |
| 7 | Canon PIXMA TS9550a | 15 ppm | £11.80 | Print/scan/copy A3 | 5 cartridges | £176.99 |
| 8 | HP OfficeJet Pro 9720e | 22 ppm | £8.64 | Print A3, scan/copy A4 | Instant Ink ready | £189.99 |
| 9 | Epson Expression Photo XP-980 | 8.5 ppm | £25.88 | Print/scan/copy A3 | 6 cartridges | £219.99 |
| 10 | Brother MFC-J6760DW | 13 ppm | £19.23 | Print A3, scan/copy A4 | Cartridges | £249.97 |

## How do I compare A3 printers on cost rather than price?

Divide the price by the mono print speed, and you get pounds per page per minute, which reorders this group completely. The Brother MFC-J5340DW costs £185.90 and prints at 28 ppm, so £6.64 per page per minute. The Canon PIXMA TS9550a costs £176.99 and prints at 15 ppm, so £11.80, which is £8.91 cheaper to buy and 78 percent dearer for every unit of speed.

Across the ten machines here the figure runs from £4.82 at the bottom to £25.88 at the top. The cheapest printer on this page, the Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW at £154.19, is also the best value, because it prints at 32 ppm. The second cheapest, the Canon PIXMA IX6850 at £178.98, lands in the bottom third of the table at £12.34 because it prints at 14.5 ppm.

## Do I need an all-in-one, or will a printer do?

It comes down to one question: does an A3 original ever need scanning or copying? If your A3 work is plans, posters and spreadsheets you created on screen, a printer is enough. If a client, a school or a plan office sends you A3 on paper, you need a machine with an A3 scanner.

Only two machines on this page handle A3 scanning: the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90 and the Canon PIXMA TS9550a at £176.99. The rest, including the Brother MFC-J5340DW and the two other Brothers, print A3 and keep scanning and copying at A4. That trade keeps the body smaller and the price under £190, which is why it is the busiest band in this group.

If multipage scanning is part of the job, check the feeder as well as the platen. The HP OfficeJet Pro 9720e takes 35 sheets in its automatic document feeder and the Brother MFC-J6760DW takes 50, which decides how long a stack of paperwork takes to digitise.

## What print speed do I actually need for A3?

Aim for 20 ppm or more if A3 documents are a regular job, because anything slower turns a print run into a wait. At 28 ppm a 100-page job finishes in about 3.6 minutes. At 13 ppm on the Brother MFC-J6760DW the same run takes about 7.7 minutes, and at 8.5 ppm on the Epson XP-980 it takes nearly 12.

The speeds quoted here are document speeds, so treat A3 as slower still: a wide sheet carries twice the ink of A4, and photo settings drop colour output into seconds per page rather than pages per minute. If you print a handful of A3 sheets a week, 15 ppm costs you a minute and saves you money up front. If you print 200 sheets a week, the £11.80 per page per minute of the Canon PIXMA TS9550a becomes the expensive choice.

## Why do two pages quote different speeds for the same A3 printer?

Because the headline speed and the detailed figure often come from different tests, and the Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW is the clearest example here. The maker quotes 32 ppm mono for the £154.19 machine in one place and 25 ppm black with 12 ppm colour in another, so the same printer appears both fastest and mid-table depending on which line you read.

Plan with the slower number. On 25 ppm a 200-page A3 job takes about eight minutes, and the colour figure of 12 ppm stretches the same run to nearly 17 minutes. That does not make the WF-7310DTW a bad buy, it is still the cheapest A3+ printer here and the best value at £4.82 per page per minute on the 32 ppm figure, but a realistic speed keeps your expectations and your deadline intact.

## Which price band should I buy in?

Under £200 you get A3 printing everywhere and A3 scanning in one place. The best A3 printer under £200 on this page is the Brother MFC-J5340DW at £185.90, and the £154.19 Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW is the cheapest route to A3+ paper, while the Canon PIXMA TS9550a at £176.99 is the only model below £200 that scans and copies A3 as well as printing it.

Between £219.99 and £263.99 you are buying one of two things: A3 scanning with office speed, as in the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90, or photo ink, as in the Epson XP-980 and Epson Expression Photo XP-15000. Above £250 the extra money goes into ink range and build rather than into pages per minute, which is why the £249.97 Brother MFC-J6760DW is the slowest of the four-in-ones at 13 ppm.

## How much desk space and weight should I plan for?

Less width than the name suggests: A3 printing does not demand an A3 footprint. The machines here run from 46.8 cm wide on the Canon PIXMA TS9550a to 58.4 cm on the Canon PIXMA IX6850, which is roughly the width of a small microwave, and the deepest is 57.6 cm on the Brother MFC-J6760DW.

Weight is the number people forget. The lightest A3 machine on this page is the 8.1 kg Canon PIXMA IX6850, the heaviest is the 20.6 kg Epson WorkForce WF-7840, and the Brothers cluster at 17 kg and above. Under 10 kg you can shift it single-handed when the shelf needs dusting. At 20 kg, decide once where it lives and leave it there.

## What does not matter as much as the marketing suggests?

Top colour speed and ink count are the two figures that get sold hardest and decide the fewest purchases. A document office rarely needs colour above 20 ppm, and none of the fastest machines here is a photo printer: the 32 ppm models print four inks, while the 6-ink machines run at 8 to 29 ppm.

Borderless A3+ printing is worth having only if you print photos or posters without margins, which is why the Canon PIXMA IX6850 and the Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 make a point of it. Phone apps, cloud printing and touchscreen size all fall into the same category: nice to have, never worth paying £50 for on their own when speed and scanning decide the day-to-day experience.

## Verdict

The best A3 printer for a home office is the Brother MFC-J5340DW at £185.90. It prints A3 at 28 ppm, the fastest figure under £200 on this page, and £6.64 per page per minute is the best value among the five all-in-ones. The 6.8 cm touchscreen, the 550 pages of ink in the box and a body 53 cm wide make it an easy fit on an ordinary desk.

It is the wrong buy if A3 originals need digitising: the flatbed stops at A4, so a wide page takes two passes. For that job the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90 scans, copies and faxes A3+ and still prints at 32 ppm, which is £7.25 per page per minute. If you only ever print, the Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW at £154.19 does the same 32 ppm for £77.71 less.

## FAQ

**What is the best A3 printer?**

For most home offices it is the Brother MFC-J5340DW at £185.90: it prints A3 at 28 ppm and works out at £6.64 per page per minute, the lowest figure among the all-in-ones here. Its scanner and copier stop at A4, so a full A3 original needs two passes. If A3 scanning matters, the Epson WorkForce WF-7840 at £231.90 covers A3 print, scan, copy and fax and still prints at 32 ppm.

**How much should I budget for an A3 printer?**

Prices in this group run from £154.19 to £263.99. The bottom of that range buys a print-only A3+ machine such as the Epson WorkForce WF-7310DTW, and the middle, around £185 to £190, buys an A3 all-in-one with an A4 scanner. You need the top of the range only for A3 scanning or for photo inks.

**Can an A3 printer print A4 as well?**

Yes. Every machine here handles A4 and A5 as well as A3, and duplex A4 printing is standard on most of them. The A3 capability is an addition rather than a replacement, so a wide-format printer can be your only printer without giving up ordinary documents.

**Do I need A3 scanning, or is A3 printing enough?**

Printing is enough if every A3 page starts life as a file you created on screen. A3 scanning matters when A3 paper arrives from outside, whether that is a plan, a proof, a school project or a signed contract. Only a couple of machines in this price range scan and copy at A3, and they cost £177 and up.

**How long does an A3 print actually take?**

At a quoted 28 ppm a 100-page job takes about 3.6 minutes, while at 8.5 ppm the same run takes nearly 12 minutes. Those figures come from document speeds on A4 paper, so expect an A3 sheet with heavy ink coverage to take longer still. For occasional A3 work the difference is seconds; for weekly runs it is the whole decision.

**How much space does an A3 printer take up?**

The machines here are 46.8 cm to 58.4 cm wide and up to 57.6 cm deep, so plan the footprint of a small microwave rather than a drawing board. Weight is the bigger issue: it runs from 8.1 kg on the lightest model to 20.6 kg on the heaviest, so anything near 20 kg wants a shelf that does not flex.

**Which A3 printer is best for photos?**

The Epson Expression Photo XP-15000 uses Claria Photo HD inks with red and grey and prints A3+ for £263.99, which is the photo-first choice here. If you want scanning and copying alongside photo work, the Epson XP-980 pairs a 6-ink system with a 10.9 cm touchscreen, but it prints at 8.5 ppm, so documents wait.