I’m constantly asked “What is the best printer for heavy cardstock paper?” And because I had the hardest time finding the best printer for 110 lb cardstock, I thought I would tell you about my printer. I believe it is the Best Printer For Heavy Cardstock Paper.
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The Best Printer for Heavy Cardstock on YouTube
All of the information in this blog is now in this YouTube video, in case that works better for you π
The Heavy Cardstock Paper
If you’re looking for a cardstock printer, it might be because you want to print on that damn heavy cardstock paper that you got at Michaels. And let me guess, your printer won’t feed it through the machine!? Therefore, you need the best printer for thick paper!
I can relate! I’m always printing on cardstock (like the heavy cardstock listed below) for my business and for my Etsy shop, and it is frustrating finding the right printer for cardstock printing.
Yes, I was there too. And I searched ALL over the internet for a printer that would print on heavy cardstock paper. During my search, I learned WAY too much about paper weight. I know things about paper that I shouldn’t, like how the United States bases it’s measurement of paper weight on the weight of 500 sheets of a paper size in its uncut form. Um, what?
I’ll explain. If a sheet of paper is 17 x 22 inches before it’s cut to letter size, you take 500 of those sheets of paper, and weigh it. And that is where they get the pounds that you see on the front of the paper you are buying. Ya, not confusing at all. π
The Best Cardstock Printer for Heavy Cardstock Paper
Although it literally makes no sense, as long as you know the weight of the paper that your printer will actually print, you’re golden. And that’s a whole other rabbit hole. Why? Because to find this information about your printer takes a little digging.
So let me walk you through it. That way, you can figure out if your printer (or the printer you’re looking to buy) will be the cardstock printer for you.
First thing’s first. Make sure to check the weight of the paper you want to use. In the case I used above, it’s 110 lbs. As you’ll see, that’s an extremely heavy paper weight, and there are going to be very few retail-grade ink jet printers that can do the job.
Finding your printer’s Specifications
Find your printer (or the printer you are thinking of buying) on Amazon. Take the HP ENVY Photo 7855 All in One Photo Printer for example. You will probably scan the page to see what it will print, but you’ll soon find out its hiding from you!
Do a search for the “Specification sheet”, and click to open the PDF (See Screenshot below). I have also found it under “Product Documentation”. However, I have noticed that some printers don’t have either of these listed. In that case, you’ll likely have to do more digging on the HP website, or whatever company your printer is from.
Once you click to open the PDF, you need to find the “Media Weight Supported” or something similar. See on the screenshot below that this printer supports up to 72 lbs of paper weight.
That means that this HP Envy IS NOT the cardstock printer for you if you plan to print on that 110 lb paper because it won’t feed the heavy cardstock paper through the feeder. Listen, you can attempt it, but I come from experience by saying, it will leave you frustrated and wishing you had a better heavy cardstock printer π
Selecting The Best Printer For Heavy Cardstock
After scouring the internet, I have put together only two printers that I found that seem to be good for printing on heavy cardstock. I am so sorry it’s so limited. (If you know of others, please reach out to me!)
One is mine, and the other I am a little iffy about. So take my word with a grain of salt and save your receipt!
The Best Printer for Heavy Cardstock: Canon Pixma Pro-100.
I believe the Canon Pixma Pro-100 is the best cardstock printer. I personally own this printer and use for all my printing for personal and business cardstock printing. My husband found it on Slick Deals and got a way better price than this – to the tune of $75.00! (Yes, he’s my hero).
PROS:
- Prints on 110 lb. cardstock paper
- Loads large paper from the back so it doesn’t crease the paper
- Prints borderless (Want to print borderless without this printer? Read about printing without a borderless printer here.)
- Prints 5 x 7 and all the way up to 13 x 19
CONS:
- It’s Huge (Seriously)
- Doesn’t scan or copy
- Has trouble feeding through the 5 x 7 cards sometimes (and I have to practice my patience!)
- The ink is expensive (Don’t fret! Read below for the knockoff ink I recommend!)
Another Alternative for Printing Heavy Cardstock: The HP Office Jet 3830 Printer
The HP Office Jet 3830 Printer claims that it prints up to 145 lbs – but I can’t tell if it’s regular sized paper, or only 4 x 6 cardstock paper. I recommend reading into it a bit. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pros or cons, since I don’t own this printer, but I’d love to hear from you if you do purchase this one so I can update this blog for everyone! (DM me on Instagram!)
Final Thoughts
I think it’s pretty clear that the best printer for heavy cardstock is the Canon Pixma Pro-100, since it’s great for cardstock printing. It has already paid for itself. Not only is it good for printing on cardstock. But it also prints AMAZING quality prints, photos, and invitations. The reviews on Amazon are mixed, but in my experience it’s been a gem.
Knockoff Ink for the Canon Pixma Pro-100
Don’t tell Canon, but this knockoff ink works perfectly with this printer. It’s basically the same and is INSANELY cheaper than the original. I have also purchased this black and grey ink to go into the Canon Pixma Pro-100 if you are really only printing in black and white.
The Best Paper for Your Heavy Cardstock Printer
I need to mention one more thing before you purchase the Canon Pixma Pro-100 printer for heavy cardstock printing. The heavy cardstock paper that I mentioned above (the Michaels paper that is 110 lbs) doesn’t print the most quality prints. In fact, I wrote about The Best Paper for Invitations, that breaks down why your paper is actually more important than your printer, which I think will be helpful to you!
What is the Best Printer for 130 lb Cardstock?
Some of my readers have asked if I have any recommendations for printers that will print on up to 130 lb cardstock. I had no idea they made paper that heavy, but it’s true! One of my readers did recommend the Pixmo Pro-200 for 130 lb cardstock. I personally cannot attest to this printer, but given that I love the 100 so much, I think the the pro- 200 would be the next best thing if you’re looking for VERY heavy cardstock.
If you get this pro-200, please let me know your experience!
Related Articles
You might also be interested in the following articles:
The Best Printer for Invitations
Best Printer for Invitation Business
Let’s Connect!
So there you have it! I taught you the very useless knowledge of understanding how paper is weighed, and the very useful knowledge of how to look up what weight of paper your printer will actually print. I really hope this was helpful to someone. If so, leave me a comment below so I know about it or send me a DM on Instagram!
Lastly, thank you so much for taking the time to read about the Best Printer For Heavy Cardstock Paper! I hope this gives you some ideas about how to easily print on heavy cardstock paper or heavy cardstock invitations at home. Tell me below what you thought! I love to help you celebrate life through party decorations and beyond. Above all, Iβd love to connect with you. Reach out to me on Instagram and let’s chat, or continue celebrating your life with The Celebration Effect.
xoxo
Lindsay
