The best printers for cardstock are the Epson EcoTank ET-15000 for heavy card overall, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 for art prints, and the Canon TS9521C for 12 x 12 scrapbook pages. What decides the answer is not ink colour but paper handling: a rear straight-through feed that keeps a stiff sheet flat in a straight line, instead of forcing it around a roller bend inside a front cassette.
Most consumer printers are rated for paper up to 80 to 220 gsm, and that is the number that causes the endless cycle of jams, creases and streaked sheets people describe on printing forums. Cardstock is stiffer and heavier than plain paper, so it either bends, cracks the feed rollers or gets rejected outright, and the fix is a machine rated for real heavy media with a dedicated rear feed path.
We compared six wide-format and all-in-one printers that clear that bar, weighing maximum media size, feed path, ink system, resolution and the running cost that shows up when you print on heavy card. Specs come from the manufacturer data for each unit, and the pros and cons reflect what owners actually report after living with the machine. Every figure quoted below is a published specification or a repeated owner report, not an estimate.
If you also print a lot of photos, our best photo printers for photographers guide covers colour accuracy in more depth, and the best wireless printers for homes roundup covers general household printing.
Table of Contents
Top 3 Printers for Cardstock in October 2026
Epson EcoTank ET-15000
- 11 x 17 wide format
- Refillable ink tanks
- Auto duplex
- 250-sheet capacity
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550
- 13 x 19 borderless
- 5760 x 1440 dpi black
- Ink tank system
- Photo flatbed scanner
Canon TS9521C
- 12 x 12 borderless printing
- Five ink tanks
- ADF and borderless
- 60-130 lb cardstock
Cardstock Printers Compared Side by Side in October 2026
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Epson EcoTank ET-15000 |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Canon PIXMA PRO-200S |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Epson Artisan 1430 |
|
Check Latest Price |
 Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw II |
|
Check Latest Price |
| Canon TS9521C |
|
Check Latest Price |
1. Epson EcoTank ET-15000 – Best Overall for Heavy Cardstock
Epson EcoTank ET-15000 Wireless All-in-One Wide-Format Supertank Printer
11 x 17 media
Rear paper holder
4800 x 2400 dpi
17 ppm black, 9 ppm color
250-sheet capacity
Pros
- Rear feed handles 13 x 19 and 12 x 18 media reliably
- Refillable tanks cut cost per page sharply
- Auto duplex on letter paper
- Scanner
- copier and fax in one box
Cons
- No dedicated 11 x 17 tray
- sheets load into the rear holder
- Manual duplex for sizes beyond 8.5 x 11
- Some machines needed a second attempt to prime ink
This is the printer we would put in front of anyone who prints card after card. It is an ink tank all-in-one rated to 11 x 17, with a 250-sheet maximum capacity, auto duplex and a sheetfed scanner, and it rated 4.2 stars across more than 2500 owner reviews.
Owners consistently report that the rear paper holder feeds 13 x 19 and 12 x 18 media cleanly, which is unusual for a printer this size. One of the recurring notes is that people use it for stickers, canvas and iron-on transfers as well as card, and the refillable tanks keep the cost of that heavy coverage down compared with cartridge models.
The trade-off is paper handling convenience. There is no dedicated tray for 11 x 17 media, so full-size sheets go into the rear holder one at a time, and manual duplex is required for anything other than 8.5 x 11. Auto duplex covers the common case well, so this only matters if you print a lot of wide-format card.
Specs worth noting: 4800 x 2400 dpi colour resolution, 17 ppm black and 9 ppm colour, Wi-Fi plus Ethernet, a touchscreen control panel and a one-year limited warranty. The box includes a 127 mL black bottle and 70 mL bottles of cyan, magenta and yellow, and the printer accepts standard or sublimation ink.
What you will notice in the first week
Setup is mostly painless, and several owners report being able to complete Wi-Fi pairing from the printer’s own control panel when the computer route failed. That recovery path is worth knowing about before you start.
Owners report that a small number of machines arrived with an ink delivery system that would not prime, printing a blank nozzle check pattern. It is uncommon enough that most buyers never see it, but it is the first thing to test before you commit a project deadline to the machine.
Where it is the wrong choice
If your projects are 12 x 12 scrapbook pages, this is not the printer. Its maximum media size is 11 x 17, so a full 12 x 12 sheet with a borderless design will not fit, and the Canon TS9521C later in this list handles that format natively.
Owners also report occasional paper jams and frustration with unclear paper selection guidance in the driver. Loading one sheet at a time and picking the matching media profile in the print dialog avoids most of that friction.
2. Canon PIXMA PRO-200S – Best for Photo Colour on Coated Card
Canon PIXMA PRO-200S Professional 13″ Wireless Inkjet Photo Printer, 3″ Color LCD, 8-Color Dye Ink, Black
8-color dye ink
Borderless to 13 x 19
12 x 12 square support
3.0 inch color LCD
32 pounds
Pros
- Outstanding photo and gradient output
- Very quiet for a wide-format machine
- Handles thicker specialty media through the manual feed
- Modest ink use versus cartridge rivals
Cons
- Cartridge-based
- so running cost is higher
- Very slow at roughly 2 pages per minute
- Confusing setup and Canon's Professional Print and Layout app
- 32 pounds and needs a sturdy deep table
If colour quality is the whole point of your cards, this is the one to look at. It uses an 8-color dye-based ink system and prints borderless from 3.5 x 3.5 inches all the way to 13 x 19, with square formats at 3.5, 5 and 12 x 12 inches included in the supported media list.
Reviewers describe the output in terms you rarely hear for office machines: strong blacks, smooth gradients and detail that holds up when you hold a card at arm’s length. Several also note it is unusually quiet for a wide-format printer, which matters if you are working late.
It also accepts a broad range of media through the manual feed, including thicker and specially coated papers, which is the practical answer for anyone printing onto craft card rather than plain paper. Buyers upgrading from a cartridge office printer commonly point to the step change in colour as the reason they made the move.
The specifications give a 4800 x 2400 dpi maximum colour resolution and a 3.0 inch color LCD for checking ink levels and settings, plus Wi-Fi with Ethernet and USB. Custom sizes run up to 13 x 39 inches, and coverage is a one-year limited warranty.
What the media handling actually supports
The manual feed is the path for heavy card, and owners confirm it takes thicker and specially coated papers without complaint. Because this is a print-only machine, you get no scanner or copier, so plan on a separate device if you also digitise designs or trim templates.
Borderless is available across the full size range, so a full-bleed card edge to edge is realistic here. Set the paper type in the driver to match the actual stock, since owners report the printer is fussy about that setting.
Where it is the wrong choice
Speed is the honest drawback. At roughly 2 pages per minute in both black and colour, this is not a batch machine, and a high-quality 13 x 19 sheet takes real time. Printing 100 invitations means planning the evening around it.
It is also cartridge-based, so ink cost per page sits above the tank-based models in this list, and Canon’s setup screens and Professional Print and Layout app are widely described as confusing. At 32 pounds it needs a deep, sturdy table rather than a desk shelf.
3. Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 – Best for Art Prints and Low Ink Cost
Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 Wireless Wide-Format All-in-One Tank Printer
13 x 19 wide format
5760 x 1440 dpi black and white
Refillable ink tanks
Auto duplex
24.5 pounds
Pros
- Excellent photo output with rich colour and sharp detail
- Large tanks with long intervals between refills
- Very low ink cost per print
- 13 x 19 sheets load through the rear feed
- Good touchscreen and scanner
Cons
- Tray 1 spring weakness causes false out-of-paper errors
- Automatic tray selection is unreliable
- Print head clogging reported after several months
- Flatbed scanner has no document feeder
Yes, the ET-8550 is genuinely good for art prints, and it is the cheapest way to run 13 x 19 colour at volume once the tank system is counted. It prints up to 13 x 19 inches, handles 11 x 17, 8 x 10, 5 x 7, 4 x 6, 3.5 x 5, A3, A4, Legal, Letter, Executive, A6 and half letter, and rated 4 stars across more than 2600 reviews.
The resolution figures explain the print quality claims: 5760 x 1440 dpi for black and white, with 1440 dpi maximum colour. Large transparent tanks sit in front where you can see the level, and Epson states a yield of up to 6,200 colour pages plus roughly two years of ink in the box.
For cardstock work, the 13 x 19 rear feed takes full-size sheets straight through, and there is a separate 4 x 6 slot for quick photo prints. Speed is reasonable rather than fast at 16 ppm black and 12 ppm colour, and auto duplex plus a 100-sheet maximum capacity round it out as a general-purpose machine.
Scan and copy are handled by a flatbed photo scanner with a touchscreen, which is useful for turning hand-drawn templates into printable files. Connectivity is listed as USB with app and touch control, and the unit draws 150 watts at peak.
What to check before a big print run
The most-reported hardware fault is a weakness in the spring inside tray 1, which throws false out-of-paper or jam errors even with paper present. Owners who set the tray manually report fewer problems than those who leave it on automatic selection, which several describe as unreliable.
If you are printing a batch, print one test sheet, leave it to dry for several minutes, then handle it. Dye ink on heavy card is touch-sensitive straight off the platen, and stacking wet cards is the fastest way to smudge a print you cannot repeat cheaply.
Where it is the wrong choice
There is no document feeder, and the flatbed cannot scan an 11 x 17 original. If your workflow needs to copy a stack of templates or digitise large originals, that rules it out despite the print quality.
Owners also report print head clogging and stray ink drops after several months of use, plus a long unboxing process with tape removal, ink filling and alignment. Epson’s support experience is criticised by a minority of reviewers, so keep your own backups of driver files if Wi-Fi pairing fails.
4. Epson Artisan 1430 – Best Borderless 13 x 19 Photo Printer
Epson Artisan 1430 Wireless Color Wide-Format Inkjet Printer (C11CB53201)
13 x 19 borderless photos
Six-color Claria ink
5760 x 1440 dpi
Flatbed scanner
35.3 pounds
Pros
- Full-bleed 13 x 19 borderless photo output
- Wireless plus direct mobile printing
- Built-in flatbed scanner
- CD and DVD printing
- 68 percent of ratings at five stars
Cons
- Cartridge-based Claria ink is costly to run
- No duplex printing and a single 50-sheet tray
- Slow at about 2.8 pages per minute
- Heavy and wide
- needs substantial desk space
The Artisan 1430 does one thing very well: borderless 13 x 19 photography. It uses a six-color Claria high-definition ink set across cyan, magenta, yellow, black, light cyan and light magenta, and it outputs at 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi.
It rated 4.2 stars over 881 reviews, and the feedback is consistent: excellent borderless photo quality with good colour, easy wireless setup, and direct printing from a phone, tablet or camera without a computer. A flatbed scanner and CD/DVD printing come built in.
It is worth being clear about what it is. This is a cartridge photo printer, not a document machine, so it suits someone who wants large, full-bleed photographic images and does not need duplex office output.
Specifications list 13 x 19 maximum media size, a 50-sheet maximum capacity, Wi-Fi with USB, a 2.8 ppm print speed in both black and colour and a weight of 35.3 pounds with dimensions of 17.3 by 27.8 by 12.5 inches. The one-year limited warranty applies.
What cardstock projects suit it
Large photographic card fronts and poster-style art prints are the strength here, where the full-bleed edge matters more than throughput. The light cyan and light magenta inks are the reason gradients and skies look smooth at this size.
Six Claria cartridges are included in the box. That is generous for getting started, but it is also the machine’s main weakness, because the running cost of replacement cartridges is the highest of any model in this roundup.
Where it is the wrong choice
There is no duplex printing, the paper capacity is a single 50-sheet tray, and at roughly 2.8 pages per minute a batch of cards is a long job. If you print cards rather than photographs, choose one of the ink tank models here instead.
The body is heavy and wide enough to need a real desk rather than a printer shelf, and the cartridges, toner-equivalent running cost and single tray mean it works best for occasional large prints rather than a craft business printing every week.
5. Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw II – Best Laser for High-Volume Business Cards
Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II – All-in-One Color Duplex Laser Printer
Color laser toner
35 ppm color and black
Auto duplex
ADF, fax and scan
Legal max size
Pros
- Very fast color output at up to 35 pages per minute
- Automatic duplex printing and duplex scanning
- Toner cost far below inkjet ink
- Touchscreen setup with auto color calibration
- Three-year manufacturer warranty
Cons
- Maximum media size is only Legal at 8.5 x 14
- Canon's software and web services often fail during installation
- 50 pounds and a 250-sheet standard tray
- Canon software does not run on ARM Windows devices
This is the only colour laser in the roundup, and it earns its place for a specific case: printing hundreds of business cards or short runs of heavy card where speed and toner cost beat photo quality. It outputs at up to 35 pages per minute in both colour and black, with a first page in 7 seconds.
Toner is the story here. Owners report running costs far below inkjet ink, including when using third-party toner, and many came to it after replacing problem-prone inkjets. Automatic duplex on both printing and scanning, a 250-sheet output tray and an ADF make it a genuine office machine.
Build quality matches the office brief: 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution, a touchscreen with walkthrough setup and auto colour calibration, Wi-Fi with Ethernet and USB, and a three-year manufacturer warranty that is longer than most competitors offer.
It scans and faxes as well as prints, using Canon Genuine Toner 069, with a starter set of 1,100 yield colour and 2,100 yield black. At 50 pounds and 18.2 by 16.8 by 17 inches, it needs floor or sturdy desk space, and it draws 24 watts.
Why a laser works for high-volume card work
Laser toner is a dry powder fused with heat rather than a liquid sprayed onto the sheet, so it does not need to soak into the surface or dry before you can stack the output. That is a meaningful advantage when you print 300 business cards and need to trim and box them the same afternoon.
The standard cassette takes 3.9 x 5.8 up to 8.5 x 14 inches and the multipurpose tray takes 3 x 5 up to 8.5 x 14. Colour accuracy is a 1200 x 1200 dpi laser image, sharp and consistent, but not photographic.
Where it is the wrong choice
Maximum media size is Legal only, with no wide-format or heavy cardstock handling. If your cards are 12 x 12 or 13 x 19, this machine physically cannot print them and none of the settings will change that.
Canon’s own software and web services are the most common complaint, frequently failing during installation until owners fall back on the Windows built-in driver. The software also does not run on ARM-based Windows devices such as Surface Pro, and a few machines were delivered with damaged internal parts including the scan feeder.
6. Canon TS9521C – Best for 12 x 12 Scrapbooking and Craft Pages
Canon TS9521C All-In-One Wireless Crafting Photo Printer, 12X12 Printing, White, Amazon Dash Replenishment Ready
12 x 12 borderless
60-130 lb cardstock
Five ink tanks
ADF and borderless
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth
Pros
- Clean printing on 60-130 lb cardstock with accurate centering
- Rare 12 x 12 borderless format for scrapbook pages
- Five separate tanks so you replace only the colour that runs low
- AirPrint
- memory card slot and auto document feeder
Cons
- Thick cardstock feeds one sheet at a time through the rear slot
- Rear feed tray stands about 12 inches tall
- Wireless setup can be confusing and no USB cable is included
- Cartridge ink is still expensive to run
The TS9521C is the scrapbooker’s answer, and 12 x 12 borderless printing is the reason. Almost nothing else in this size class prints a full square page edge to edge, and owners of this model consistently single it out as the decisive feature for large scrapbook layouts.
It rated 4.2 stars across 1,446 reviews, and the cardstock feedback is specific and good: clean prints on 60-130 lb cardstock with accurate centering and no streaks. Five individual ink tanks mean you replace only the colour that runs low, and owners note that generic ink is accepted without fuss.
It is also a fully connected all-in-one with Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB and a memory card slot, plus a flatbed scanner, borderless printing and an auto document feeder. AirPrint and Mopria Print Service are supported, so phone printing works without an app.
Specifications list 4800 x 1200 dpi colour resolution, 15 ppm black and 10 ppm colour, a 100-sheet maximum capacity, a weight of 21.3 pounds and ChromaLife100 ink for fade resistance, covered by a one-year limited warranty with InstantExchange.
What the rear feed means for a crafting workflow
Thick cardstock goes through the rear manual feed one sheet at a time, which is the honest cost of the square format. Some owners also report the rear feed failing to recognise cardstock reliably, so check alignment and re-seat the sheet rather than forcing it.
Allow clearance above and behind the printer. The rear feed tray stands roughly 12 inches tall when loaded, and that is the single most common surprise for people who set the machine up on a shelf or a low cabinet.
Where it is the wrong choice
One sheet at a time is time-consuming for a large run, and the 10 ppm colour speed is modest. If you are printing hundreds of cards rather than a few hundred craft pages, the ET-15000 with its 250-sheet capacity and auto duplex is the better fit.
Cartridge ink remains expensive, there is no sublimation ink support, and wireless setup can be confusing. No USB cable is included in the box, so plan the connection route before you unbox it, and expect some Canon support friction if something goes wrong.
How to Choose a Printer for Cardstock
Understand what gsm and lb actually mean
Cardstock weight is quoted two ways and mixing them causes most buying errors. gsm is grams per square meter, the metric standard, while lb is pounds per 500 sheets of standard letter-size paper. A heavier number means a thicker, stiffer sheet that needs a stronger feed path.
A practical decoder: 65 lb is roughly 190 gsm and handles like light card, 80 lb is around 215 to 220 gsm and sits at the ceiling of most office printers, 110 lb is about 300 gsm and is the standard heavy craft weight, and 250 to 350 gsm is specialty chipboard territory. “lb cover” is a different scale again, referring to thickness rather than the same basis weight, so 80 lb cover is stiffer than 80 lb text weight.
Our Canon TS9521C is documented by owners as handling 60-130 lb cardstock, which spans most of the craft weights people ask about. For anything above that, look for a printer whose rear feed is explicitly rated for heavy media rather than assuming a wide-format body implies heavy-media capability.
Rear feed is the feature that decides everything
This is the point competitors get wrong. A sheet entering a front cassette has to travel around rollers and change direction inside the machine, and a stiff sheet either bends, creases or stops dead. A rear straight-through feed path keeps the sheet flat and travelling in one direction, so the paper does not need to bend in half to get around a roller.
Check three things before you buy: that a rear manual feed slot exists, that it accepts single sheets of your target weight, and that the printer’s published maximum paper weight covers it. Every printer in this roundup has a rear feed, which is why they made the list at all.
Inkjet or laser for cardstock?
An inkjet is the right choice for photographs, gradients and full-bleed colour on coated card. A laser is the right choice for volume, text-led business cards and anywhere you need to stack output immediately, because toner is fused dry rather than sprayed wet.
Between the two, running cost matters more for cardstock than for plain paper. Heavy paper absorbs more ink, so cartridge-based models cost disproportionately more per page. The EcoTank ET-15000 and ET-8550 refill from bottles, the Artisan 1430 and PIXMA PRO-200S use cartridges, and the imageCLASS uses toner. If you are covering a whole 5 x 7 card in colour, the tank models win over time.
Paper size decides your project list
Match the sheet to the finished card. Standard cards and business cards fit A4 and Letter. Scrapbook pages need 12 x 12, which only the Canon TS9521C and PIXMA PRO-200S support here. Large art prints and posters need 13 x 19, handled by the ET-8550, ET-15000’s rear feed, the PRO-200S and the Artisan 1430.
Our beginner sublimation printer guide covers a different printing process, but the same rule applies to paper size: buy for the largest sheet your projects need, not the smallest.
Borderless, profiles and drying time
Borderless printing is available across most of these models, but on the thickest card a hairline white edge is common, so test one sheet before running a batch. In the print dialog, always set the paper type to match the actual card rather than leaving it on plain paper, since that setting changes ink saturation and drying behaviour.
Give heavy card a few minutes before handling. Then print double-sided manually rather than through the auto duplex path, and use matte profiles for uncoated card and glossy profiles for coated photo paper. One more habit worth building: print a single test sheet whenever you change paper brand, because coatings differ more than the weight numbers suggest.
Who should skip this list entirely
If you print a handful of cards a year, a standard office inkjet with a rear feed will handle 80 lb card without a dedicated machine. These printers earn their cost when card printing is a regular activity, whether that is a craft side hustle, a wedding stationery run or a small business printing business cards by the hundred.
Conversely, if you mostly need copying and scanning, a plain office all-in-one will serve better and cost less to run. The wide-format inkjets and the colour laser here are chosen specifically for paper weight and print quality, not for general office duty.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best printer for printing on thick cardstock?
For thick cardstock overall, the Epson EcoTank ET-15000 is the strongest pick: it handles 11 x 17 media through a rear paper holder, prints at 4800 x 2400 dpi and carries a 250-sheet tray with auto duplex on letter paper. For square scrapbook pages use the Canon TS9521C, and for 13 x 19 art prints use the ET-8550. All three feed thick sheets from the rear rather than a front cassette, which is what prevents bending and jams.
Does cardstock need a special printer?
It needs a printer rated for the weight you are using and, ideally, a rear straight-through feed. A sheet entering a front cassette must bend around internal rollers, and stiff card either creases, jams or gets rejected. Most consumer printers top out around 220 gsm, so 80 lb card is their limit and 110 lb heavy craft card needs a machine built for heavier media.
What is the best printer for printing on 100lb cardstock?
A 100 to 110 lb card sits near 300 gsm, so any printer with a rear feed rated for heavy media will manage it. The Canon TS9521C is documented by owners as printing cleanly on 60-130 lb cardstock, and the Epson ET-15000 and ET-8550 take full-size sheets through rear feeds without bending them. Load one sheet at a time and set the paper profile to match the stock.
How do I know if my printer can handle cardstock?
Check the published maximum paper weight in the printer specifications, usually listed in gsm or lb. Then confirm a rear manual feed slot exists and test a single sheet before a batch. If the sheet must bend to enter the front tray, expect a jam or a crease. Also set the paper type correctly in the driver, because a wrong profile causes streaking and smudging on heavy stock.
What printer takes 300gsm card?
300 gsm is roughly 110 lb, the standard heavy craft weight, and rear-feed wide-format inkjets handle it comfortably. The Epson ET-15000, Epson ET-8550 and Canon TS9521C all take thick sheets through a rear feed, and TS9521C owners report clean output at 60-130 lb. For 300 gsm and above you need a printer whose rear feed is explicitly rated for heavy media rather than a wide-format body alone.
Is a laser printer better than an inkjet for cardstock?
A laser is better for volume and for text-led business cards because toner is fused dry, so you can stack output immediately without waiting for ink to dry. An inkjet is better for photographs, gradients and full-bleed colour. The Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw II in this roundup runs up to 35 pages per minute with toner cost far below inkjet ink, but it tops out at Legal size rather than wide format.
Which Canon printer is best for printing on cardstock?
For 12 x 12 scrapbook pages the Canon TS9521C is the pick, since it prints that square format borderless and owners report clean results on 60-130 lb cardstock. For photo colour on wide coated stock the PIXMA PRO-200S uses an 8-color dye system and prints borderless to 13 x 19. For high-volume business cards the imageCLASS MF753Cdw II colour laser is fastest and cheapest per page.
What Epson printers are best for crafters?
The Epson EcoTank ET-15000 is the best all-round craft printer here, pairing an 11 x 17 rear feed with refillable tanks, auto duplex and a scanner. The EcoTank Photo ET-8550 suits 13 x 19 art prints at 5760 x 1440 dpi black and white with very low ink cost. The Artisan 1430 is the cartridge option for borderless 13 x 19 photos, with no duplex and a slower 2.8 ppm output.
Conclusion: The Best Printer for Cardstock in 2026
Six printers here genuinely clear the bar for cardstock, and they separate cleanly by job. The Epson EcoTank ET-15000 is our pick as the best printer for cardstock overall, thanks to its 11 x 17 rear feed, 250-sheet capacity, auto duplex and refillable tanks that keep heavy-coverage ink affordable.
Choose the Canon TS9521C for 12 x 12 scrapbook pages, the Epson EcoTank Photo ET-8550 for 13 x 19 art prints at the lowest running cost, the Canon PIXMA PRO-200S for photo-grade colour on coated card, the Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw II for high-volume business card batches, and the Epson Artisan 1430 for borderless large photos. Whichever you pick, feed thick stock from the rear one sheet at a time, match the paper profile, and let the ink dry before you stack.