When Width Is Important

Definition: Wide-format printing (also known as large-format printing) usually refers to devices that can handle sheets of paper 24 inches and wider. These aren't commonly purchased printers; according to a study by CAP Ventures, nearly 76 percent of those who own a wide-format printer are print-for-pay businesses -- print shops, copy shops, etc.

That being said, if your company prints a great many posters, blueprints, maps, or other large-format documents, a wide-format printer is a useful device to have, especially if the alternative is sending your jobs out to print shops.

Wide-format printers can use a variety of printing processes, including inkjet, laser / LED, copy press (which literally presses the image into the paper), thermal transfer (which melts color "crayons" onto the sheets), and electrostatic (where negatively charged toner is attracted to a positively charged drum). They are usually freestanding systems.

Although most are meant for professional or corporate milieus, there are in fact some "personal" wide-format printers available. However, if you're looking for a professional-level printer, offering a capacity for wider paper, automatic paper cutting, a wider variety of media types, among other features, then you're going to be looking at anywhere from $2,000.00 to $20,000.00.