Top 10 Best Flatbed Printer In 2022 [Reviews With Buying Guide]

The technology industry has grown so fast that we are expecting something new and more advanced. In the past, we have seen progressive improvement of printing the technological growth of the printing machines. If you want to upgrade your business, the UV flatbed printer maybe come indispensable.

The flatbed printer has a wide range of commercial uses and facilitates printing in a wide range of surfaces, such as plastic, photographic paper, cloth, film, acrylic, ceramic, glass, metal, leather, wood and many more.

The digitally enabled flatbed works with the proper software. There are many types of flatbed printers and this depend on the substrate you are going to use for printing. In the review, we will highlight the models to aid you finding a best flatbed printer.

Editor’s Recommendation: Top 3 Best Flatbed Printer

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What is a Flatbed Printer?

Flatbed printers are digital printers characterized by a flat surface where the printed material is placed to feed and print. In these printers, UV curable ink and UV light are used. For UV light use, these printers are also named Flatbed UV printers.

The process of printing uses inks that are cured or polymerized by exposing intense UV light. The ink is made of acrylic monomers that can print designs or patterns or texts on a wide variety of mediums, including paper, plastic, glass, ceramic, fabric, PVC, metal, leather, wood, and photographic films.

As the printing material placing area is flat, printed output is smooth and perfect. It can print on wood, canvas, tile, carpet, and glass, efficiently reducing the handling hassle. For a flat surface, these printers can print in highly thick print media ranging from a paper sheet to several inches thick paper.

An innovative advantage of these flatbed printers is that they can be an excellent alternative for screen printers. Silkscreen printing through the use of flatbed printers is used commercially, which is profitable economically. Some latest high-end printers are designed to allow roll feed. These printers can handle some unattended printing jobs too.

Quick Comparison: Top 10 Flatbed Printers

Top 10 Best Flatbed Printer Reviews

1. Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer Review

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Key Features:

• Efficient printing
• Black Toner Cartridge
• Monochrome Laser printer

If you want a printer with the quality of a flatbed and copy and scan, the Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer is one, which has a scanning glass.

The device is compatible with AirPrint and Google mediated mobile devices. The Brother HLL2395DW laser typographer is an upgraded model with the efficiency of printing 36ppm.

This monochrome printer is the best brother all-in-one flatbed laser printer that and copy, scans, and prints. The colored touchscreen facilitates cloud-based scanning and printing.

The capacity of printing at a time is 250 pages in the legal and letter-size paper. The printer is compatible with wireless; the ‘touch to connect’ print command enables printing from a phone, laptop, tablet, and desktop.

Installation of the HL-L2395DW was quick and easy. In order to assemble, remove several strips of tape holding everything closed, and insert the drum-plus-toner package.

Though the instruction sheet was thin and lacking detailed illustrations, I was able to intuit how to insert the toner.

Also, the Wi-Fi setup was painless, but it was helped by the limited number of options on the onscreen menu. My Wi-Fi password was entered on the first attempt since the small color touchscreen was responsive enough.

In the past, I have found Google Cloud Print to be a bit of a mystery. In Windows 10 or Mac OS, adding a networked local printer isn’t as simple as it should be, but I managed to solve that problem in no time as well.

Pros

• Touch screen
• Takes 250 pages
• Many devices compatible

Cons

• Heavy
• Not Fax compliant

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2. UV Printer, A4 UV Flatbed Printer Review

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Key Feature:

• Flatbed
• UV printer
• High resolution
• Prints on any surface

The A4 UV Flatbed Printer with Touch Screen is one of the best UV flatbed printers as it flatbed printers use ultraviolet enabled LED light to fix ink droplets over a wide range of surfaces typical of the characteristic of the flatbed printer.

The printer has an easy-to-use touch screen, which also speeds the action of the printer to print on metal, leather, glass, bottle, plastic, and fabrics. The flatbed is an appropriate size molded with cloth and ink.

The heating element of the flatbed is infrared; the resolution is high in this update version making the print quality better than the 3D printers do. Printing is fast, you can get the final product within 2 to 3 minutes. Post-processing such as washing after the printing is not essential.

A remarkable feature of the touch screen is that it can automatically correct the extent of the surface and adjust the nozzle position to obtain precise printing. CE also certifies this feature. The UV Printer requires soft or hard ink depending on the printing surface.

Therefore, you will need UV inks depending on the material on which you are printing your design. Since it is a colored printer, you can choose your desired UV ink for this A4 UV Flatbed Printer.

Pros

• Wireless
• Touch screen
• Excellent colored prints

Cons

• None

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3. Brother RHLL2390DW Monochrome Printer Review

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Key Features:

• Scan, copy print
• Easy to install
• Digital monochrome
• Wi-Fi connectivity in many devices

Here is another monochrome printer, which scans copies and prints and comes with a 90-day guarantee in the renewed product. You will love this Brother Printer RHLL2390DW for 80% more capacity of the batteries.

The Wi-Fi connectivity enables printing from your mobile, smartphone, desktop, laptop, and tablet. The printing media are cardstocks, envelopes, and plain paper. The scanner is a flatbed glass and scans at a speed of 32ppm. That is quite an efficient digital flatbed printer that will aid in finishing your orders on time.

A voluminous supply of 250 sheets needing refills less often to print on legal and letter size papers enabled the efficiency of the Brother Printer. The printer produces professional documents, which is satisfying to you and your customers.

Similarly, it offers fast performance. HL-L2390DW and MFC-L2750DW are alike enough, in fact, that their online manuals are identical. While it also features a 15,000-page monthly duty cycle, the recommended monthly volume for the printer is 2,000 pages.

The HL-L2390DW has no fancy appearance. As a starter, it has a simple two-line, monochrome, backlit LCD screen, not a touch screen. On the front panel, there are physical up/down buttons that allow you to navigate the menu options. One unique feature of this controller is that there are no left and right buttons.

The accessories that come with the printer are functional. The small screen however seems to be inconvenient. The printer is good for people on the go, with no office setup.

Pros

• Saves time
• Speedy printer
• Efficient in battery use

Cons

• Tiny screen

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4. Focus Combo-Jet A3 UV Printer Review

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Key Features:

• Combo-jet printer
• UV enabled speedy
• Enclosed with software

The Focus Combo-Jet A3 UV flatbed printer with the latest technology UV printer a3 incorporated is the best UV flatbed printer appropriate for industrial and commercial printing. The UV Lamp is highly efficient as it adjusts to the 6-power index of UV; the wavelength of light is 390 to400nm. The power requirement is 100Watt. The lamp-life is 50,000 hours so you need to worry about a change in a long time.

The combo-jet printer does wonders with CMYK colors and lighter shades. The dpi is at a maximum of 5760 x 1440dpi producing bright prints making your product very attractive.

Besides the speed of the printer is A3/180S, the printer is mediated by FocusRIP-UV8.2.6 software. The direction of printing is uni- and bidirectional.

A significant advantage, the ink resists clogging by either manual or automatic cleaning of the head before and after printing. Therefore, the print head is unharmed by automatic detection. This large-format flatbed printer will make your business customers satisfied.

Pros

• Multicolored
• Auto head cleaner
• Excellent vivid prints
• Ink status detector

Cons

• Does not do small jobs

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5. Brother HL-L3290CDW Compact Color Printer Review

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Key Features:

• Digital colored
• Original toner
• Adjustable trays
• Scan, copy, and print
• Flatbed glass scanner

The print media for Brother HL-L3290CDW Compact Digital Color Printer produces color prints on plain paper, envelopes, cardstocks, and glossy paper. It prints quite fast at a speed of 25ppm.

There is a 250-sheet main drawer and an override tray above the main drawer on the Brother HL-L3290CDW, while the Brother MFC-L3770CDW has a 250-sheet main drawer and a 30-sheet multipurpose tray. As compared, HP’s M180nw only holds 150 sheets, while Canon’s MF42Ddw holds 300 sheets, and can be expanded to 900 sheets.

Print volumes of 1,500 pages a month are recommended for the printer, which has a duty cycle of 30,000 pages. The printer’s duty cycle is quite similar to that of its competitors.

The laser-devised color prints are vivid with a professional look. The best flatbed printer on the market, this Brother HL-L3290CDW digital printer also scans and copies. The LCD has a 2-line display allowing monitoring of the status of printing.

This laser printer is compatible with Wi-Fi direct, wireless mobiles, in-built wireless interfaces, and USB. The printer is also compatible with Air Print, Brother iPrint and Scan, Morpria and Wi-Fi Direct.

The printer comes with 8 types of original Brother toner producing a combination of beautiful prints from the flatbed glass scanner.

A small monochrome display and a drill-down style control panel make the HL-L3290CDW user-friendly. However, you can even set up users and other security parameters by using the built-in web site to configure and monitor the printer.

Pros

• Quite speedy
• Vivid prints
• Many connectivity

Cons

• None

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6. Procolored UV Printer Review – A3 UV Flatbed Printer

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Key Features:

• Inkjet Flatbed
• 3-D technology
• UV LED compatible
• Prints on many surfaces

If you need a printer for your décor items, Procolored A3 Size Automatic UV Flatbed Printer is ideal for customizing on cups, mugs, metals, glass, and wood. This inkjet flatbed printer also comes with a bottle holder. Using UV LED technology causes no radiation and no abrasion of print.

Using 3-dimensional technology allows the pattern to show a clear, layered effect. Further, the printer can make embossed prints. The prints dry up fast with a shiny finish. With a command on the touch screen, the machine uses UV technology to create the finished final product that comes out in 3 to 5 minutes.

After printing, the products do not need washing or steaming. If ordering bulk, you can get back your product within a specified time.

The UV Flatbed printer does an excellent job on wood and an ideal flatbed printer for wood. The process is safe and environment friendly, as it does not leave any waste of ink and even no noise pollution. The printer comes with a 3-year warranty and assistance in setting up remotely.

Pros

• Comes with a bottle holder
• Safe and environment friendly
• Prints on glass, plastic, wood, and many more

Cons

• None

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7. Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer Review

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Key Features:

• Duplex printing
• 250-pages capacity
• Robust construction
• Monochrome laser printer

The Brother Compact Monochrome Laser Printer prints in the shade of black and grey. It automatically prints on both sides. The printing speed is 32ppm, which increases the efficiency of the printer largely. The printer has varied connectivity options, which include the in-built wireless or the USB interface. Printing occurs from wireless devices such as the smartphone, desktop, laptop, and tablet.

The printer can handle both legal and letter size papers of 250 pages at a time, lessening the number of refills. The feed slot of the paper is easy to handle manually for printing envelopes, cardstocks, or other sizes and helps in achieving a professional look to the document.

The built-in wireless connects to the computer through the USB. The duplex printing saves paper and the cost of toner. Therefore, it is a savior. The printer is of robust construction so it is durable and takes heavy loads. It also supports online chat for customer service.

Pros

• Speedy
• Durable
• Wireless and USB

Cons

• None

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8. Canon TS6320 All-In-One Wireless Color Printer Review

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Key Features:

• Output tray
• Inkjet printer
• Copy, scan, print
• In-built 5-color tanks
• OLED and LED display
• Wireless and Alexa enabled.

The Canon TS6320 All-In-One Wireless Color Printer is a 3 in one device that facilitates copying, scanning, and printing. The printer produces beautiful, sharp prints from 5-color tanks of the inkjet printer. When any color runs out, replacement of the single color is possible without buying the whole set. This is a great saving.

The OLED display, which is 1.44-inch wide, and the LED bar help monitor the status of printing. The OLED shows the accurate color of the print whereas the LED provides the information of the printing status. This flatbed inkjet printer prints excellent pictures on glossy paper.

The Canon has an automatic stretchable output tray that delivers the printouts. The printer takes command from the tablet and smartphone. The printer is also compatible with a voice-controlled Alexa device. The printer comes in white color and looks elegant.

Canon’s TS6320 is about on par with most TS-series printers in terms of monochrome print speeds and color print speeds. From our standard Intel Core i5 testbed running Windows 10 Pro, I tested the printer over a USB connection.

Our 12-page Microsoft Word document was printed at just under 13ppm on the TS6320, or 12.7ppm, which is slightly slower than its predecessor and slightly slower than the Epson XP-7100.

In addition to supporting Instagram’s square images, the TS6320 also supports 3.5 inch, 5 inch, and 7 inch square image media sizes. It’s not known if any non-Pixma cameras support the square format.

On the other hand, unlike its predecessor, the TS6320 does not print labels on pressure faced optical discs. As with the TS8320 and other top-of-the-line Pixma TS models, it cannot print two-sided pages automatically.

Pros

• Sharp prints
• Economy in maintenance
• Compatible with tablet and smartphone

Cons

• Prints only in glossy paper

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9. Brother DCP-L2550DW All-in-One Monochrome Printer Review

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Key Features:

• Wi-Fi enabled
• Manual feeding
• Monochrome Laser
• Good print resolution
• Connects to any device

The Brother DCP-L2550DW All-in-One Monochrome Laser Printer is another complete printer that comes with a deluxe bundle. The printer does a wonderful job on fabrics. The deluxe printer performs impressively at the rate of 36ppm.

A monochrome printer and photocopier, it is an ideal printing and photocopying solution for small and busy offices and homes. In the printer and copier market, this model replaces the Brother DCP-L2540DW.

It not only offers improved features, but it is also more efficient and convenient than its predecessors, which makes it a good fit for your home-office printing needs without blowing your budget.

In comparison to its predecessor, the DCP-L2540DW, the DCP-L2550DW offers many improvements. Up to 50 sheets of paper can be fed through the document feeder at once.

Besides printing 36 pages per minute, the DCP-L2550DW can also scan and copy multiple pages. This greatly improves the efficiency of the scanning and printing process. Printing wirelessly from connected devices is easy with this printer-copier.

Setting up the printer is quite easy. The online supported driver and software work well with the installation. The Wi-Fi connectivity aids in operating the printer from any device. The printing speed is 36ppm but the speed of the scanner is rather slow.

The printer has a flatbed area is 8.5 x 11.7 inches and the print area is 8.5 x 14 inches, making it the best midsize flatbed UV printer. The ADF capacity is 50-sheet, the tray holds 250 pages and has to be manually fed in the slot. The high print resolution produces vivid, detailed prints.

Pros

• Speed prints
• Vivid pictures
• 250-sheet capacity

Cons

• Slow scanner

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10. Brother INKvestment Tank Inkjet Printer Review

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Key Features:

• INKvestmentTank
• compatible with many OS
• AirPrint, Wi-Fi, Google compatible

The Brother INKvestmentTank Inkjet Printer is a colored all-in-one printer with a special technology that uses clean cartridges that holds more ink in an internal storage system. Therefore, the ink lasts for a year inside the box. The printer comes with the MFCJ995DW cartridge, which saves the use of ink through refills.

The INKvestment Tank technology enables continuous delivery of ink for printing making it the best large flatbed scanner printer. There is no worry to look out for ink run out.

Further, you need not guess when you have to refill, the page gauge installed in the printer lets you know the consumption and the quantity of ink remaining. The device is compatible with all versions of Windows, iOs, and Mac operating systems.

It also operates with direct Wi-Fi, Google, and AirPrint through mobile, desktop, and other wireless devices. It also supports many network protocols.

A great family printer, the Brother MFC-J995DW. Although color accuracy is average, photos printed from this printer look great. Printing in black only or in color remains low-cost when printing in large numbers. You can enlarge or do some light editing with this scanner’s scan resolution and color depth.

The printer is also convenient as it duplex. The prints are consistent of the same quality as Brother has genuine ink supplies of all the colors. Therefore, the quality of printing remains the same if you have an extensive project.

Pros

• Saves the cost of ink
• Refill ink available
• Compatible with mobile

Cons

• None

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Things To Check Before Choosing The Best Flatbed Printer

The flatbed printer will give you more confidence in extending your printing business. Even though it takes a lot of space, the different operations you can do with the flatbed will take your business to heights. Choosing the right flatbed printer might be perplexing. Therefore, we have prepared a guide to help you visualize the technology of flatbed printers.

There are two concepts on which the flatbed printer is constructed.

1. Hybrid moving bed: In this type, the print zone remains stationary, the substrate or the media moves through it like a roll as long as it prints. The movement has the substrate has to be accurate.
2. True flatbed: In true flatbed type, the substrate stay still but the print head carrier moves across as long as the printing is in duration.

The hybrid moving bed is a roll-based printer model. The printer fits into removable tables that contain the surface or media. The printer remains stationary but the surface rolls until the printing is complete.

This technology needs lower capital cost, as it requires only handling of the media table to allow feeding. The entire operation occurs with the same printer as it prints to a roll-based surface.

There are a few disadvantages to this technology. As the table or media moves for printing, skewing of the print occurs, resulting in loss of time and resource in redoing. Because of the use of the belt-drive system, at the end of each print, ink spots remain in the drive that needs cleaning of the excess ink.

Hybrids do well on lightweight and regular shaped material, which is a limitation. The prints are poor on an uneven surface such as plywood or canvas.

Further, the printer and surface need adjustments for double-sided prints. It is also not possible to print large images over many boards required in exhibitions.

The digital true flatbed has multiple applications. The printing device moves over the stationary surface, which remains rigid. The flatbed can print on vinyl stickers/banners, canvas, acrylic, glass, wood, and much more. It easily prints on both sides of a surface and enables printing with very intervention in operation.

The cost of true flatbed UV printers is however higher than the hybrid. The roll printing system is also not in-built, requiring a configuration change.

How do Flatbed Printers Work?

Digital flatbed printers are a great innovation that cut the gap between screen printing and offset printing. It provides a perfect medium to set flat or uneven objects to be printed with unique designs and patterns. The flatbeds of these printers allow printing on different variety of media, including furniture, glass objects, coffee cups, wooden doors, and injection molded acrylics.

How do Flatbed printers print on three-dimensional things? Let’s follow the steps below.

Step-1: First, place the printing medium like a pen, wooden things, or glass material on the flatbed space of the digital flatbed printer. Some printers have delivery trays that sit the printing medium into the flatbed. You can use that tray to set the print media.

Step-2: Next, you have to use the mechanical lock or the vacuum secure to lock the print media. The printing item will then slide through the printer, and printing will be done. If you cannot close the print media, it will slip out of the register.

Step-3: Then, use the commanding button or computer-connected operating system to move the medium inside the printer. It will pass under the print heads, and ink will be placed as the design is structured. In some 3D printers, the printer uses the UV lamp to cure the printed format after printing.

Though the desktop printers are based on virtually additive colors that add red, green, and blue colors to the black, digital flatbed printers use subtractive colors from the white base. The ink colors variety is CMYK that is Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and black.

Flatbed printers use the Spot color process to provide ink evenly. It applies ink over the image and then varnishes to make an excellent finish. UV-cured ink makes another level of printing. It dries on the print media surfaces, and then it rises above the surface, creating a feel to touch.

Why are UV Printers So Expensive?

Comparing to other digital printers, UV printers are much expensive. The reasons are described below:

• The cost of the printers increases for the increased cost of the printers’ parts. The sore parts of the UV printers are expensive. These parts include nozzles, boards, gratings, etc. These parts have high procurement costs too. For example, the cost of nozzles in Ricoh Gen5 is about $80,000. If you have to replace the nozzle, think about the price for the long run.
• There is no standard design for these UV printers. Most of them come in a customized format to meet the demand of customers. There are many differences in the configuration, size, etc. The size, LC, LM, varnish, white ink function, etc., are included. For these customizations, the sheet metal of the printer comes unsealed and batched. In the absence of scale effects, the cost of the UV printers increases.
• UV printers are made with better accuracy in assembly of different parts to provide the best customer satisfaction. It enhances the standard of these printers. That is why the production cost for these printers is high. It increases the printer price.

Can a UV Printer Print on Fabric?

The answer is “YES.” The UV printers are excellent. They are with incredible design and production criteria to meet the customer demand. The capability for printing on different media is also higher comparing to the others.

The UV printers can print on paper, PVC, plastic, metal, wood, board, canvas, textile, leather, fabric, slate, driftwood, bamboo, etc., a lot of different types of media. These printers can also print on heat-sensitive products.

Some of the supportive features of the UV printers make them capable of printing on fabric. The UV lamp of these printers immediately cures the printed item after finishing the printing process. The UV cured ink is resistant to etching or biting that keeps the substrate safe and secure. So, it can go on every type of material, including the delicate material. So, printing on fabric using UV printers is easier and safe.

How Long Does UV Printing Last?

After finishing the printing process, UV printers cure the substrate. It increases the life length of the printed areas. Even if you keep the printed item outdoor, it stays perfect for minimum of two years without fading. If you laminate the printed things, it will last for five years, and even it will not fade.

The application purpose determines the durability of the printed items. It can be durable for longer if it stays at fast paces. It also depends on ink types and the substrate.

On the rigid substrate, hard ink is used. These hard inks do not stretch or bend easily. On the other hand, flexible inks lean and stretch easily as they are more elastic. If you keep the printed items under the UV light by the sun exposure, they will be oxidized and fade with time. Flexible ink stays more durable under the sun exposure comparably.

Final Words

Your decision to purchase the best flatbed printer would depend on the type of surface or media you will use. The cost may pay off if you have a business to print multiple types of surface materials for a long period. The space you can spare for a printer and the recurring costs, also need attention. The availability of warranty and after-sales service may help in building your confidence buying one of the best flatbed printers. Good luck!

About Author

Alice

Alice covers platforms, policy and big tech at Printer Reviews. Prior to rejoining here, Alice was Senior Technology Editor of the TechDen. Alice first joined PrinterReviews in 2021. Before joining, he was the Tech Editor of the Daily Dot and a reporter and deputy editor at ReadWeb.

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