The 5 Best Projectors for Artists in 2023 (October)

Most artists can relate to the experience of raging at their projector for not working properly. These occurrences can prove to be costly during any kind of event or function. To prevent this from happening altogether, a user must know the things that matter the most while buying a projector for artists.

In today’s article, we’ll be talking about the best projectors for artists. Our goal is to let the readers know what are the things that make or break a deal.

To find the right printers, we’ve dedicated over 30 hours to research and writing. A vast portion of this time went behind finding the proper selection criteria. We based our research on user feedback, expert opinion, and various sources. We then graded each of our recommended products with a score of 1-10 on each criterion.

After we were done finding the relevant criteria, we provided scenario-specific options (such as the best printer for busy offices or the best printer for tracing or the best budget printer, and more). These can help you make a good choice if you have a specific use case you would like to address.

Enjoy!

How To Select the Best Projector for Artists

Since artists need to project details and color properly, we decided to factor in this information while finding the best selection criteria. So after researching for quite some time, we decided that the following selection criteria are ideal when it comes to picking the Best Projector for Artists.

Projector Type

Before figuring out the other selection criteria, a user needs to figure out what kind of projector he needs first. There are various types of projectors. The most common ones among them are the overhead ones and the portable ones. We’ll discuss both of these projector types briefly.

Overhead Projector

Overhead projectors are fixed in a certain place. This kind of projector is mainly used in classrooms and conference rooms. If the user has a certain place where they can display their art regularly, an overhead projector would be a great choice.

There are also certain problems with an overhead projector. If you need to travel constantly to display your art then this isn’t the projector for you. On top of this, the cost to replace bulbs is slightly high and the technology is often dated.

Portable Projector

Portable projectors are not mounted in any specific location. These are capable of being easily transported from one location to another. They are generally lightweight, and can range in size.

While portable projectors are very easy to set up and use, they need to be maintained well for them to run perfectly. This can easily waste time in someone’s daily life. Some projectors will come with a built-in audio system and some won’t have any. That’s another thing to keep track of.

Connectivity

Connectivity is a term that’s used to describe the means of having a digital device be connected to another. Connectivity is a vital selection criterion regarding art projectors because artists need to constantly display their art in various places. The projector needs to have standard connectivity options.

The ideal connectivity options depending on your environment. You need to figure out if the place you’re in has good Wi-Fi coverage. If the place has good Wi-Fi coverage, going for a projector that has Wi-Fi would be ideal. You can also pick USB/Wired projectors.

In today’s article, we’ll be discussing projectors that have connection interfaces such as HDMI, VGA, USB, and others.

Brightness level

The brightness level of a projector means how bright the projector can display visuals in a dark/near-dark environment. Brightness levels and adjusting them properly are very important for artists as different places vary in terms of light and how bright they are. In a bright environment, you’ll need a projector that offers more luminescence.

The brightness level is measured by lumens. Similar to the connectivity criteria, the brightness level also depends on the environment you’ll set up your projector in. Most artists use projectors in big hall rooms or conference rooms so 2500 Lumens is what you should aim for in a projector for artists.

In today’s article, we’ll be discussing projectors that offer brightness levels from 2600 to 7500. While the brightness level can get quite high, keep in mind the recommended range we mentioned above.

Throw distance

Throw distance refers to the distance to which a projector can show visuals without cracking or blurring. Throw distance is another critical point that artists need to focus on as they display something visually bigger.

Throw distance is measured in inches. Most of the time, the biggest display an artist will need is around 100 inches. You’ll need a projector that has a throwing distance of 113 inches.

In this article, we’ll be discussing the throw distances of each of the printers. We’ll also be grading the distances of each of the projectors.

Display resolution

Display resolution refers to the number of pixels that can be displayed within a certain amount of area. Display resolution is very important for artists as lower quality projectors will display blurry and cracked visuals if the resolution is low.

Display resolution is measured in a height x width format. Ideally, you’d want a projector that displays full HD pictures. Full HD picture has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. Anything below that will make the pictures seem less clear and blurry.

All the projectors that we’re going to discuss here have FHD resolution. Don’t worry about not having a proper resolution.

Price

Price is probably the most important selection criterion among all of the criteria mentioned here. Despite that, we can’t mention the ideal prices for each of these products. The reason behind that is the constant fluctuation of the prices of the products.

What we can do however is mention the ideal price range for each of the products. The current market allows us to divide the price into three sections,

• Cheap – $100<
• Moderate- $100 – $200
• Expensive – $200+

Considering all of the facts and selection criteria scores, we can confidently say that the VANKYΟPRΟ Projector is the best projector for artists. It has a good throwing distance and brightness level and the selection criteria score surpasses the recommended scoring range.

Our Product Recommendations

• Best Projector Overall – VANKYΟPRΟ Projector
• Best Projector For Professional Artists – ViewSonic 3800
• Best Projector For Tracing – Living Enrichment Mini Projector
• Best Projector for Art Students – VANKYOMINI Leisure 3
• Best Budget Projector For Artists – DRJ Professional Projector

1. Best Projector Overall – VANKYΟPRΟ Projector

• Projector Type – Both Portable and Overhead
• Connectivity – VGA and USB Ports
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Brightness Level – 4500 Lumens
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Throw Distance- Up to 300”
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Resolution- 1920 x 1080P (FHD)
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Price- $199
  • Our Score – 9/10

The Vankyopro is a perfect projector for artists in every sense. It has great selection criteria scores across the board. The thing I like most about this projector is the throw distance it provides. It’s the best among all of the projectors for artists.

This projector is very lightweight so it’s easy to carry around and thus it’s portable. Users can also use it as an overhead projector as it has the required setup materials included to make it an overhead projector.

The best thing about this projector is the massive throw distance it has. The brightness level and resolution also match the required range of projectors for artists. The connection options are quite versatile too as you can connect this projector to pretty much any device.

Pros

• It can connect to any kind of device.
• It can be used as both a portable and overhead projector.
• The FHD resolution allows the visuals to be clear even from the 300” range.
• Massive brightness level ensures usability even in a moderate lit environment.

Cons

• The mounting holes are slightly off-center.

 

2. Best Projector For Professional Artists – ViewSonic 3800

• Projector Type – Portable
• Connectivity – HDMI and VGA
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Brightness Level – 3600 Lumens
  • Our Score – 8.5/10
• Throw Distance- Up to 120”
  • Our Score – 8.5/10
• Resolution- 1920 x 1080P (FHD)
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Price- $380
  • Our Score – 9/10

The best projector to use in a professional environment is the Viewsonic 3800. This projector has a sturdy build quality but is low in weight. It also racks up great scores in our selection criteria, thus making it an excellent choice for busy environments.

The Viewsonic 3800 is best for professional scenarios because of its minimalism in throwing distance. While some might argue it’s a tad bit low compared to other projectors, it maintains the FHD resolution even when displaying at a 120” distance. Most projectors can’t do that.

The brightness level is more than the recommended range regarding projectors for artists. It can also connect to pretty much any kind of device thanks to the HDMI and VGA ports that are available. It also comes with a super eco mode which lets you save lamp life indefinitely.

Pros

• Maintains FHD resolution even at full throwing distance length.
• A variety of connection options lets the user connect to any kind of device.
• Massive lamp life ensures that the user won’t have to change the lamp every few months.

Cons

• Adjusting the focus is a bit difficult.

 

3.Best Projector For Tracing – Living Enrichment Mini Projector

• Projector Type – Portable
• Connectivity – MicroSD, VGA, AV Port, USB, HDMI
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Brightness Level – 7000 Lumens
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Throw Distance- Up to 200”
  • Our Score – 8.5/10
• Resolution- 1920 x 1080P (FHD)
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Price- $100
  • Our Score – 9/10

Next in line we have the Living Enrichment Mini Projector. This projector is perfect for tracing as it’s relatively small in size and also has a pretty high brightness level. The selection criteria scores are really good also.

The living enrichment projector has a variety of connection options. Users can easily hook it up to any kind of device they want. Despite being a mini projector, it has one of the best brightness levels among all of the projectors on this list.

This projector doesn’t have a battery and runs on direct electricity. While that might seem negative, it performs decently when projecting artworks at live events. You need not worry worried about running the battery properly at all times.

Pros

• Plenty of connection options available.
• A perfect full-HD resolution that ensures smooth and clear picture quality.
• Ideal throw distance for tracing artwork.

Cons

• The user interface is kind of clunky.

 

4. Best Projector for Art Students – VANKYOMINI Leisure 3

• Projector Type – Portable
• Connectivity – VGA, USB
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Brightness Level – 2600 Lumens
  • Our Score – 8/10
• Throw Distance- Up to 176”
  • Our Score – 8.5/10
• Resolution- 1920 x 1080P (FHD)
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Price- $80
  • Our Score – 9/10

The best projector for art students is the Vankyo Mini Leisure 3. This is a miniature projector that also doubles down as a great mural and tracing projector for art students. The selection criteria scores of this projector are nearly perfect too.

Despite being a projector made for art students, this projector has a pretty good configuration. It has a sturdy build quality. It’s lightweight and thus portable. It can also display on smaller screens (At 5 inches distance) and bigger displays.

This projector has FullHD picture resolution so drawing murals or tracing artworks is very easy due to the picture being clear and perfect. The brightness is also just enough for rooms with ambient lighting.

Pros

• Clear FullHD picture quality.
• Provides clear visuals even at close ranges.
• Affordable price

Cons

• The resolution drops down at higher throwing distances.

 

5. Best Budget Projector For Artists – DRJ Professional Projector

• Projector Type – Overhead and Wall Mount
• Connectivity – HDMI, USB
  • Our Score – 9/10
• Brightness Level – 7500 Lumens
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Throw Distance – Up to 176”
  • Our Score – 8.5/10
• Resolution – 1920 x 1080P (FHD)
  • Our Score – 9.5/10
• Price – $65
  • Our Score – 9/10

The final pick had to be a budget option. That’s why we have decided to go for the DRJ Professional Projector. This projector is very cheap at under $100 yet still packs a punch in terms of overall performance.

This projector has great selection criteria scores across the board despite being such a low-budget printer. It has the latest connection interfaces such as HDMI and USB whereas most of the projectors use interfaces such as VGA. The brightness level of this projector is off the charts as it offers the highest brightness among any of the projectors.

Similar to the other projectors on our list, the DRJ Professional also has a 1080P FHD resolution. The picture quality is quite good. Believe it or not all of these come at just $65.

Pros

• The very affordable price of just $65
• It has the best brightness level among all projectors.
• Perfect for home theatre setup due to having high throwing distance.

Cons

• The built-in speaker quality is sub-par.

 

Conclusion

You have reached the conclusion of our guide to the Best Projector for artists. You have read how you can identify a good projector and we’ve also left our recommendation that covers various use cases.

Firstly we’ve discussed how a person can choose the Best Projectors for artists. In that phase, we explained why criteria such as connectivity, throwing distance, brightness are the key factors in selecting a laptop for CAD and 3D modeling. We’ve defined these selection criteria and have left recommended ranges for each of them as well.

After which, we continued to discuss our recommendations which covered various use cases. You can place yourself in these scenarios and pick the projectors. This will help a ton while buying a projector for artists.

Thanks for reading, Hope our suggestion helps you fetch your desired product.