Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310: Specs, Price, Pros & Cons
This review measures the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 against the full 24-spec sheet we track for printers, comparing it like for like with the 50 other models in our database. It earns a VS Score of 30 out of 100 — the weighted result of every verified specification measured against the class average.
On the spec sheet it is strongest in connectivity and weakest in scanning & copying. Its clearest single advantage over the class average: a higher print resolution — 4,800 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg). Street prices currently start at $ 849 for the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310. A transparency note: this spec sheet is 71% complete. Anything unverified shows as Unknown and is left out of the score — we never estimate a missing value.
Category strengths
Where the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 beats the average
- Has ethernet ?
- Has color printing ?
- A higher print resolution ?4,800 dpi vs 4,041.94 dpi (avg)
- Has Apple AirPrint ?
- Has Wi-Fi ?
Where the Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 trails the average
- No all-in-one ?
- No automatic duplex printing ?
- No automatic document feeder ?
- No touchscreen display ?
- A much heavier build ?14.33 kg vs 9.07 kg (avg)
- No supertank / refillable ink ?
- No duplex scanning ?
- No fax ?
Editor’s note
The imagePROGRAF PRO-310 is not an office printer that also does photos – it is a photographic instrument that happens to sit on a desk. Canon's 13-inch pigment machine runs a nine-colour LUCIA PRO II ink set plus a Chroma Optimizer coat, prints borderless A3+ and panoramas up to 13 by 70 inches, and exists for exactly one buyer: the photographer who wants gallery prints at home.
What the nine pigments buy is the things dye printers compromise: deep, neutral blacks on matte papers, print permanence measured in decades, and the Chroma Optimizer's even gloss that eliminates bronzing on lustre stocks. The 4800×2400 head, Ethernet, Wi-Fi and a 3-inch status LCD handle the practicalities; Canon's Professional Print & Layout software handles soft-proofing.
Be equally clear about what this is not. There is no scanner, no copier, no duplex, no document feeder – the all-in-one column on this page reads no by design. At 14.3 kilograms it is a permanent resident, and nine individual ink tanks mean nine things to replace, at photo-ink prices; running costs per A3+ print are real money, and small ink tanks empty faster than newcomers expect.
The comparison that matters in our catalogue is Epson's EcoTank Photo ET-8550: six dye-based tanks, dramatically cheaper per print, also 13-inch. The Epson wins on economics and versatility; this Canon wins on pigment permanence, black density and colour control – the things exhibition and sale prints are judged on.
Buy the PRO-310 if prints are your product or your passion and the cost per sheet is part of the craft. If photo printing is a hobby line-item, the ET-8550 delivers ninety percent of the joy at a fraction of the feeding costs.
Specifications
Quality bars are generated automatically against 50 other printers.
Printing
Laser prints crisp text fast; inkjet handles photos and colour better.
Prints in colour, not just black and white.
Black-and-white pages per minute; higher is faster.
Colour pages per minute; higher is faster.
A higher dot density produces sharper prints.
Prints both sides of the page without manual flipping.
Refillable ink tanks cut the cost per page dramatically.
The maximum recommended pages per month.
Scanning & copying
Scans and copies as well as prints.
Feeds multi-page documents through the scanner unattended.
How many pages the document feeder holds at once.
Scans both sides of a page automatically.
Sends and receives faxes.
Paper handling
A larger tray needs refilling less often.
How many printed pages the output tray holds.
The largest paper format supported (e.g. Letter, Legal, A3).
Connectivity
Print wirelessly over the home network.
Connect devices directly without a router.
A wired network port for reliable office use.
A direct USB connection to a computer.
Print from iPhone, iPad and Mac without extra drivers.
Print and manage the printer from a phone app.
Design
An onboard touchscreen makes standalone tasks easier.
A lighter printer is easier to place and move.
How the VS Score works — and what it can’t tell you
Every measurable spec is scored against the average of all the printers we track: matching the class average scores 50, clearly beating it climbs towards 100, and each spec counts according to an editorial weight that reflects real-world impact — a battery-capacity gap moves the score far more than a colour-options list. The quality bars on the spec cards above show where this model sits inside the full range for its class, and the overall VS Score rolls every weighted result into one number.
Unknown values are never estimated. A spec this product doesn’t report simply drops out of its scoring — it isn’t penalised with a guess — but a thinner spec sheet does mean a score built on fewer data points, which is why completeness is disclosed under About this data.
Most importantly: a spec-sheet lead is not the same as a better product. Megapixels, gigahertz and benchmark points describe capacity, not experience — image processing, software optimisation, thermals, haptics and ergonomics decide how a device actually feels, and no table captures reliability or long-term support quality. Treat the VS Score as a structured summary of what can be measured, not a substitute for your own priorities.
About this data
- Specifications are compiled from each manufacturer’s official spec sheet, cross-checked against trusted specification databases, and normalised into one schema so identical things are compared identically.
- Specifications last verified August 19, 2026.
- Data completeness: 17 of the 24 specs in this category are verified (71%). Anything we could not verify is shown as Unknown — never estimated — and is excluded from the score.
- Prices and availability come from live retailer feeds via our shopping partners and refresh throughout the day; a missing price means no partner currently lists the product, not that it is discontinued.
- Want the full picture? Our editorial guidelines explain how we research products, weight the scores and stay independent.
- Spotted an error in a spec? Tell us and we will correct the sheet.
Where to buy
Prices and availability may change. Check the retailer before buying. We may earn a commission on purchases.
Price history
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The bottom line
The Canon imagePROGRAF PRO-310 earns a VS Score of 30, trailing most of the 51 printers we compare here, at least on the spec sheet.
- Who it’s for
- Photographers who sell or exhibit prints: nine LUCIA pigments, Chroma Optimizer gloss control, and 13×19 borderless output with decades-rated permanence.
- Who should look elsewhere
- Anyone wanting a household printer – no scanner, no duplex, no document handling – or anyone who will wince at nine tanks of photo-ink pricing.
- The trade-off that matters
- Gallery-grade pigment output at running costs that make every print a considered decision – the economics are part of the discipline.
- The main alternative
- Epson's EcoTank Photo ET-8550 prints the same sizes in dye at a fraction of the feeding cost, for photographers who print for joy rather than sale.
The VS Score is generated automatically from the weighted specifications above, measured against all other printers in our database. Treat it as a shortlisting guide — not a substitute for your own priorities.
