Tech and Trends:- If you are in the market for a new printer, you will probably be facing a dilemma as to whether you should go for an inkjet or laser printer.
An inkjet will probably cost you less to buy but when you factor in the cost of buying regular inkjet cartridges from a supplier, but even if you get a good price by using an online supplier like Stinkyink.com, will it be more cost-effective to buy a laser printer in the long run?
Here is a look at the positives and negatives surround inkjet and laser printers, so you can hopefully decide which type of machine is best for your needs and printing requirements and choose a model that will deliver the best savings.
Inkjet or laser printer?
The general consensus of opinion is that if you are buying a printer for home, it is better to buy an inkjet model and if you are buying for an office, a laser printer would be the default option.
There is no definite answer to which is the best option because it depends on how many pages you are planning to print each year and whether you are more likely to print more document pages than pictures using your printer.
A laser printer will print more pages per minute than an inkjet printer so for speed and efficiency, a laser probably wins that particular argument. An inkjet generally copes with printing photos and images better than a laser printer and that is one of the reasons why so many homes have an inkjet, as it offers a versatility without matching the output speed of a laser printer.
Cost of printing
Printing costs will vary between different manufacturers and models but an average user who prints up to 1,000 pages per year, will probably be better off choosing an inkjet printer.
This should equate to around 5p per page print cost. If you are a more frequent domestic user or run a small business where your usage will exceed more than 2,000 pages per annum, you may find that a laser would come out at around 3p per page.
If you print a large amount of black and white documents, you will probably find that a laser printer could save you a lot of money on ink costs, as the savings tend to increase in line with the amount you print each year.
Size matters
When it comes to laser printers, the size of the model you choose to buy will make a difference to your print yield.
A cheaper laser printer will invariably have a smaller ink cartridge and the smaller the cartridge, the lower the print yield as a result. The answer is not to buy a laser printer on price alone. Check out the cost of replacement cartridges for the model in question and always try to find out how many printed pages each cartridge is likely to manage.
Print quality
If you are a low volume user of your printer and intend to print photos and images on a regular basis, you should probably go for an inkjet printer.
The print quality is higher and the colour definition is normally better on an inkjet printer than its laser counterpart.
The verdict
If you want a fast printer that can cope with high volume print runs, then a laser printer would be your best option.
Colour printing jobs often turn out better on inkjet printers so if you are a relatively low volume user of your printer and want to print a mix of images and documents, an inkjet would be the best bet in those circumstances.
An inkjet and a laser printer both have their advantages and disadvantages, so it is a case of working out how often and what type of printing you intend to do, so that you can weigh up your options and make an informed choice.
John Sollars started his company in 2002 and has watched the printing industry evolve over time. With a passion for writing and for helping people, he likes to share what he has learned over the years.
