When it comes to purchasing a new printer, there are a lot of design and product features to consider that should impact your decision. From the printer’s size and footprint, to its display and control options; you’ll want to think about all of this; however, one consideration in particular tends to dominate: should I buy inkjet or laser?
If you don’t know what differentiates an inkjet from a laser printer, then it can be difficult to know which one will be the most suitable for your requirements, each having a list of pros and cons.
In order to pick between an inkjet or laser printer, you will need a good understanding of the following:
Your printing requirements Will you be printing mostly images or text, or both?
Your volume of printing How much and how often will you be printing?
Your budget How much are you willing to spend on a printer and how long do you intend on keeping it for? Are you willing to spend the cost to maintain and repair the printer or would you replace it? How much are you willing to spend on the consumables such as ink and paper?
What’s the difference: inkjet vs laser?
The biggest distinction between inkjet and laser printers is the material they use to print onto the paper. Inkjet printers use a wet ink meanwhile laser printers use toner, also described as a dry powder.
There are also some mechanical differences, although these are far less important or impactful on your decision. Inkjet printers use a small nozzle to spray the liquid ink onto the paper in the form of droplets; however, laser printers use a heated fuser to transfer the text and images onto the paper.
Due to the nature of inkjet printers, the ink can sometimes clog up inside the printer, meaning the nozzle and sometimes the ink can smudge on unwanted areas of your document or image, particularly if you touch the printout immediately after printing, as it may still be damp. This is also dependent on which type of paper you use, as some paper types don’t absorb the ink as easily.
Which printer is suitable for you?
The wet ink cartridges used in inkjet printers can dry up quickly, even when the printer is not being used, which means that laser printers tend to last longer, making them more suitable for printing multiple page documents or high volume printing in an office. However, if you intend on printing high-quality images, inkjet printers are great for achieving high-quality photos and excellent colour and tonal quality, and are therefore great for more creative occupations or departments. Although laser printers are also suitable for printing images, the photo quality is nowhere near as good as an inkjet printer. If you are going to be printing mostly text documents and in monochrome, then a laser printer is the most suitable option.
You should also consider what paper size you will be printing on, as inkjet printers often support a variety of paper types and sizes in order to print on textured or glossy style photo paper and also fabrics, meanwhile laser jet printers are often restricted to your standard document and letter sizes.
Inkjet printers usually take longer to print too. The average is 16 pages per minute as they produce a higher quality image or document and use wet ink which is printed carefully to ensure it doesn’t run or smudge; however, laser printers can produce up to 100 pages in a minute. So if you are going to regularly print larger documents with multiple pages, a laser printer would be the best option for you.
There is often a catch when it comes to choosing between an inkjet or laser printer, as more than often an inkjet printer is far cheaper to purchase and can therefore look more appealing; however what isn’t always taken into consideration is the cost of the consumables and the maintenance, in particular the cost of replacing cartridges. Whilst toner tends to be more expensive than an inkjet cartridge, you may need to replace ink cartridges more often if you intend on printing on a regular basis. Inkjet printers have a higher cost-per-page than laser printers, whilst laser printers will be able to produce thousands of pages before the toner runs out. An inkjet printer will only be able to print an average of a few hundred in comparison until the cartridge needs to be replaced.
To summarise, if your printing requirements do not involve printing a lot of high-quality images on a regular basis, then a laser printer would typically be the most suitable option for you. However, if you are in a creative industry, such as a photographer, then an inkjet printer could be the right printer for you.
Elite Office Solutions are experts in providing printing solutions to businesses of all sizes across a variety of sectors and industries. For more information on our printers and our services, contact us here.