The Difference between Laser Printers and Inkjet Printers

When it comes time to choose a new printer you probably already know that laser and inkjet models are the two basic options but are you aware of the difference between these different types of device? In fact, there are a few differences which we will have a look at here.

How Do They Work?

In simple terms, an inkjet printer will spray ink in a liquid form through tiny nozzles. On the other hand, a laser printer will include toners such as HP toner cartridges & Brother toner cartridges which are filled with the ink in the form of a fine powder.

 

The Cost of Starting Out

If you are most interested in getting started with a low cost printer then you will discover that there isn’t really that much difference in the price of the budget models in each category. However, there is one point which you need to bear in mind; low cost laser printers can generally only print black and white documents while an inkjet model of roughly the same price should be able to print in colour as well.

The Cost of Printing

Those people who are heavy users will be interested in seeing whether an inkjet printer or a laser one is cheaper to run in the long run. In general terms, you will see that inkjet printers have a higher cost per printed page when we compare the cost of replacing the ink or toner. With laser printers the cost per page tends to decrease when you look at more expensive models, but even the cheapest ones are usually better then inkjets in this aspect.

Other Ongoing Costs

A big laser printer will usually need more spent on it than an inkjet model. There is more chance of parts needs such as the fuser cartridge needing to be replaced.

The Print Speed

Of course, if you want a printer for business reasons then the speed at which it prints out is going to be very important to you. Laser printers will almost always do a better job for you here. If you are looking at budget models then the inkjet ones will probably be around 3 times slower than their rivals.

The Print Quality

For the majority of printing jobs there is no real difference between the two different types of printer. Having said that, for smaller fonts and more intricate jobs laser machines will give you a finer performance.

The Summary

For those people who want a cheap and reliable home printer an inkjet is a sound choice which won’t let them down. Business owners and anyone who wants a fast performance and high quality even for the most difficult jobs will probably want to have a look at the current range of inkjet models instead.

 

Post written by Cleaning Hero Supplies