Inkjet or laser printer – which is better
Having an accessible printer at home is one thing, but having a reliable printer is another. Whether you’re printing family photos and documents or working from home, it’s important that you invest in the printer that will work for you, the way you need it to.
What kind of printer is that? Inkjet or laser? What’s the real difference at the end of the day and which one is better for you? Let’s find out.
Inkjet Printing
An inkjet printer uses the traditional printing method by placing small drops of ink onto the page. As paper is fed through the machine, the print head moves across the page and drops the ink wherever commanded to by the computer to create the visuals you need.
Are inkjet printers better?
There’s no hard and fast answer to this question. A big plus of inkjet printers is that the actual printer units can be quite cheap. The bad news is that the replacement ink can be more costly and annoying to install. With new printers coming to market all the time, however, this is slowly changing.
Laser Printing
Laser printers don’t use ink, rather they use something called melted toner powder. To make a complicated process short, the printer uses static electricity to create a pattern on the page that gets fed through. The opposingly charged toner powder then sticks to the charged area of the drum. At that point it is then transferred to the page by the fuser (two rollers).
Are laser printers better?
Again, there’s no universal result that applies to everyone. Laser printers don’t require ink buying and can prove to be very durable and long lasting. But changing toner cartridges can be tricky and sometimes messy (if you’re not careful).
Inkjet vs laser printers
Cost
When you’re comparing the two types of printers, think about how you’ll be using the two. Inkjets generally cost less upfront, but can be costly in the long run depending on the model and ink needed. Think about the initial and running costs of each option based on how you’ll be using it.
Speed
How quickly do you need your print jobs to come through? If you’re working at breakneck speed in your home office, you might want to consider a laser printer because of its pages per minute print rate and durability.
Photo quality
If you’re into photography and really want to print your photos at a high quality from your home printer, you might want to consider an inkjet printer. They tend to be preferred for prints, photographs and other graphic material.
Environmentally friendly
Is being green a high priority for you? Generally, inkjet cartridges are worse for the environment than laser printers as they can take hundreds of years to decompose, but again this does depend on the frequency and type of use.
Inkjet or laser printer – the choice is yours!
At the end of the day, you need a printer that works for you. Finding the right make and model can be difficult but knowing where to start is the key. And that means knowing whether an inkjet or laser printer is better for you. If you’re still not 100% sure about which kind of printer will be ideal for your specific use and application, the Inkpal team is here to help. Simply give us a call and we’d be more than happy to help you out. You can also find out more information about all things inkjet, laser printers and more on our blog!
