The most critical question when dealing with printers is which one is the best, between laser and inkjet printers?
Although both models of printers are the best for home or office, what meets your needs in the best way will be the best option for you. The main difference between laser and inkjet printers is that inkjet printers are cheaper than laser printers. Moreover, laser printers have better printing results in text and documents.
So if you want to know the comparison between laser and inkjet printers, you have landed in the right place. We will differentiate between the two in detail.
Contents
Comparison of the Laser VS Inkjet Printer
There are many aspects in which laser printers are different from inkjet printers and offer you different levels of quality results. Let’s dive into the detailed aspects.
Printing Technology
The basic definition of printing revolves around the same technology, putting letters and images onto paper. These are two different methods in the two printers and work differently.
Inkjet printer worked with liquid ink and transferred onto the paper with the help of a print head using many nozzles. The inkjet printer prints the image by putting microscopic drops on paper, depending on whether the ink or dye is pigment-based. The colour of the ink will be changed on paper, deposited, or dries on the paper’s surface.
On the other hand, the laser printer works with toner, which comes in powder. The laser is used in a laser printer to produce the electric charge, which is used to transfer the toner on the substrate, paper which is then stuck to the surface of the page using heat.
Print Quality
The excellent toner and liquid ink quality are vital in both types of printers. If the toners and liquid inks come with high quality, then the output in the form of images will be bright and fantastic.
Inkjet printers use dye- and pigment-based inks, so these are the best options for printing images and photos with a subtle change of colours. The nature of the liquid ink can be defined as those mixtures that are easy to use and reproduce on the ink jet instead of a laser printer.
The laser printers are not meant to print photos and rely on half-tone dots to produce specific colours on the documents. Instead of using standard photo paper on an inkjet printer, laser printers with the capability for photo printing with high-quality colors require special photo paper that is ready to print.
Cost of Printing
The most crucial difference between laser and inkjet printers is the cost of printing with ink or toner. Liquid ink is the most expensive option on the planet and is a highly engineered product. It is designed to offer an accurate flow rate, dry within moments, mix, bleed with the expectable consistency, and provide the images with suitable options.
There is a lot of involvement in printer ink because it is a high-margined product, and the printer owner has to purchase it repeatedly. The cost of inkjet printers per page differs depending on the project type.
Black and white text can be printed for 5 to 10 cents per page, and the cost for colour printing runs between 15 to 25 cents per page. The new trend common in inkjet printers is replacing the expensive cartridges with the refillable tanks and cheaper ink bottles to save money and time.
On the other hand, toners are less expensive for per-page printing options for laser printers. Because the toners are in the form of powder and are considered to be the most straightforward substance to ship, store and carry. The individual toner cartridges are costly compared to ink cartridges because they print more than a hundred pages.
Printer Size
One of the most crucial aspects that business owners do not consider is the size of the printer itself. The market is full of a wide range of models and brands of printers, but the laser printers are, on the whole, come in larger sizes and heavier in weight than inkjet printers. So if you have limited space in your home or office, you should opt for the inkjet printer to fit in the limited and smaller space.
On the other hand, the ink jet printers have unique features like print heads built into the ink cartridges. They come in tiny sizes and can be carried easily from one place to the other, measuring from 9.7X15X 3.5 inches and 7.5 pounds in weight.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the Advantages of laser printers?
- High initial investment cost
- Colour toner is expensive
- Toner is harmful to humans
- Maintenance cost is high
Conclusion
Planning to buy a laser or inkjet printer relies on the purpose for which it is used. Most people print the vast bulk of documents in a year and print photos and images, while others only opt to print the reams of text but do not need photos.
Therefore, for occasional purp[oses, inkjet printers are the best options, as ink can be expensive in this case, but refill options are cheaper compared to toners. The inkjet printer is ideal for small spaces since the laser printer tries to be more significant.
On the other hand, laser printers are the most affordable option to fulfill printing needs like printing many text documents and heavy pages. It offers smudged free printing images and pages in seconds with faster speed.
So if you want easy-to-read text, you should opt for the laser printer that gives better image quality every time.
