When your household or business is about to buy
a new printer, you will need to choose between a laser printer or a inkjet
printer. Your choice of printer will primarily be based on your requirements,
your budgetary constraints, and space limitations. An inkjet printer is usually
ideal for home users who have limited text and photo printing needs. A laser
printer is best suited for larger office environments that require
higher-volume and higher-quality printing outputs. The differences are
generally categorized into a few broad segments: speed, quality, and cost. It
is essential to understand the differences between a laser printer and inkjet
printer before you invest.
Differences in Speed
A laser printer is light years ahead of an inkjet printer when it comes
to differences in speed. Users who require large volumes of printing will
prefer a laser printer. Laser printers are more suited for general office use
than inkjet printers. The least expensive laser printer can print around 10 to
15 pages a minute. Inkjet printers are usually rated on the speed of a draft or
quick printing mode, which is usually only suitable for proofreading purposes.
Inkjet printer speeds drop off noticeably when high quality black text and
letter-sized quality photos are printed.
Differences in Quality
& Color
A laser printer produces better quality text with a higher resolution
than an inkjet printer. High resolution also helps laser printers create more
precise fonts and graphics. However, the cost-effective inkjet printers are
usually recommended for inexpensive color printing. An inkjet printer can print
high quality text, large photo prints, graphics, banners, and greeting cards at
less than half the price of a color laser printer. But a laser printer is
capable of producing quality prints on all types of paper where an inkjet
printer requires inkjet paper to produce quality color prints without bleeding
or fuzziness.
Differences in Cost
The cost can have two sub-categories – initial cost and operating cost.
An inkjet printer has a low initial cost but a higher maintenance cost, while a
laser printer has a high initial cost and low maintenance cost. Laser printers
are a better option for long-term office use because they are designed to
handle higher volumes and have a higher capacity of ink or toner. An inkjet
printer cartridge needs to be replaced often, especially if you print a
considerable and consistent amount. The toner cartridges of laser printers are
more expensive than ink cartridges, but rarely need replacing. The output of a
laser printer is quality even on cheap paper, but an inkjet printer requires
special inkjet paper for quality output and further depends on the grade and
type of paper used. You will need to decide if you want to speed more initially
or in the long-term.
Laser printers are definitely a better buy when the requirements are
high quality, high speed, high volume, low operating cost, and no budgetary constraints.
Inkjet printers have a low initial purchasing cost, but the operating cost may
exceed your budget. With all this in mind, it is advisable to calculate the
total cost of ownership before purchasing a printer. When choosing your next
printer, consider these differences between inkjet printers and laser printers
before buying.