Life is all about choices. One of the biggest technical decisions people are faced with at home and at the office is which type of printer to buy. I don’t mean pondering whether to buy a stand alone printer or a combination printer/scanner/copier (and sometimes, fax), I mean inkjet versus laser. As you might imagine, there are pluses and minuses to both. Today, we’ll present the facts for both so you can make an informed decision.
In a home environment, the overwhelming favorite is the inkjet printer. There are two reasons for this: the first is that the initial cost of the machine is less, and secondly, because of the ability to print in color. If you print a lot of photos, you’ll definitely want an inkjet printer. The better printers have individual ink cartridges for black, cyan, magenta, and yellow that are easy to change. These cartridges allow for an excellent photo print quality with vivid colors and high contrasts. Other “pros” for inkjet printers are that they’re usually smaller in size than laser printers, and that the aforementioned ink cartridges cost less than the toner cartridges required by a laser printer. There are downsides, however. The ink cartridges are less efficient than a laser’s toner cartridge, resulting in a higher cost per page than you’ll find with a laser printer. If you’ve ever needed to work on an inkjet printer, you’re well aware of how messy they can be. The ink stays with you for a while! Also, inkjet printers are usually slower than laser printers when printing large documents.
If you do a lot of printing in black and white or grayscale. If you print a lot of large documents. If you have plenty of room at your printer’s destination, because laser printers are almost always larger than inkjet printers. If you don’t mind spending more money for “ink” because you know that the toner cartridge you’re buying will last much longer than an inkjet printer’s ink cartridges will. If you answered yes to all of these questions, then you’re a good candidate for a laser printer. You’ll absolutely see a better print quality with a laser printer than with an inkjet printer. Laser printers will outperform an inkjet printer head-to-head in terms of print quality, print speed, and “ink efficiency” (I just made that term up). Laser printers are more efficient than ink jet printers – you’ll use less toner to print a page than the ink an inkjet printer would require, meaning a toner cartridge will last longer, and your cost per page will be less. The biggest downside to a laser printer in my mind is…color. Yes, laser printers are typically more expensive than inkjet printers to purchase. If you’d like to print in color, be prepared to spend a whole lot more on a laser printer. In the long run, you’ll probably save money on ink expenses. But, the price point for a laser printer is higher, so you’ll have to determine if you’ll save enough to justify the purchase. Laser printers are offered in print/scan/copy all-in-one versions, just like inkjet printers.
So, you’re probably waiting for my big conclusion to tell you which printer to buy. I’m not. It’s a big decision, and your personal needs have to make that determination for you. I can tell you that we have both here at the home office. We have a Brother laser printer, and a Canon inkjet printer. Most of the time, I use the Canon. Both work well for what they’re designed for. Your mileage may vary.