When buying a new printer, we are often confused about which brand or type suits our needs. Some are good at printing black and white documents swiftly, whereas some are able to makecolors on photographs pop. You may have heard words floating around, such as “inkjet” and “laser” printers, but there are a few key differences.
If you want a short answer as to which one to get, then our recommendation would be an inkjet printer. They are versatile, easy to maintain, and have a lower running cost compared to laser printers but are much slower than laser printers.
Comparing An Inkjet Printer With A Laser Printer
Functionality
The most common type of printer you see in most places is an inkjet printer, which takes traditional cartridges or has a refillable ink tank. Ink is sprayed onto the paper, which needs to dry on its own. Laser printers use toners that print using heat and static electricity and don’t need to wait for the ink to dry.
Print Quality
Both printers are capable of producing high-quality colored or monochrome prints, but the inkjet can do photo prints as well. On the other hand, texts are crisper on the laser printer. Thus, printing documents is its forte.
Print Cost
The cartridges or the refillable ink ofinkjet printers are affordablecompared to toners. If you need to print copious amounts of documents, then the inkjet printer’s low cost-per-print will save you a ton of money. Even though laser printers are slightly superior at printing documents compared to inkjets, the running cost adds up over time and can be a burden for small businesses.
Print Speed
Inkjet printers are slower and can be frustrating touse in a fast-paced work setting. This issue has been solved to an extent with newer inkjet printers, but any old inkjet printer will be slower to operate. Laser printers have forever been more efficient at printing documents and are suitable for offices. The fast printing speed of laser printers makes up for the extra cost of changing toners.
Printer Size
Inkjet printers are low-profile and are great for dorm rooms or other tight spaces. They are also light enough to be maneuvered around the house. Laser printers are bulky andtake up more real estatethan inkjets, which is why these aren’t commonly used in homes. They are also heavy and hard to move around, making them less mobile than inkjets.
Printer Pricing
Inkjet printers are more affordable than laser printers in terms of the unit itself. An entry-level inkjet printer will cost you around $50, whereas laser printers start from $100 and can easily go up to a few hundred to thousands, depending on their speed and other functions.
Connectivity
Both types of printers can have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options built into the printer, but you’ll need to check before buying, as some more affordable printers won’t have those. All high-end models of inkjet and laser printers will have the said functionalities, but all printers will have wired connectivity as standard.
Environmental Impact
Neither of the two types of printers is environment-friendly as chemical ink is harmful to produce, while toners, when heated, emit volatile organic compounds. However, over the long run, laser printers will produce less e-waste as toners last longer than ink cartridges and don’t dry out as often as the latter. Also, as inkjet printers are not that expensive to buy new, people tend to discard them once something goes wrong, as they’re cheaper to replace than fix.
Paper Compatibility
Inkjet printers can print on regular glossy paper for photos, which lasers cannot. They need special glossy paper and a very high-end laser printer for everything to work. You might damage the printer if you use glossy paper made for inkjet printers.
Dry Time
As inkjet printers use wet ink, you will need to wait for a few seconds before touching the print. It will get smudgy if touched before the ink dries. Laser printers don’t use ink, so there is no need to wait for the print to dry. This is also a reason laser printers are good for printing large amounts of documents.
Unique Features
You will have to pay more for features such as print-copy-scan, auto-duplex (printing on both sides automatically without manually flipping the pages), and ADF (Automatic Document Feeder), which automatically feeds the documents into the printer. Nowadays, many budget printers offer the print-copy-scan function, but for the other two, you’ll need to step up to the higher-end models.
