Inkjet printers are compact, use less power and are extremely versatile. Laser printers are more expensive upfront, but they are more reliable, easier to maintain and the printing quality is much higher than the injet printers.
Comparison chart
 | Inkjet Printer | Laser Printer |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Price per page to run | 20c color, 4-5c black and white | 6c black-and-white |
| Initial cost for basic printer | $130 | $60-$70 |
| Printing speed | 6 pages a minute | 20 pages a minute |
| Color printing | Yes | More expensive models |
| Black and white quality | Good | Superior for small fonts |
| Color quality | Excellent | Poorer, with banding |
| Size | Smaller | Larger |
Types of Printers
Types of inkjet printers
There are two types of inkjet printing: continuous (CIJ) and drop-on demand (DOD). CIJ is used for commercial purposes, such as marking packaging. Most consumer printers use either thermal DOD, in which the ink is heated in the cartridge, or piezoelectric DOD, which uses pressure. Piezoelectric DOD is more expensive, but can print at higher speeds.
Types of laser printers
Laser printers are categorized according to their use case: personal, office, workgroup or production printers. The most commonly used laser printers only print in black and white. They are available as small, personal printers, as office printers (which are larger and print faster), as workgroup printers (which are designed to be free-standing printers that are shared by many computers on a network), and production printers, which are designed to run continuously and can print 75,000 sheets a day. Color laser printers are also available, but they are significantly more expensive. A range of production laser printers produced by Xerox also offer Highlight Color, which provide the ability to print black and one other color.
Printing mechanism
Inkjet printers spray liquid ink onto paper through microscopic nozzles, while laser printers use fine powder, called toner, and a heated fuser.
Cost
Budget inkjet printers cost around $55, while budget laser printers, which are only capable of printing in black and white, cost around $125. The cost-per-page of printing using an inkjet printer is 25c for color pages, or 8-10c for black and white. The cost per page for a laser printer is also roughly the same at 8-10c for black and white printing. More expensive laser printers have a lower cost per page, but may have additional costs when compared to inkjets, such as the need for a new fuser cartridge.
Printing Speed
Laser printing is undoubtedly the fastest option for black and white printing, with budget, low-end laser printers able to produce 20 pages per minute. Most budget inkjet printers print 6 pages per minute.
Print Quality
For normal print sizes, black and white print quality is similar for both laser and inkjet printers. However, lasers are better at printing smaller fonts. Inkjets provide superior color printing with subtle color gradation, while laser printers can lead to color banding.
Color vs. Black and White Options
The most common laser printers only print in black and white. Color laser printers exist, but they are bulky and expensive, and not usually suitable for use at home or in a small office.
Features
Modern inkjet printers can use up to 9 color cartridges to create accurate photographic images. Inkjet printing can be used on a wider range of papers, including high gloss photo paper, vinyls and self adhesive papers, as well as super heavy paper. However, the ink is not waterproof.
Laser printers sometimes come with other office features built in, such as scanning and faxing. Their input trays can hold as many as 3800 sheets of paper, compared to a typical inkjet printer, which can hold 150 sheets. They also often come with networking facilities to connect directly to the computer network.
Popularity
Inkjet printers are more common for home use, as they are typically smaller, cheaper and can print both color and black and white. They are also preferable for people who want digital camera prints. Laser printers are often found in offices that need to print high-quality documents quickly.
Maintenance
Inkjet ink cartridges need frequent cleaning, although most printers do this automatically. This accounts for the majority of ink usage, rather than the printing itself. Laser printers are more susceptible to paper jams, and need more maintenance than inkjet printers.
How to Choose a Printer: A Buying Guide
Look for these features
When buying a printer, consider the features you want:
- All-in-one printers include additional functionality like scanning and photocopying, which can come in handy from time to time.
- Most new printers today offer Wi-Fi connectivity, but Mac or iPhone users should choose printers that are compatible with Apple's AirPrint because that makes it very easy to use the wireless capabilities of the device, including printing and scanning wirelessly without needing to install any additional software or apps.
- People who plan to print a lot of photos may want to buy a printer with a memory card slot.
- If you care about being able to print on both sides of the paper, choose a printer that supports automatic duplexing.
Choosing between laser and inkjet
Laser printers are great for:
- higher volumes of printing, because they can print more pages per toner cartridge refill.
- text-heavy printing. Text, especially smaller fonts, appear sharp and clear with laser printers.
- faster printing speed
- going for long periods of time without printing. With inkjet printers, the ink cartridge can dry up over a few months. Laser printers do not have this problem because they use toners which do not dry out.
Inkjet printers are great for:
- printing photos
- printing graphics-heavy documents, especially color graphics
- people who do not want to spend a lot of money upfront for their printer
References
About the Author
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