Laser Printers or Inkjet Printers? A Buyers Guide

By: David Haysom

Should you buy an inkjet or a laser printer? Often people buying
a new printer are confused about whether to buy a laser printer
or inkjet printer. The short answer is it depends on what you'll
be using it for, and how much you'll be using it.

Inkjet printers have a lower initial purchase cost but cost more
to run because the ink is more expensive when measured on a per
page basis. Laser printers cost more but their running costs are
lower and they have a better print quality because in general
they have a higher resolution (expressed in dots per inch - dpi).

If you want to print photos at home however, you are best to
choose a photo quality inkjet printer.

Inkjets are great for home use and for photo printing. Lasers
are good for high-volume applications, like offices, or for
applications that need high print quality.

Inkjet printers transfer tiny droplets of ink directly to the
page. A laser printer creates an electrostatic pattern on a drum
that attracts ink powder that is subsequently fused onto the
paper. This is more complex technology so means a higher price
than for an inkjet printer.

If you examine the same page printed on both a laser printer and
an inkjet, you will be able to see that the characters on the
laser printer produced page are sharper. That said however,
inkjet printers are getting better all the time in terms of the
sharpness of printed characters.

Another aspect to consider is how heavily you will be using a
printer. Printer manufacturers express the durability of a
printer in terms of duty cycle in pages per month.

For example, a typical laser printer will be capable of a duty
cycle up to 7,000 pages a month while a typical entry level
inkjet printer is capable of up to 500 pages per month.

Some of the more recent inkjets provide excellent color clarity
and brightness, and are very well suited for printing
photographs.

While inkjet printers themselves are cheaper, their ink is more
expensive per page printed. Ink cartridges need to be replaced
fairly often if you print a lot, especially if you're printing
pictures or photos.

The manufacturer's stated pages per cartridge measurements are
very much dependent on what you printing. They are based on only
a small percentage of the page actually being covered in ink.
Toner cartridges for laser printers have a higher unit price
than inkjet cartridges, but have a higher capacity so that the
cost per page is lower for lasers.

About the author:
David Haysom is the eCommerce Manager for OfficeRocket - an
online store that specializes in providing New Zealand consumers
and small businesses with Laser Printers, Ink
Cartridges and Office Supplies at extremely competitive
prices.