Purchasing a printer is not an easy step to make. There are many brands and options to consider; moreover, you will face an even greater dilemma, which is deciding to buy either a laser printer or an inkjet printer.
There are many differences between both of them; however, the most significant difference between them is where they will be used, and it may be the most important factor that will help you to make your purchase.
Throughout this article of laser printer vs inkjet, we will compare both printers, so we can ease your process of purchasing and help you make the best decision that suits all your needs.
Table of Contents
A Laser printer or an Inkjet Printer: Short Answer
There are major differences between the two printers. Your purchase should depend on what you need the printer to and where you will be using it.
If you are searching for a powerhouse printer that is capable of printing thousands of papers non-stop on a daily basis, then definitely, the laser printer is the one for you.
However, if you are looking for a small and compact printer that satisfies your needs in your home or small office and is also capable of printing high quality colored images, then an inkjet printer is the one for you.
Laser Printers Overview:
Laser printers are larger than their counterparts, and they are also more expensive than inkjet printers. They utilize toner cartridges, which are also more expensive than regular ink cartridges.
However, laser printers print a lot quicker; you might not be able to notice the difference of printing speed when printing a small amount of paper, but when you are printing a large amount, the difference is very clear. Despite laser printers being quicker, they take more time to warm-up before they are ready to use.
They also handle printing black text and smaller fonts much better than inkjet printers, and they are also more suitable for use in larger offices or companies.
Pros
- Fast
- Perfect for printing black text
Cons
- Expensive
- Take time to warm-up
Inkjet Printers Overview:
Inkjet printers are a common thing that we find in almost any household. They are cheaper to buy and use than laser printers. As they use ink cartridges, which provide you with many options of changing them, you can buy new name brand ones, refill your old ones, or even buy remanufactured ones, which are cheaper and better for the environment.
Pros
- Cheap
- Variety of options for ink cartridges
Cons
- Low paper Capacity (the tray can only hold about 50 to 100 papers)
- Slow when compared to laser printers
Differences:
Now that we have become more accustomed to the two types of printers, we will explore the differences between each one of them.
Check also: Chromebook compatible printers
Place of Usage
Laser Printers: As we stated before that the place where you will be using your printer is an essential factor to consider. Laser printers are very suitable for usage in large offices and mega-companies, as they are capable of printing a massive amount of paper in a short amount of time.
Moreover, they can print black-ink papers with amazing quality as well as smaller fonts. However, they are not suitable for printing images, so if your company or office requires printing images or multi-colored papers, the laser printer will not print them in high quality.
Inkjet Printers: They are used in households and homes, and they have now become more common than any other machine in homes. They are very suitable for printing small volumes of paper regularly, and they can print pictures or images in excellent quality.
However, you need to be wary of your ink cartridge becoming dry, so if you are not going to print for a long time, you need to take care of your cartridge and use it to print a single paper every now and then.
Read also: The Full Guide of Printers for Cardstock
How Do They Work?
Laser: Heat is the main keyword when it comes to laser printers; we already know that they use toners and not ink cartridge. A laser printer contains a drum unit that melts the toner powder onto the paper. This process makes laser printers much more accurate than their counterparts.
Inkjet: They spray the ink from their nozzle onto the paper; they increase the chances of having a smudged paper.
Therefore, we can conclude here that a laser printer produces a cleaner and more accurate print, as they melt the toner powder onto the paper, unlike Inkjet, which sprays the ink onto the paper. So the laser printer is the clear winner at this point.
How Much Can Each Print?
Before we learn about the print volume of each printer, there are two terms that we need to know. They are the maximum monthly duty cycle and the recommended monthly print volume.
There is a vast difference between them, where the maximum monthly duty cycle is the maximum amount that your printer can print per month before damaging itself. The recommended monthly print volume is the amount that you need to print per month to keep your printer in its best shape.
Laser: A literal workhorse and powerhouse, a laser printer is capable of printing high volumes of paper without rest. This makes it very suitable to be used in companies, as it will print large stocks of paper in no time.
Inkjet: Due to their smaller size and relatively small manual feed (feed), they print smaller amounts of paper.
Speed
Laser: Laser printers are manufactured to have immense printing speed; they are capable of printing anywhere between 15 to 100 PPM (paper per minute).
Inkjet: They are relatively slower than their counterparts; they can only print about 16 PPM. However, even if 16 PPM is a lot less than the 15 to 100 PPM, that a laser printer can do, it is considered an excellent number for an inkjet printer. Almost all inkjet printers are used at home and will only be required to print a small amount of paper daily.
Best Models in the Market
Now that we have dived even deeper into both of these machines, we will take about a single model from the two types, and they are:
- HP LaserJet Pro M254dw
- Epson EcoTank ET-4750 Inkjet Printer
HP LaserJet Pro M254dw
This is an amazing model, and it comes with fantastic features. It has a 19 ppm for both black and colored paper; this means that this printer is extremely fast when printing. It is also capable of mobile printing, as it can print using Wi-Fi as well as Ethernet. Moreover, you can even print by connecting a USB drive to the printer.
Epson EcoTank ET-4750
This is a fantastic inkjet model; it has a manual feed tray that can hold up to 250 papers. It has a 15 PPM, which is great for an inkjet printer. It is a wireless model, so there are not any cables. The initial cartridges contain ink to print 14,000 mono and 11,200 color pages.
Final Thoughts
We can conclude that purchasing a printer is a delicate process that requires a lot of attention. At first, you need to determine which of the two types best suit your needs. Whether the fast, bulky, and strong laser printers or the small suitable for home use inkjet cartridges.