Inkjet vs Laser Printer

It’s the main choice facing every consumer when they enter the printer market, inkjet vs laser.

Both types of printer have their advantages and disadvantages and it’s important to make sure you’re aware of what they are before you decide on which one is best for you.

Inkjet printers tend to be better suited to those who print occasionally, as opposed to those who carry out industrial printing, where a laser printer works best.

What is the Difference Between an Inkjet and a Laser Printer?

Inkjet printers operate by using tiny jets to squirt ink onto a page. The mechanism inside these jets changes shape and size in cohesion with the relative shape/size of the document in order to transfer it to a hard copy. Inkjet machines also tend to be more compact printers, comparatively.

But how does a laser printer work? Laser printers use a laser beam which sends a digital image of the desired document onto an internal drum. This drum then collects the necessary amount of ink in the relevant areas of its face before pressing down onto the page to print the document.

Below you’ll find explanations of the main differences between these types of printers. If there are printing terms you would like more information about, please check out our printing glossary.

Printer Ink and Toner

Another of the main differentiators between inkjet and laser printers is the type of printer consumable that it accepts. Inkjet printers use ink cartridges and laser printers use toner cartridges. Whilst ink cartridges tend to be less expensive, printer toner will last longer. More information about the differences between ink and toner cartridges can be found elsewhere on our blog.

Print Speed

If it’s speed you are looking for, then laser printers will be better for you than inkjet printing. This is due to the fact that the laser and drum combination allows the machine to churn out multiple documents at a rapid pace. Plus, with the laser printer working digitally, it doesn’t matter how much content is on a document. The laser printer will take the same amount of time to print a single page.

Inkjet printers have to adapt to both the size and colour of all the different shapes on the page. Therefore, the process of printing a complicated image takes longer with inkjet printers.

Price

Saving money on printing costs is definitely a key factor in deciding which type of printer to buy.

Looking at them both on face value, you can see that inkjet printers cost a considerable amount less. This overall value shifts when you think of the running costs, however. Inkjet printers will work their way through more ink than a laser printer, which can get a lot more mileage out of cartridges. Therefore, laser printers will generally be better for businesses.

Research suggests that an inkjet printer cartridge can help to print 200 colour pages before requiring a refill and laser printers can keep working away for up to 10,000.

However, if you don’t print lots of documents on a regular basis, then an inkjet printer may be better for you.

Print Quality

In terms of which machine will print the highest quality documents, there isn’t much difference when printing everyday text documents with small images. It’s only when you start to print the larger, more complex images, that laser printing edges into the lead. This is due to the accuracy of the laser beam. Inkjet printers will still produce a brighter and more colourful print though. This is because of its inkjets.

In the end, it will always come down to the individual needs of the consumer ahead of any technical differences between an inkjet vs a laser printer. For someone who only wants to print occasionally, like a student or home user, they would probably benefit from the inkjet. For someone who prints large amounts daily, like a secretary or small business owner, they would get more out of a laser printer.