Inkjet printers, while cheaper and capable of cranking out some high-quality image and photo prints, are also prone to having prints end up with smudged ink. Furthermore, the ink cartridges they use don’t last very long and are expensive to replace. By comparison, laser printers tend to require more storage space and can cost more, but their toner inks tend to last longer, print more, and dry quickly, which prevents smudging. Laser printers also tend to do well with text documents.
Inkjet Printers: Pros and Cons
An inkjet printer is a printer that prints images and text on to paper by shooting out liquid ink droplets via a print head that passes over the paper multiple times. They tend to be very budget friendly at first, as they can cost anywhere from $40 to several hundred dollars. However, the long-term cost of inkjet printers can be very expensive, since liquid ink cartridges are pricey and don’t last very long or print as many pages as a laser printer’s toner would produce. In addition, while the use of liquid ink enables inkjet printers to produce high quality prints of colorful images and photos, that same ink is also prone to smudging and smearing because it takes longer to dry. Inkjets can be used print text documents as well, but the lettering won’t be as crisp. That said, if your office or home has limited space for a printer, an inkjet printer can be a great solution because they tend to be available in more compact, space-saver sizes.
Laser Printers: Pros and Cons
A laser printer uses a combination of static electricity, heated rollers, and a powder-based toner ink to print images and text onto paper. Essentially, the heated rollers melt the plastic powdery toner ink onto paper. Laser printers tend to cost more upfront and even low-end, entry-level ones usually still cost at least $100. Laser printers tend to do really well with printing large volumes of text documents. While the quality of their prints for images and photos isn’t as great as an inkjet printer, laser printers tend to outshine inkjets when it comes to printing texts, as the lettering is often more crisp and clean with laser printers. The use of toner ink helps offset the initial high cost of laser printers as well, since toner tends to last longer and produce more prints than liquid printer ink. Toner also dries as soon as a page is printed, so there’s less risk of smudging. Laser printers do tend to be big and bulky in size, however, and may not be the right fit for a small office, or a home with limited space.
Laser Printers vs. Inkjet Printers: Which Is the Best Fit for Your Needs?
The comparison between laser printers and inkjet printers isn’t really one in which one type wins out over the other. Which one you ultimately choose to purchase for yourself is pretty dependent on your printing needs and budget. In the end, if you know you need to print high quality pages with lots of graphics and color, and you’re okay with the long-term expenses of liquid printer ink cartridges, you may want to get an inkjet printer. Inkjet printers can also be useful for people who need an affordable printer, don’t print very often, and/or are low on storage space at home or at the office. On the other hand, if you know you’ll be printing quite a bit, your print jobs will largely be text documents, and you’re okay with a higher upfront cost, then a laser printer might be the better option.
