Inkjet vs. Laser: Which is Right for You?

Anyone who has ever found themselves shopping for a printer has eventually arrived at the same question. Should I go for an inkjet or laser printer?

Which option is the best? Which will be the most cost-effective?

It’s the most essential question when it comes to purchasing a printer. If you have ever wondered the difference between both, you’ve come to the right place.

While both models are best suited for specific purposes in a home or office, it is dependent on your needs. It’s about your budget and what you need it for.

Inkjet Printers

The Pros of an Inkjet Printer

• All-round and well suited for most general uses
• Compact
• Well suited for colour printing
• The printer alone is much cheaper

The Cons of an Inkjet Printer

• Running costs can increase because of the ink
• Takes longer to print black text pages compared to a laser printer

Inkjets are preferred because they are great all-rounders and are able to easily handle letters, recipes, documents and photos. When it comes to color photos and images, they do a better job in comparison to a laser printer.

They are quite small in size, taking up little desk space and are comparatively quiet. This is because an inkjet has no need for internet drums and rollers. These machines can deliver full-page printouts while having a smaller footprint than many laser printers. This even applies to inkjets with copy and scanning features.

Inkjet printers are also cheaper to buy but continuous running can quickly see your costs rise. This is primarily because the ink is used up during the cleaning cycle and isn’t used only for printing. This makes them quite inefficient and the cost per page will often be higher than that of a laser printer.

Laser printers

The Pros of a Laser Printer

• Great for black text documents
• Faster printing speeds
• Toner costs are low

The Cons of a Laser Printer

• The upfront costs are much higher than an inkjet printer
• Often bulky
• Can be noisy when in use
• Struggles with images and colour photos

If you are looking for a printer to mainly create black text documents, look no further than a laser printer. You can use mono laser models for this. Otherwise, you can go a bit higher and splurge on a colour laser if you need high quality graphics.

Additionally, a laser printer operates much faster than an inkjet printer. If you need to print many pages often and need a machine to handle heavy loads, laser printers are best.

Laser printers use laser toner cartridges that usually print more pages than inkjet cartridges. That ends up bringing the cost per page less than that of an inkjet.

Toners do not dry out, something that ink cartridges are notorious for. However, you can now find many inkjet printers that come with refillable tanks, drastically bringing down the price per page. They do cost a bit more than the usual inkjet models.

For many small offices and homes, the bigger size and audible noise of a laser print may end up being an issue. If that’s your setting, it’s something to keep in mind as well.

At the end, the answer to your question boils down to what you will be printing. This will help decide what printer will get the job done best.

If you don’t plan on printing often, an inkjet may be what you need. They are cheaper to buy, and a pretty good inkjet won’t cost you much. However, the ink costs associated will make it expensive the more you use it. If you need a printer for text and documents, opt for a laser printer. If you need page after page of basic documents, a simple mono laser print will give you quicker and higher quality pages. Just remember that a laser printer doesn’t fare as well with printing photos.