Should You Get a Laser Printer or an Inkjet Printer

Should You Get a Laser Printer or an Inkjet PrinterCredit FabrikaSimf/Shutterstock If youre in the market for a new printer, one of the biggest decisions youll have to make is whether you should choose an inkjet or a laser printer. Inkjet printers, like the name implies, spray wet ink directly onto your paper. Laser printers use a combination of toner (powder) and heat to print onto paper.Price and ongoing costsBusiness owners can find printers in each category that fit within a wide sortiment of budgets. You may find inkjets for less than $100 and, especially for remote workers that may be all you need.If price isnt the main factor, then what is? Well, both of these types of printers will require ongoing supplies (known as consumables) and occasional maintenance. These costs are unavoidable.When purchasing ink or toner, manufacturers will generally specify the number of pages that each ink or toner is capable of printing. A simple way of evaluating the costs and value for ink or tone is to determine the cost of ink per page. Divide the number of pages youll get from an ink or toner cartridge by the price of the cartridge.Editors bedrngnise Looking for a printer and copier solution for your business? If youre looking for information to help you choose the one thats right for you, use the questionnaire below to have our sister site, BuyerZone, provide you with information from a variety of vendors for freeFor either type of printer, its cheaper to print in black and white. Make sure, though, to consider all of the ways you will use your printer as well as who will be using the printer so you can accurately estimate maintenance costsFor enterprise-grade laser printers that can support medium to large workgroups, there will be some additional maintenance involved. For example, you may require replacement fuser cartridges or the replacement of other parts.Quality for printing basic textIf you need a printer that will speed through pri nt jobs, go with a laser printer. Laser printers have surged in popularity and have a reputation for speed. This holds true for even basic black-and-white laser models its not unusual to see print speeds of 20 or mora pages per minute.Inkjet printer speeds have improved in recent years, but they still lag behind laser printing models. For example, you might see speeds in the range of 7 pages per minute on up to about 20 pages per minute.Use cases for inkjetand laser printersFor basic business printing where youll be printing reports, memos or research and youre concerned mostly about text quality, then youre probably fine with either printer type. For crisp detail and small print (smaller than 12-point fonts), laser printers outperform inkjet versions.Inkjets shine more when it comes to printing in color. If you print photos and presentations often, you might want to narrow your search to an inkjet. They can handle a wide range of paper types, and youll notice that colors appear t ruer to what you see on your camera or screen.Laser is better for business-use cases where the printing volume is higher, speed matters and most printers have one ink color black. Theyre built to withstand a high capacity of documents, churning out pages and pages of black-and-white prints. This doesnt mean that you cant print photos on a color laser printer it only means you shouldnt expect incredible quality.Both printer types offer MFP models (multifunction printers) that print, scan, copy and sometimes fax. For a small business, you cant go wrong with either choice, but for large offices where there is a greater demand, a laser jet printer may make the most sense. Joanna Furlong Joanna Furlong is a freelance writer and content strategist based in Southern California. Her background is in digital marketing, but shes been writing professionally for more than 10 years. She partners with startups, technology companies and small businesses across the U.S. to tell their brand stories through compelling content. And, she loves to report on the intersection where business, management and technology collide. 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