Both inkjet and laser printers have many benefits for different users. The choice usually comes down to what the printer is primarily going to be used for. Here is a comparison of the two machines’ features:
Speed
Inkjet and laser printers have very different print speeds. In general, laser printers are considerably faster than inkjets. The technology that they use to print is able to produce multiple documents very rapidly, and the print speed is always the same no matter how much detail the documents contain. Inkjet printers, on the other hand, have to carefully adapt to all the colours and details on a page. This means that they can take much longer to print documents.
Cost
Inkjet printers are generally very affordable. However, the printer ink for inkjets needs to be replaced regularly and can be very expensive. There are various things that users can do to reduce the cost of ink, such as printing in draft mode or buying compatible cartridges.
Laser printers are considerably more expensive than inkjets, and replacement toner cartridges can also be costly. However, research has found that laser printers can print around 10,000 sheets before the toner cartridge needs to be replaced, compared to 200 sheets for an inkjet printer.
Quality
When printing everyday text documents, the difference in quality between inkjet and laser printers is negligible. However, inkjet printers come into their own when printing photographs. They are able to replicate colours and brightness with great accuracy, surpassing the quality offered by laser printers.
