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How To Choose Between An Inkjet Or A Laser Printer
Subjects > Computers > Hardware > Printers?Create
Inkjet or Laser Printers?
Should we buy a laser or inkjet printer and what are the advantages
and disadvantages of each? These are questions that organizations
face when considering buying a new printer. They are especially
relevant if you have extremely limited resources and so are tempted
to consider just the initial purchase cost. This article highlights a
number of factors that you should consider before making your
investment.
Speed
Laser printers are, in general, faster than inkjet printers. They are
also capable of handling higher volume printing than inkjet printers.
Providing high quality images on regular copier paper at high speed,
laser printers are well suited to general office duties. Even budget
priced ($300 to $600) laser printers print between 10 and 16 pages
per minutes (ppm). Inkjet printers are normally rated on the speed for
draft quality printing which is usually only good enough for proof
reading. The HP 1220 is a high end inkjet printer rated at 11 pages
per minute (ppm). The handbook indicates that this speed drops to
4.5 ppm for high quality black text and that it can take 5 minutes to
print a letter size photo quality image.
Color
If you want colour printing capability, your two choices are inkjet
printers and colour laser printers. Inkjet printers can print high quality
colour and are a fraction of the cost of a colour laser printer. Inkjet
printers can produce high quality graphics, banners, greeting cards,
text and large photo prints. For most people that require colour
printing capability, inkjet printers will be the most cost effective
solution. However be wary of the cost of both ink and paper. Although
the price of laser colour printers has dropped dramatically, a low end
printer will still cost in excess of $3,000 with a colour print speed of
between 5 and 10 pages per minute.
If you need an occasional quality colour print, consider using an office
service centre. If there is no service in your community you can send
the files by e-mail and have them mailed back to you. Costs are
approximately $1.50 for a letter sized print with many able to do
poster size and even large banners at around $14 a square foot, ideal
for a special event.
Comparison Summary
Laser Inkjet
Higher Initial Cost Low Initial Cost
Low Operating Costs High Operating Costs
High Print Quality Variable Print Quality
Consistent Speed Slow Speed
Networking
Many laser printers, generally costing $700 upwards also have the
ability to connect directly to your computer network. This allows all
users to use the laser with minimal additional costs. Inkjet printers
can also be linked to a network but need to do so via a computer
rather than straight into the network and so can be more expensive to
connect.
Cost
There are two different cost elements to consider when purchasing a
printer. The first is initial purchase cost. This is the price you will pay
for the printer. Laser printers generally have a higher upfront cost
than inkjet printers. Prices for laser printers will range from $350 to
well over $1000, while prices for inkjet printers range from $100-
$800. The second consideration is operating cost. This is where laser
printers shine. They typically are designed for higher volumes and
have much larger toner (ink) capacity, giving them significantly lower
operating costs than inkjet printers. The cost of operating a printer is
typically measured in cost-per-page (cpp). Laser printers usually cost
about $0.03 (including plain paper costs) per page with good images
available even on cheap copier paper. Inkjet printers can have
operating costs of between $0.08-$0.15 per page for black and white
pages and $0.15-$0.50 for colour pages. Inkjet paper can cost an
additional $0.02 to $1.50 per sheet depending on the grade and type
of paper.
Refills and Recycling
Many suppliers provide recycled ink cartridges and toner at a cost
which can be significantly less than buying new. By all means try them
but be cautious, especially if you are producing high quality colour
images. Recycled and third party products may also invalidate your
warranty.
Some of the newer inkjet printers have ink cartridges that contain a
small computer chip. In addition to monitoring ink levels they also
mean that you are unable to use any recycled or third party
cartridges.
If you consider buying a ‘do-it-yourself’ inkjet refill be cautious. The
ink stains and spills are next to impossible to remove from your
carpet or desktop not to mention clothes and fingers. As with recycled
cartridges do some tests, the few dollars saved may be outweighed
by poor print quality.
Paper
Laser printers produce good quality prints on any paper. While you
may want to use a quality paper for a formal presentation any
difference will be in the feel and texture while the print image will
remain constant.
To get good quality inkjet prints without that slightly fuzzy edge
caused by ‘bleeding’ you will need to use inkjet paper. Before you
invest in an inkjet printer test the output on your organizations
letterhead to make sure it accepts the ink without bleeding.
Summary
When considering costs keep in mind the ‘total cost of ownership’.
This includes the initial purchase along with consumables such as
ink/toner and paper. Although the initial costs are relatively high any
initial savings gained by buying a cheap inkjet printer will soon be lost
due to the high cost of ink, paper and the slow print speed unless you
print just a few pages a day.
Based on 1,000 pages per month, first year costs (including initial
purchase) will be around $1,100 for the inkjet and $650 for a laser
printer. Over the longer term lasers provide a significant annual
saving.
www.cd.gov.ab.ca/building_communities/volunteer_community/resources/tech_toolkit/8.pdf
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How To Choose Between An Inkjet Or Laser Printer
