Which printer is right for me? - that's how you find out
Which printer is right for me? A laser printer or would you prefer an inkjet printer? In this article we explain which printer is suitable for which application and what are the advantages and disadvantages of the two technologies.
Which printer suits me: how does an inkjet printer work?
- Inkjet printers - as the name suggests - print with ink.
- The ink is in several cartridges and is shot in very small droplets from the printhead onto the paper.
- With the mixture of the basic colors cyan, yellow, magenta and black, any color can be printed in smooth transitions.
Which printer suits me: How does a laser printer work?
- Unlike the inkjet printer, the laser printer prints with toner. This is not a liquid, but a fine powder.
- A roll, the so-called drum, is statically charged in the laser printer and coated with toner. A laser then unloads the drum at the places where there should be no toner.
- Now the paper is guided past the roll and the toner particles stick to it.
- Finally, the toner is "melted" onto the paper with another roller under pressure and heat.
- Laser printers can also print in color using a mixture of different toners.
The advantages of the inkjet printer
Both printer technologies have advantages and disadvantages. Which printer you should choose depends on what, how often, and how much you want to print with the device.
- Less power: An inkjet printer is more economical than the competition in the other device category. A laser printer can consume ten times more electricity than an inkjet printer.
- Less noise: Because an inkjet printer does not work with heat, it does not require a fan and is therefore quieter than the laser printer.
- No fine dust: With the laser printer, a small part of the toner particles always escape. In the long run, this is not good for your health. The inkjet printer works fine dust and odor free.
- Smooth color transition: With liquid ink, color transitions are better represented than with toner. An inkjet printer is therefore particularly suitable for photos.
The advantages of the laser printer
- Faster: Laser printers generally print faster than inkjet printers in the same price range. This is why this technology is particularly popular in offices, universities and schools.
- Toner does not dry out: ink must dry quickly so that it does not smear on the paper. At the same time, the ink must not dry in the printhead and clog the nozzles. To do this, the nozzles are regularly flushed with ink. This can be a problem if you only print one page each day or if you don't print for a long time. Then more ink is used for rinsing than for the actual printing - and there is a risk that the print head dries up. You can usually easily solve the problem here on your own.
- Toner does not penetrate the paper: The liquid ink penetrates deep into the paper. If you print on both sides of an inkjet printer on thin paper, the color may smear. Not so with the laser printer: Here you can print on both sides without hesitation.
Laser or ink? The ultimate price comparison
- At first glance, inkjet printers are cheaper than laser printers. However, the follow-up costs for electricity and toner or ink are much more important.
- Basically: Low-priced printer - high follow-up costs. Small and inexpensive printers usually need expensive color or toner cartridges. The color becomes cheaper for larger devices:
- Laser printers print faster and at a cheaper page price because they use the toner more economically. You should use a laser printer from 200 pages per month.
- However, inkjet printers are much cheaper to buy than laser printers. So if you only print a little, you can get away with it cheaper with an inkjet printer.
- We have carefully examined the cost of the various printer technologies. You can read all the details in our article "Printing costs in comparison: inkjet and laser printer".
Conclusion: This printer suits you
- The fast, precise laser printers are better suited for printing from many pages of text than inkjet printers. A color laser printer is recommended for presentations and colored texts. It is particularly suitable for offices and schools. You can find the currently best devices in our leaderboard.
- If you only want to print text or photos from time to time, you can achieve better and, above all, cheaper results with a good inkjet printer. Here you will also find the currently best devices in our leaderboard.
- If you also want to scan and copy, you should directly access an appropriate multifunction device (ink or laser).
In the next article we will show you how to install your new printer in Windows.