What is the difference between laserjet and laser printers

They operate similar to a copy machine, laser printer uses a laser beam and powdered link to create images. Laser beam and powdered ink called toner. One cartridge for black and one or more cartridges for colors, when toner runs out, you replace the toner.

You must be logged in to post a comment. For most of you, saving costs on printing will be top of your priority list. This is where comparing inkjet and laser printers gets very interesting. To get the absolute maximum value from your printer, you will need to perfectly balance your requirements and on-going operational costs. Take a look below at the differences between the initial setup cost, operational cost and typical cost per printed page when comparing laser vs inkjet printers.

At face value, the upfront cost of a laser printer may turn you against purchasing. Whilst we would not advocate purchasing the cheapest of printers, should you only need to use on the rare occasion, you would still want to purchase a laser printer. The reason for this is because an inkjet printer will dry up the ink cartridge when not in use. Laser printers, for offices, have multifunction printing capabilities such as scanners and copying functionality. As such, the prices you have probably seen for some laser printers are much higher thank inkjets.

Given that you are unlikely to replace your printer very often, opting for a printer that is going to stand the test of time is also a wise option here. Due to the fact that laser toners have a significantly higher page yield, the cost to purchase toner cartridges is way more expensive than ink cartridges.

However, you should not be fooled by this as when you break down the cost per page, you will be saving in the longterm. Ink cartridges are cheap because they will only last for around pages before needing refilling or replacing. As such, the cost per printed page is extremely high and you will end up having to replace cartridges frequently. However, when you break down the cost per page for each of these printers and compatible cartridges, this is where the pricing and savings become interesting.

As explained, laser toner cartridges deliver significantly higher page yields than ink cartridges and last much longer. Where most ink cartridges will print between - pages, laser toners can print anywhere up to 10, pages each refill or replacement. So, what first looked like a huge win for inkjet and it's replacement ink cartridges, the story starts to look at little different.

That said, pixel-perfect photography printing is priceless. If seeing some real-world figures of ink cartridge replacements is throwing you, there is an alternative. Should you want quality photo-printing, without the associated replacement ink costs, the good news is that manufacturers have alternatives to buying ink cartridges.

Introducing, ink tanks. Both Brother and Epson have reimagined replacement cartridges by creating a series of printers that can hold bigger volumes of ink. This means that you will not need to replace your ink cartridges very often at all. Ink tanks make use of a continuous ink supply system whereby you simply refill your tank with ink, rather than purchasing and installing a cartridge.

We have a complete article that compares ink tanks vs ink cartridges and you should check this out if you are heading in this direction. Additionally, if you are already sold on the idea of continuous ink, you should check out our article on the best ink tank printers available right here at CartridgesDirect. When it comes to differences in security between inkjet and laser printers, laser printers will typically come with greater support.

Given that laser printers were built with the office in mind, the security detail is often impeccable. With manufacturers, such as HP, leading the charge in secure printing , should security be on top of your bucket list, the laser printer will be the way to go. As for durability, laser printers are renowned to be more durable and will print large quantities of monochrome and coloured documents frequently.

This makes them a better choice for office environments where absolute pixel perfection is not a priority. To compound this, laser printers also have an average of 5 years of usage before they start to go a little funky. This is an additional two years when compared with what you can expect from an inkjet printer.

Phew, now that's a lot of information and congratulations if you reached this part of our comparison guide. When it comes to deciding whether you should buy an inkjet or laser printer, understanding how often, why and what you choose to use your print will massively help with your decision.

To make the right decision, we ask our customers the following questions:. Once you have the answers to these questions, choosing between inkjet and laser printers becomes a whole lot easier. If you are going to print frequently, laser printers will save you money over time.

However, if you are going to be printing high-quality photos then you might want to consider the better quality of an inkjet printer for this specific purpose.

If you are still unsure about how to decide between an inkjet or laser printer, we have put together a list of common use cases for both of these printing devices.

Take a look at our shortlist below:. Although primarily built for office use, the laser printer has become a great home alternative for busy households as a more economical choice. If you have children at school who will be using the printer a lot, then a laser printer may be the better option for you too.

One final question that we commonly receive is 'should I get a colour laser printer or an inkjet printer? If you require gallery-quality photos for an album or wall art, you should purchase a photo inkjet printer. However, if the quality is not an absolutely necessity and medium quality coloured prints will suffice, we recommend colour laser printers over inkjet printers for two reasons:. Now that you have learned all there is to know about inkjet printers vs laser printers, let us summarise with a list of pros and cons.

Remember to take into serious consideration both your current and future use before making a decision. In summary, deciding on whether you purchase a laser printer or inkjet printer really comes down to your usage. Inkjet printers are best suited for image-heavy documents that are small in size. Whereas, heavy volume text-based documents are best suited for laser printers. Either way, with the right guidance from an experienced printer professional, you are bound to make the right choice.

The good news is that printer technology is always improving and the gap between laser and inkjet printers closes every year. Shop Now. For Business. Remove Item. There is limited availability of this item. Please update the quantity to proceed. Limit 2 per customer Promotion Applied Not currently in stock. Shopping Cart Items Estimated Total:. Find the Printer That's Right for You Use our self-guided printer selector to find the perfect machine for all your business needs.

Custom Printing and Labeling Solutions Find printing solutions that integrate with your specific workflows, help increase productivity, and generally make daily work simpler. Premier Products The Brother Workhorse Series scanners are designed for mid to large-sized workgroups or high-volume and batch scanning applications. Preferred Partner Kofax ControlSuite allows you to secure, govern, and manage you documents with content-aware unified printing, document capture, and workflow process automation - right from your Brother device.

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You can understand more and change your cookies preferences here. Best Buy inkjets turn out text-heavy documents, images and photos with ease. If you go for a printer on our Best Buy list, its low running costs will keep your wallet happy. Best Buy laser printers shine when printing black-text documents and professional-looking office graphics. Although laser printers are typically a bit more expensive than inkjets, they print a lot more pages from each toner cartridge, and so the cost per black-and-white or colour page is usually much less.

As an office workhorse, a laser printer takes some beating. To discover which inkjet and laser printers aced our tests, see our Best Buy printers.