Color Laser Printer or Inkjet - Points to Consider When Choosing a Printer
By Jessica Mousseau
Color laser printers and inkjet printers both have features that make them desirable for the home or office but there are a few points you should consider before purchasing one. While price may be a big factor, print quality and speed may also be important. Laser printers tend to be larger than inkjet printers so that may also factor into your decision. Also, if the printer is for your office you may want it to have networking capabilities. All of these points should be considered before purchasing a color laser or inkjet printer.
Cost of A Color Laser Printer
Inkjet printers are by far the least expensive to purchase and maintain as compared to a color laser printer. Inkjet ink cartridges are less expensive per cartridge than the toner that color laser printers use, however you must consider the yield of the toner cartridges. For example, the high yield HP toner cartridge is about 4,000 pages with each color costing about $54. Comparing the yield of the toner set to the yield of an inkjet color cartridge. An inkjet color cartridge will yield about 800 pages of text or less than 400 pages if printing photos. The cost of the tri color ink cartridge would be about $30 from a typical brick and mortar store. This would be significantly lower if you are printing photos. Of course our prices would be much less.
Print quality of A Color Laser Printer
The resolution of the color laser printer is significantly better than that of an inkjet. The inkjet printer uses a print head that contains tiny nozzles that squirt ink onto the paper in a dot form. The amount of nozzles on the print head determines how close the dots print together giving you a higher resolution with a higher nozzle count. The color laser printer uses toner and a drum to roll on a higher resolution and more durable print. Color laser printers can also use any type of printing paper as opposed to the inkjet printer requiring inkjet paper only.
Color Laser Printer Speed
If speed is your main concern then the color laser printer is the right choice for you. Even the least expensive color laser printer can print 10 - 15 pages per minute while the most expensive inkjet printer can't keep up with this speed. If you are choosing a printer for the office and it is used for high-quantity printing then the color laser printer may be the best option. They are designed for high-volume use and the toner cartridge lasts longer than an inkjet cartridge.
Color Printer Footprint
Inkjet printers come in a variety of sizes and take up very little space in your work area. This is what makes them so popular for personal printers at work and home. Color laser printers are much larger and bulkier. If space is an issue this can be a deciding factor in which printer you choose.
Networking capabilities of a color laser printer
Color laser printers generally come with networking facilities to connect to your computer network directly. This feature alone might make choosing a color laser printer for your office more desirable. An inkjet printer must be networked directly through a computer and not to the network, making it more costly to use in a networking situation. Color laser printers and inkjet printers each have their own pros and cons. Once you've decided which features are the most important you will be able to choose the printer that suits your situation best.
Color laser printers generally come with networking facilities to connect to your computer network directly. This feature alone might make choosing a color laser printer for your office more desirable. An inkjet printer must be networked directly through a computer and not to the network, making it more costly to use in a networking situation. Color laser printers and inkjet printers each have their own pros and cons. Once you've decided which features are the most important you will be able to choose the printer that suits your situation best.
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