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Laser has the least amount of maintenance cost and lasts longer. I rarely need anything printed in color so I bought a black-and-white networked laser printer. For photo printing, I just use the service at Target or online.
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Originally Posted by Panu16
Laser has the least amount of maintenance cost and lasts longer. I rarely need anything printed in color so I bought a black-and-white networked laser printer. For photo printing, I just use the service at Target or online.
Yes, if you don't print a lot, the laser is a better choice. If you have a high volume, the toner is very expensive compared to ink. We use an inkjet and rarely print, when we bought it we compared prices for replacement ink. The one we have now is only $34 for a pack of ink with tri-color and black. The color laser I have on my desk at work runs $150 for black, almost $300 each for the color toner cartridges.
We have a black only HP laser printer that gives me around 1000 copies on a $74.00 toner. We also have a HP 3 tri color printer and we get between 300-400 copies on inkjet toner for $54.00.
It really depends on your printing habits and printing needs.
If you print often, and print in large quantities, you'll want a heavy duty inkjet printer (like many of the HP Officejet series) as it will cost less in ink and print faster. If you print infrequently, a laser printer is a great choice as the upfront cost will be cheaper, and the toner, while being more expensive than a heavy duty inkjet, will be much less than a low-cost inkjet.
If you want to print your own photos in addition to documents, inkjet printers produce near-photo-quality prints while color laserjets are better for color charts and diagrams.
Laser printers are available in more compact sizes thank inkjet printers, but they also use a lot more electricity.
Decent Inkjet:
- Faster
- Cheaper to print
- Photo quality
- bulkier
- Higher upfront cost
- Good for high volume, frequent printing
Laser Printer
- Slower
- More expensive to print
- Better charts and diagrams
- Available in compact form factors
- Lower upfront cost than a decent inkjet printer
- Good for low volume, infrequent printing
- Perfectly capable at handling high volume, but will be slower and cost more in toner.
It really depends on your printing habits and printing needs.
If you print often, and print in large quantities, you'll want a heavy duty inkjet printer (like many of the HP Officejet series) as it will cost less in ink and print faster. If you print infrequently, a laser printer is a great choice as the upfront cost will be cheaper, and the toner, while being more expensive than a heavy duty inkjet, will be much less than a low-cost inkjet.
If you want to print your own photos in addition to documents, inkjet printers produce near-photo-quality prints while color laserjets are better for color charts and diagrams.
Laser printers are available in more compact sizes thank inkjet printers, but they also use a lot more electricity.
Decent Inkjet:
- Faster
- Cheaper to print
- Photo quality
- bulkier
- Higher upfront cost
- Good for high volume, frequent printing
Laser Printer
- Slower
- More expensive to print
- Better charts and diagrams
- Available in compact form factors
- Lower upfront cost than a decent inkjet printer
- Good for low volume, infrequent printing
- Perfectly capable at handling high volume, but will be slower and cost more in toner.
I think you have the printer types mixed up. For example, inkjets will be slower, more compact, cheaper upfront, and have a higher print cost.
Do note that high end inkjets can match laser printers in printing speed and possibly print cost per page.
I think you have the printer types mixed up. For example, inkjets will be slower, more compact, cheaper upfront, and have a higher print cost.
Do note that high end inkjets can match laser printers in printing speed and possibly print cost per page.
I was talking about desk/table-top printers. When you get into professional multi-thousand dollar printers, you're right. Laser printers print faster and cost less. But in the sub-$400 range for someone who prints a lot, inkjet will be faster and have lower print costs. For light-duty printing, a laser printer, while slower and more expensive in toner/ink, will be better due to the combination of cheap upfront cost while maintaining reasonable per-page print costs (compared to cheap inkjets). Frankly, if you print a lot, a high-end home office inkjet printer is the way to go. If you print sparingly, a low end laser printer is the way to go.
We own two laser printers. A very old HP 1200 series (b/w) which is our default printer, and a multifunction Brother. We've had the HP for 6 years and when we got it it had toner in it. Don't know how new the cartridge was. We haven't replaced that cartridge yet.
The color carts last about 18 months so far, but will probably last twice as long in the future as we are no longer doing massive print jobs with it.
I will never buy another ink jet printer. If I need pictures I'll take a flash drive to Costco.
It really depends on what you print and how much. Also, what do you consider the long run? Laser printers and inkjet printers are the obvious choices... but one is not better than the other for all scenarios.
Others in this thread have provided good insight. TexasLawyer2000 has provided a pretty good analysis.
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