subject: Laser Printers versus Inkjet Printers [print this page] When looking for a printer, sometimes it's hard to decide between a laser and an inkjet printer. How can you choose which is best for your situation? Let's consider some helpful tips on choosing a printer.
First, you need to think about how much money you have to spend on a printer, both up-front and long-term. For example, an acceptable inkjet printer can be found for less than $50, but the cartridges can cost $20 each or more, and most inkjet printers require between two and five cartridges to operate. Additionally, the cartridges for an inkjet printer typically last for 500 pages or less. On the other hand, a decent laser printer can be found for less than $75, which is slightly more expensive, but the toner could last for as many as 3000 pages. So if you don't have much to spend right now, an inkjet printer might be a good choice; if you have a little more to spend and don't want to spend a lot on replacement cartridges, consider a laser printer.
Second, you need to consider the type of printing you will perform regularly. Are you looking for a printer that will produce beautifully vibrant color photos from your baby's birthday, or your daughter's ballet recital, or your great-grandfather's birthday party? Most laser printers in the sub-$200 range cannot print color. Inkjets can do color, but most manufacturers also produce printers geared toward photo printing. These photo printers typically have more cartridges, up to six or seven, which allows for easier replacement when you print photos with certain color tones more frequently. Photo printers also typically support borderless printing for full-page photo printouts.
On the other hand, if you're looking for a workhorse printer to generate lots of text or web page printouts, especially if you're not looking for high quality, a laser is a much better option in terms of cost per page and reliability. Although reliability has improved significantly with inkjet printers in the past five years, they can still be temperamental; laser printers are much simpler and typically have less that can go wrong.
Third, you should think about the features you want. Some printers are multifunction, with scanning, faxing, or copying support built-in, in addition to regular printing. These are available in both inkjet and laser printer varieties. Shop around, compare manufacturers, and check reviews online of various models to see which features are especially useful, and which are gimmicks. For example, card readers come standard with photo printers, and make it easy to quickly print photos from your digital camera. On the other hand, faxing is probably something you won't need, except for occasional business purposes, so choose a higher DPI scanning function over a fax option.
Ask lots of questions from the store where you plan to buy your printer, and make sure the printer you choose will do what you need it to do. In summary, choose an inkjet if you want color support, and a photo printer if you want especially good color support. Choose a laser printer if you plan to mostly print black and white or grayscale text and images. But most importantly, choose the printer that fits your budget and has the features you want.
