What’s the Difference Between an Inkjet and a Laser Printer?

Does this sound familiar? You realize you need a new printer and say to yourself, “This will be easy.” However, it doesn’t end up being as simple as you thought because you have to choose between an inkjet printer and a laser printer.

Making this choice can be overwhelming because many people don’t know the difference between inkjet and laser printers. You can breathe a sigh of relief, though. We’re here to break it down and explain the advantages and disadvantages of each type of printer, so that you can find the right one for you.

How Does an Inkjet Differ From a Laser Printer?

The names of each of these two types of printer can give you a basic understanding of what makes them unique. An inkjet printer uses ink to print, while a laser printer uses, you guessed it, lasers. However, when you go beyond the basics, you’ll see that the technology that powers each printer is very different.

An inkjet printer uses ink cartridges to make images and words from your screen appear on paper. The series of steps below make this possible:

1. An inkjet printer processes an image or document from a device.
2. After being heated by electricity, hundreds of small nozzles in the printer release thousands of ink droplets onto a sheet of paper.
3. These droplets come together to form the printed document or image.

In contrast, a laser printer uses static electricity to attach toner to a sheet of paper. When you look at this toner, you’ll notice that it’s more grain-like than the ink used by an inkjet printer. This isn’t the only difference, though. A laser printer has to go through a different series of steps to print:

1. A laser printer processes an image or document from a device.
2. High-voltage circuits send an electrical charge to the printer’s components.
3. Laser beams shine against a mirror in the printer. These beams reflect on a photoreceptor drum, which changes the positive charge to a negative one. Doing so draws the image.
4. The now-positively charged toner releases onto the drum. It then sticks to the negatively charged parts of the drum.
5. As the paper moves through the printer, it receives a negative charge. This process pulls grains of toner from the drum and onto the paper.
6. After the charge is removed from the paper, the paper then passes through hot rollers that use heat and pressure to fuse the toner grains to the paper.

After learning a little bit about how inkjet and a laser printers work, it becomes clear that they are two very different machines. As a result, they have distinct strengths and weaknesses that you need to consider before deciding which one to bring home.

What Are the Pros and Cons of an Inkjet Printer?

As we go through the pros and cons of different types of printers, let’s start with the inkjet printer. In terms of advantages, an inkjet printer has several that stand out:

• Inkjet printers have better tonal variety and can blend colors better than laser printers.
• An inkjet printer can handle printing on a variety of paper types, including glossy paper.
• People generally find that inkjets are better printers for home use.
• Cost-conscious consumers will appreciate that laser printers are typically cheaper to purchase.

However, like all things in life, inkjet printers aren’t perfect and come with several disadvantages that you’ll also want to consider:

• Inkjet printers don’t print as quickly as laser printers, which can be annoying for big print jobs.
• In general, inkjet printers can’t hold as much paper as laser printers.
• While inkjets often have a lower upfront cost, their ink cartridges tend to be more expensive. Especially if you buy high quality ink to help your printer last longer.

What Are the Pros and Cons of a Laser Printer?

Now that we’ve broken down the good, the bad, and the ugly of inkjet printers, it’s time to do the same for laser printers. As you might have guessed, laser printers also have their fair share of pros and cons. In terms of the good, laser printers shine in several ways:

• Laser printers are great at printing high volumes of black-and-white documents.
• A laser printer can print much faster than an inkjet printer.
• Most laser printers have high-capacity paper trays, so they can print more at once.
• Laser printers can handle printing thousands of pages per month and have a lower cost to print per page. This is why there are so many great laser printers for the office.

While the advantages of owning a laser printer are enticing, this type of printer also comes with some disadvantages:

• Laser printers can’t print on paper that’s sensitive to heat.
• A laser printer won’t print color or high-quality photos as well as an inkjet printer.
• Laser printers are larger and heavier than inkjet printers.
• While laser printers have a lower cost to print per page, they are more expensive to purchase upfront.

Which Type of Printer Is Right for You?

Learning the pros and cons of laser and inkjet printers is great. However, if you’re in the market for a new printer (which you likely are if you’re reading this), you’re probably wondering which type of printer you should buy.

In general, an inkjet printer is best if:

• You don’t tend to print too often.
• You want to print high-quality color images.
• When you print, you only print a few pages at a time.

On the other side of the coin, you’ll want to consider a laser printer if:

• You’re planning to do a lot of printing.
• You mostly print black-and-white documents.
• You plan to buy a printer for office use.

Once you decide which type of printer to purchase, you’ll want to explore a list of the best printers to help you further narrow down the options and make your final purchase.