Modern printers are very affordable - you can choose a completely economical model for 4000-5000 rubles. But this is not so easy to do, especially if you are going to buy a color printer: which is better laser or inkjet?
The difference between a laser printer and an inkjet printer: which one is better?
Inkjet printers use liquid ink sprayed through microscopic holes (nozzles) onto paper, and laser printers- a toner cartridge (fine powder) that is heated by a fuser. The difference in the approach to printing also determines the different set of tasks that these two types of printers can perform. How do you know which inkjet or laser printer is right for you? You need to dive into the design features a bit.
Inkjet printers
There are three types of inkjet printers: document printers, photo printers, and MFPs. They all print using the same technology: liquid ink from a cartridge is applied to paper in the form of tiny dots, from which an image is formed.
The inkjet MFP prints color images perfectly.
- Document printers are the cheapest, their cost rarely exceeds 6 thousand rubles. Best of all, they cope with printing text documents. It can be either black and white or color.
- Photo printers are slightly more expensive, and are focused on high-quality color printing of small photos (up to 8x10 in size). This is usually sufficient for home printing or a small photo business.
- Multifunction devices (MFPs) at a relatively low price combine the functionality of a printer, scanner and copier, and sometimes fax.
The advantages of inkjet printers include the following:
- small size. Most inkjet printers are relatively small and can fit in tight spaces. MFPs are slightly larger, but generally smaller than a laser printer and much smaller than a standard office copier.
- Low cost. Inkjet printers are generally much cheaper than laser printers. If an inkjet printer breaks down, it is much easier to replace it with a new one.
- Inexpensive consumables. inkjet cartridges in last years fell in price. An ink cartridge costs about half as much as a laser toner cartridge. In addition, it is easier to replace.
- Excellent photo quality. Inkjet printers designed for photo printing can create amazing results, print images with bright colors and high contrast with almost no pixelation.
Inkjet printer: inside view. Among the disadvantages of inkjet printing are the following:
- Wasted ink consumption. In order to print one page, an inkjet printer requires much more consumables than a laser printer.
- Slow printing. An inkjet printer can print multi-page documents much slower than a laser printer.
- Cartridge problems. At times, ink cartridges can leak, which can stain the printer, hands, and paper. In addition, with occasional use, ink cartridges tend to dry out.
Overall, an inkjet printer is a popular consumer choice for home use. Buy an inkjet printer if you:
- choose a printer for the home;
- want to print photos;
- Are you going to print small documents frequently?
- limited in funds.
| CHIP recommends: inkjet MFPs | |
 |
|
 |
|
Laser printer
Laser printers are divided into document printers and MFPs. For printing, they use a coloring powder (toner), which is heated by a laser and adheres to the paper, forming an image.
A laser document printer allows you to quickly and very clearly print text documents.
Laser MFPs, just like inkjet, combine the functions of printing, scanning and copying.
The advantages of a laser printer include:
- Saving toner. Consumables for a laser printer are more expensive, but they last for a longer period than an inkjet. In general, printing one page with toner is cheaper than printing with ink.
- High print speed. A laser printer is much faster at printing multi-page documents.
- Print cleanliness and accuracy. Toner is a dry powder, it does not stain or smear if a freshly printed document, for example, is placed in a folder.
- Clearer Document Printing. A laser printer prints fine print and detail more accurately, so toner-printed documents look much more readable.
Laser printer inside. Disadvantages, however, are also enough.
- Expensive consumables. Toner cartridges are very expensive, at least twice as much as ink cartridges. But, as already mentioned, they last much longer.
- Big size. A laser printer, and even more so an MFP, is quite bulky. It is not so easy to squeeze it into a tight corner.
- Noise. Laser printers make noise during operation that cannot be silenced (inkjet printers have a silent mode).
- Very expensive color printing. Laser printer is not the best choice For photo printing, color toner is very expensive. Many inexpensive models laser printers do not support color printing at all.
We can say that laser printers are the best choice for printing large volumes of text. Therefore, they can often be found in offices, libraries, educational institutions. A laser printer is worth buying if:
Which printer is better to buy inkjet or laser?
As you have already understood, the answer to this question largely depends on the purpose for which you need the printer. If you print in small volumes, but regularly, you can consider an inkjet model: this option will cost less and allow you to print at high resolution (for example, photographs). If you print irregularly or in significant volumes, and the resolution is not so important, it is better to choose a laser printer.
The printer has become an attribute of almost every apartment and office, we can no longer do without printing. Before proceeding with the choice, first consider what kind of printers are in general. The whole variety of printers is divided according to the principle of operation and purpose, among which main:
- Matrix.
- Inkjet.
- Laser.
- Thermal sublimation.
Matrix
The simple principle of printing, invented in the early 1970s, is still used in some offices and businesses. However, it is completely unsuitable for the home due to poor print quality, increased noise and slow operation.
Inkjet 
Quite common, print quality varies based on specifications. For printing, these printers use cartridges filled with ink with printheads.
Laser 
They are used everywhere, both at home and at enterprises and institutions. Most of the devices used are black and white. The image on paper is transferred by the printing "roller" - the drum, charging it separate sections and attracting small particles of coloring powder - toner.
Thermal sublimation 
More often used in printing than for office printing. They are an alternative to inkjet machines, but with more high quality printing and the level of color rendering, but they are almost never used for the home, as their prices bite very much. Suitable only for those who are seriously interested in photography.
MFP 
Multifunction devices (“combines”) combine a printer, scanner and copier at the same time. Very convenient, they can be inkjet and laser, but not always reasonable in price. Sometimes it is more profitable to buy these devices separately.
There are also highly specialized printers, for example, for specific production purposes. But here they will not interest us.
Choosing a printer
Now the question is which model should be chosen, the technology and the number on the price tag. It all depends on your pocket, of course most optimal from the point of view of convenience, MFP, however, it should be noted that if it fails, there is a chance to lose three devices at once: scanner, copier and printer.
Let us dwell in more detail on the options with inkjet and laser printers. What better fit for the home, for the family?
Laser and inkjet printer for home - which is better
To advantages of inkjet one can certainly attribute their relative compactness and cheapness. For laptop owners, this option is probably preferable.
Print Quality- high, but the speed is several times lower than that of laser printers. If your printing needs are small - a few sheets per day - then it is better to choose this option.
Cartridges constitute the main cost of such devices, therefore, if they fail (color or black), their replacement will be very expensive.
To advantages of laser can be attributed to the speed of printing, almost silent operation, good quality, relatively low cost of prints. But the Achilles' heel of these printers is size, price and weight. And during operation, the unit exhales ozone, which is also not very pleasant.
If suddenly one of these printers breaks down, it is much easier and cheaper to maintain will be laser.
Cartridge resource
After comparing cartridge resources, it is obvious that laser(several thousand sheets compared to several hundred inkjet) in this regard win. However, there is a drawback - laser ones will most likely have to be refueled at specialized service centers, since at home it will unsafe(Dust from toner is harmful to the body), hence additional maintenance costs. 
Inkjet you can also refuel at home using an ordinary medical syringe. 
CISS for inkjet printer
The disadvantage associated with the resource of an inkjet cartridge can be leveled using a continuous ink supply system (CISS). 
These tubes deliver ink. automatically and continuously. This system improves print quality and saves costs. The only concern is to add ink sometimes and that's it. 
We pay attention to the connection interface
You can find devices connected to the computer through the port USB, network ( LAN), on wifi channel and other options, or all of this in a complex. Previously been used LPT port, but on this moment it is hopelessly outdated. Among laser and inkjet printers, you can easily choose those that have the interfaces you prefer. The wireless connection method significantly increases the price of the device.
Paper density
A laser printer can print on almost any paper, while not losing print quality, which cannot be said about inkjet. Generally, the thicker the paper, the thicker the sheet.
Both devices are generally capable of printing on matte, glossy, office paper, but laser different density carriers will cope with this noticeably better. But there are exceptions, expensive inkjet models have a lot to offer.
Types of ink for inkjet printer
Distinguish water soluble and ink on pigmented basis.
The first ones are different low cost, color rendering high, but highly susceptible to sunlight and ultraviolet radiation. They require special photographic paper. Pigment ones are based on a solid dye - a pigment, waterproof, provide saturation and durability.
Ability to print on CDs and DVDs
For printing on discs at home, preference should be given to inkjet printers, the cost of such printing will be incomparably lower. Also for such purposes, you can use souvenir printers that can print on small parts.
Photo printer
It all depends on the number of photos you print, if it’s a couple of dozen, then it’s better to use jet. As for quality, the model is out of competition here sublimation type. If you print photos in large volumes, then it makes sense to use photo printer. Photo paper for laser printers is more expensive than for inkjet models. Therefore, for the home, we recommend using the latter for these purposes. 
Other characteristics
Among other characteristics that you should pay attention to: color reproduction, drop size, resolution.
Color reproduction– the number of colors modern inkjet printers can use from 4 colors and more. 4 colors is already enough to create a full color photo, but most likely, when you increase the size, it will look grainy. To improve quality (if this is for you top priority) you should choose a printer with large quantity colors.
Drop size- here adhere to the principle - the spool is small, but expensive. Although, of course, start from the tasks that you will set for your printer. You just have to remember that how smaller size drops of printheads, themes the quality will be higher. However, if you reduce the drop, you will lose speed print. You will also have to use higher quality expensive ink.
Permission(dpi) - an objective characteristic that determines how clear the printed image will turn out. The bigger, the better.
Scientific and technological progress is moving at the speed of a shopaholic on the last day of pre-New Year discounts, and today everyone has the opportunity to purchase any type of printing device for themselves. Naturally, we ask ourselves the question: what should we choose?
Modern manufacturers are pleased with the breadth of the model range. But before proceeding to a direct purchase, it is worthwhile to carefully understand the functional side of the question: what is a printer in general, what can it be, what are the disadvantages and advantages of its various types? This is what we'll do.
What is a printer?
This is technical device, the main purpose of which is the transfer of information from electronic media to hard media - paper. The resulting document is called a printout.
This achievement of technology has confidently migrated from printing shops and large offices to compact desktops in cozy apartments.
Now he has become an indispensable home assistant in a situation where you need to print a text document or even a photo.
Multifunctional devices (MFPs) are very popular among consumers, which most often combine the following functions:
- printing;
- scanning;
- copier.
There are also models with telefax. This is very convenient for effective work in the office.
These devices have their own set-up and operation features, but we will not dwell on them carefully, but will return directly to the main topic. In accordance with the principle of operation, several types of printing equipment are distinguished, each of which we will consider separately.
Types of printers and their functions
There are several selection criteria various kinds printing technique:
- principle of operation;
- color layout features;
- type of suitable ink;
- type of original printed material.
According to these criteria, and chronologically, matrix technology was one of the first to be used in print.
The image was applied to the sheet using a special print head with a certain fixed number of needles that move under the action of electromagnets. The head, moving along the sheet, hit the ink ribbon, leaving a mark on the paper - a dot. Accordingly, the more needles, the sharper the image. Now this principle is used only for checks in cash registers.
There are sublimation printing machines that are not widely used and are now used only in printing, because they have especially high level color reproduction. Also, devices based on the technology of a rotating drum are no longer very popular.
Its surface was embossed, there were various letters and numbers on it. The width of the drum was the same as the width of the sheet, and the number of rings with the alphabet was equal to the maximum allowable sum of characters in each line. It should be noted that this type was the first produced in the world, and to this day drum technology is considered the fastest.
Certainly, most often modern offices and at home you can find either laser or inkjet printing machines. Therefore, we will pay more attention to their consideration.
Video: Which printer is better?
Laser printer
Laser printing technology existed at the beginning of the 20th century and was called electrography, later it was called xerography. It is distinguished by high quality of printed material, speed, low unit cost of printing.
The central link in the principle of operation of such an apparatus is a photodrum, the main property of which is to store on its surface an electric charge corresponding to each point.
The beam from a special scanner hits the mirror, due to which the surface of the photoconductor subsequently acquires a positive charge.
Charged areas and form an image. Toner (special coloring powder) wakes up on the drum and focuses on charged dots, creating a pattern.
Thus, the speed increases significantly, as does the quality. In addition, the printed material is very resistant to external influences. The pattern will not deteriorate due to moisture, the color will not fade.
Jet printer
The technology of applying an image to a sheet is similar to the matrix one, only instead of needles there is a print head with liquid paint. The image is also created using dots. The print head can be attached directly to the cartridge where the ink is located, or located in the machine itself, which makes it easy to change ink.
Such "printers" differ in terms of what underlies the ink used.
They may be:
There are also alcohol-based inks, but they are not popular, as they dry quickly on the surface of the print head.
This technique has become widespread in many areas of activity, according to this, there are:
Which is better: inkjet or laser printer?
When deciding which unit is best for you, it would be appropriate to compare the characteristics of both:
If we talk about what is better for the home - a laser or inkjet printer, then you should pay attention to all these nuances, as well as how often and in what volumes you are going to print. The larger they are, the more appropriate it is to lean towards electrographic technology.
Video: Features of choice
Advantages of devices
The main advantages of an inkjet printer include:
If you choose what is better for a photo - a laser or an inkjet printer, definitely, the second one will be more appropriate and efficient, because it conveys colors better, makes them brighter.
The main advantages of a laser printer include:
- the cost per printed page is low;
- the speed of work is very high;
- ideal for working with bulky text material;
- designed for high loads;
- does not require frequent refueling;
- gives a moisture-resistant imprint;
- can print on almost any kind of paper without compromising image quality.
Cons of devices
The main disadvantages of an inkjet printer include:
The main disadvantages of a laser printer include:
- high energy consumption;
- high cost of the device;
- unsuitable for photo printing;
- suitable for working only with black and white images and texts;
- refueling at home is excluded;
- toner is harmful to health, it is recommended to ventilate the room after finishing work.
If you are faced with a choice between the described units, be guided by your financial capabilities to begin with. Laser - expensive to buy, economical to use. Inkjet - relatively cheap, but expensive to maintain. Pay attention to the amount of printed material: a few documents per month will not pay off an expensive acquisition, another thing is daily printing.
Laser - Laserjet, ProXpress, Xpress, MultiXpress, WorkCentre, Ecosys, Phaser, Versalink, Altalink
Inkjet - Stylus, Deskjet, Photosmart, Pixma, Officejet, Pagewide, Workforce, Inkjet, Inkbenefit
Inkjet printers are usually suitable for home users whose needs are limited to printing text and photos. But, you need to print on inkjet constantly, otherwise the ink dries up. While with lasers there is no such problem.
Laser is better for office work with large volumes and high demands to print.
Laser can be not only color, but also monochrome (black and white printing). Inkjet opposite, only color.
Inkjet printers and MFPs have a low initial cost but a higher maintenance cost compared to the high initial cost and low maintenance of laser printers.
- Laser print quality is better than inkjet
- the print speed is also higher for laser
- laser prints come out very clear, resistant to light and water.
- laser has no dependence of print speed on image resolution
- price Supplies inkjet higher than laser
- noise depends on the model, and there and there are different
- the cost of laser is higher than that of inkjet
- laser power consumption is higher
With inkjet printers and MFPs more problems while with lasers there are fewer of them.
As a result, before buying a particular printer, as well as an MFP, it is recommended to consult with a specialist who is associated with this topic. Otherwise, the costs will be large, and the joy of buying will grow into resentment. Therefore, the article “how to distinguish laser printers and MFPs from inkjet ones” is for you.