Which Printer Is Better - Laser Or Inkjet? What Is The Difference? Which One To Choose For The Home? Differences In Characteristics And Comparison Of Advantages And Disadvantages

2024 Author: Beatrice Philips | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-18 12:09

Quite often, users, going to buy a unique printer, get confused in a wide range of printing office equipment. And the most interesting thing is that no one thinks in advance about the operational requirements for output devices, which is why they get lost, falling into a variety of functions and parameters of printers. Sales assistants, wishing to help the client, ask leading questions. Thus, it turns out to determine the type of required printer, namely, inkjet or laser.

Description of types of printers

Users go for a printer or multifunctional device with different goals. Professional photographers interested in the principle of high-quality printing of images on paper of different textures and densities. A similar requirement is put forward darkroom and studio . The search for a printer for office use is made according to several criteria, including the presence of the CISS option, print speed, and cartridge capabilities.

And yet, most consumers opt for versatile models that can print both black and white documents and color images of various sizes.

Printers built for a small list of tasks do not raise any questions. You can find them at any point of sales of office equipment. But you will have to look for universal models of printers and MFPs with special characteristics. It is worth noting that this type of printer is popularly called a "combine", since it contains modes of several devices at once, for example: copier, printer, scanner and even fax . However, the availability of so many possibilities significantly increases the cost of the device. To work in an office, the printer must have a high speed of printing, scanning and copying information.

For professional designers, an important aspect of choice - high quality of the output images in color, which is easily provided by a laser printer. For applicants who have to constantly prepare abstracts, compose notes, do term papers and theses, MFP inkjet models capable of displaying text and graphic information on paper are suitable.

For home use a mandatory requirement is a printout of documents and any other textual information, such as books or magazines. This means that it is worth considering universal models with the required operating modes.

Having decided on the main goals of operation, you can understand what type of printer should be considered: inkjet or laser . At first glance, it may seem that the difference between them lies only in the supply of paint, but this is far from the case.

To find out their similarities and differences, only a detailed description of each species will help.

Inkjet

The inkjet type of the printer is considered the most demanded all over the world . The presented models entered the daily life of a person due to the possibility of displaying color images. Having installed such a device at home, the need to contact photo salons to fill a family photo album has disappeared.

Further it is proposed to get acquainted with the features of the work of inkjet printers. Familiar to everyone matrix models the image is applied to a paper carrier by means of an ink ribbon and the finest needles. Inkjet designs equipped with special elements called nozzles. They are tiny holes. They can only be viewed under a magnifying glass or microscope. They are located in the printhead next to the ink tank. It is through these holes that the coloring composition enters the paper carrier. Each drop of ink is negligible in volume. It can only be compared with the thickness of a human hair.

If you take a printed image and place it under a powerful microscope, you will see that each element of the picture is composed of many point drops. Under the nozzles, tiny holes, are cavities where ink drops are directed.

In inkjet models of the printer, you can find several ways to squeeze ink out of the cartridge

• Piezoelectric pressure method … A piezoelectric crystal is located above the nozzle, which is powered by an electric current. After applying voltage, the piezoelectric element changes its position: either lengthens or stretches. When pressure builds up, drops of dye are formed and squeezed onto the paper carrier. The piezoelectric pressure system is economical yet highly reliable.
• Thermal pressure method … In inkjet printer models where this pressure technique is used, the droplet formation process is structured slightly differently. The design contains a miniature heating element that produces a maximum temperature of 100 degrees. With this heating, gas bubbles form in the ink liquid, and they also push the drops through the nozzles onto the paper. This pressure method allows you to print an image on paper in a few seconds. However, the print head very often fails due to rapid heating.

There is another peculiarity of inkjet printers, which is the way of storing ink

• Built-in paint tanks … The container is located inside the print head, therefore, to replace the dye, it is necessary to change the entire structure.
• Separate ink tank … In such designs, the print head of the printer is filled with the ink element using a capillary network. And to replace the cartridge, there is no need to completely disassemble the device.

Laser

Laser printers offer printing of information in multi-colored and black-and-white form . Used as a dye dry toner … The main design detail of this type of printers is photosensitive drum . Outwardly, it resembles a cylinder made of semiconductor-coated metal that is sensitive to light. The principle of operation of laser devices is based on it.

The drum unit can be positively or negatively charged. This indicator depends on the corona wire. To make it clearer, the corona wire is a tungsten wire coated with gold or platinum. Under the influence of the current, a charge occurs, a magnetic field is formed, which acts on the drum.

Some models of laser printers use a charging roller instead of a corona wire. This is a metal rod, the surface of which is covered with a rubber or foam material. And they are known to be excellent conductors.

Having figured out the structure of laser-type printers, you can get acquainted with the step-by-step algorithm of its operation

1. Laser and mirror optics create a sequence for document output. The laser beam is fixed at a certain point where the charge changes. These dots create the image.
2. There is a contact between the magnetic shaft and the drum unit, namely, the required amount of ink is withdrawn.
3. The toner is fixed to the charged areas of the drum unit.
4. A sheet of paper is placed under the drum. At short time intervals, the toner is applied to the paper.
5. After the first processing of paper with toner, the sheet is sent to the compartment of the thermal oven, where it is heated to a temperature of 200 degrees.
6. After processing the sheet with high temperature, the image is sent to the tray for information output.
7. In the case of color printing, this process occurs 4 times. In simple terms, a four-color toner is applied.

Comparison of pros and cons

On laser printers, the drum surface is charged under the "+" sign. The coloring powder spills out of the cartridge as it rotates, focusing only on the plus points. Next, the paper goes through a certain processing inside the printer structure, after which the output of the finished drawing is made.

Further it is proposed to get acquainted with the advantages of laser devices:

• low cost per printed page;
• fast drawing of an image on paper;
• the ability to print large text materials;
• ease of operation of the device at increased loads;
• no need to make frequent refilling of cartridges;
• the coloring composition of the finished images is not negatively affected by moisture;
• laser printers can print any information on paper of different density, texture and quality.

Along with the advantages of laser printers, there are some disadvantages:

• high price of the device;
• high power consumption;
• inability to service the cartridge at home;
• toner is harmful to health, which requires ventilation of the room during operation.

Inkjet printers use head with paint … The image itself is obtained from a set of miniature dots. Further, it is proposed to consider the advantages that fans of inkjet printers appeal to:

• low price compared to laser devices;
• low energy consumption - in simple terms, inkjet printers spend 10 times less electrical resource on their work than laser ones;
• all inkjet models are equipped with a card reader, thanks to which you can print information from removable media;
• high quality color images;
• the coloring composition does not harm human health;
• wide assortment range, differing in design and colors.

But even inkjet models have certain disadvantages:

• the high price of each printed page;
• the need for frequent replacement of the cartridge;
• if you use the device infrequently, the ink dries up;
• the slowness of the output of each individual sheet;
• the ink in printed images is negatively affected by moisture.

By comparing the advantages and disadvantages among themselves, you can decide which office equipment is better to buy for personal purposes, and which is suitable for office use.

Differences in basic characteristics

Before considering what are the differences between embedded and laser printers, it is suggested that you familiarize yourself with a table in which there is brief information with the difference in technical characteristics that can be compared with each other.

	Laser printer	Jet printer
High print speed	«+»	«-»
High quality paper receptivity	«+»	«-»
Availability of the function of two-sided printing	«+»	«-»
Duplex printing	«+»; «-»	«-»
Long service life	«+»	«-»
Low cost per print	«+»	«-»
Low cost of the device	«-»	«+»
Small size	«-»	«+»
Low power consumption	«-»	«+»
Glossy print quality	«-»	«+»
Ease of operation	«-»	«+»

First of all, you need to get to know with a difference in pricing policy . According to average statistics, decent inkjet printers can be found in the range of 6-7 thousand rubles. But laser machines that support exclusively black and white print format have a price of about 9,000 rubles. A laser device that also carries out color printing differs significantly in cost, which ranges from 15-20 thousand rubles.

Of course, such a price ratio makes consumers pay attention to inkjet models, but if we do further calculation, it becomes clear that a one-time investment in an expensive laser printer will be more profitable.

To understand what is at stake, you need to consider the cost of the consumable . The original inkjet cartridge can print 30 color images or 400 sheets of black and white text. The laser printer cartridge is capable of outputting 150 color images and 1300 pages of black and white text material. At the same time, the cost of a cartridge for an inkjet system ranges from 500-600 rubles, cartridges for a laser printer cost 200-250 rubles.

It is almost impossible to see the huge difference when printing out black and white information . Both laser and inkjet printers cope with this task without any problems. But if we consider the issue of printing color photographs and images, then inkjet devices have a high superiority . And this is due to the fact that the ink of a liquid consistency is more intensively mixed with each other, thereby providing: a wide variety of color palette, high drawing and detailing.

As mentioned earlier, the cost of a new cartridge for inkjet printers is about 500-600 rubles. It contains about 13 ml of dye. When the ink runs out, you can purchase a new cartridge, but in order to save money, it is preferable to refill the old containers. But unfortunately, Frequent refilling of the cartridge will affect print quality.

If the inkjet printer is idle for a long time, the ink dries up. Respectively, you have to purchase new cartridges . Dry ink is not the worst thing, however. It is much more serious if not only the coloring matter dries out, but also printhead , repairing which is a very expensive pleasure. To avoid this, it is necessary to render a color image at least once a week.

For laser printers, the cost of a new cartridge is 200 rubles … For the same price refueling is in progress . With prolonged stagnation of the device, the coloring matter does not dry out, since it has a powdery appearance. Some people think that you can refill the old cartridge yourself, but this is not the case. It is important to take precautions as toner is toxic and harmful to human health.

Therefore, the master always puts on gloves and refills the cartridge in a well-ventilated area.

Inkjet printers outperform laser printers when it comes to sustainability … Due to its high toxicity, the dye, if it gets on the skin and mucous membranes, can cause an allergic reaction. If you inhale a small amount of dry paint, you can do great harm to your entire health. In addition, when the toner heats up, ozone is released - a substance that can cause irreparable harm to health. Install laser printers in ventilated areas. But the coloring matter of inkjet models does not in any way affect human health.

The amount of built-in memory in modern models of printers (inkjet and laser types) is quite high . If the figure is 32 MB, you cannot guarantee the quality of the printed image.

The printing unit of a laser printer works several times faster and better than in inkjet models … Unfortunately, it is impossible to distinguish laser printers from inkjet printers by their appearance. Both have a beautiful, austere design that hides a unique printing "filling".

Based on the information provided, it is impossible to say for sure which printer is the best. Both devices have both positive and negative sides.

The user, before going to buy the presented office equipment, needs to decide what tasks the device should cope with, weigh the pros and cons, and only after that make decisions in favor of a particular design.

Which to choose?

The rules for choosing printers of one kind or another are the same. The main thing is for the user to determine in advance the basic requirements for the device.

1. It is necessary to stop your choice on well-known brands that have long proven themselves from the best side. You should not buy a printer that you like in appearance - it is important to familiarize yourself with its technical characteristics.
2. It is necessary to carefully read the manufacturer's warranty conditions, as well as check the list of service centers in your city.
3. It is necessary to know in advance the cost of spare parts for the printer and consumables you are interested in. It is important that the price of the issue does not turn out to be higher than the cost of the device itself.
4. The original packaging contains the maximum number of prints per month. If 5-6 thousand pages are printed monthly, you should pay attention to devices that output up to 7 thousand sheets.
5. When buying a printer, you should consider models with the functions necessary for the operation. Thus, you do not have to overpay for unnecessary options.
6. As you know, to refuel cartridges of complex printer designs, you need to call a specialist, which "hits" the wallet. To save the family budget, it is preferable to take a model where you can refill ink yourself.
7. It is more profitable for the home to consider inkjet printers. They are more economical and maintainable. For the office, professional photography studios, it is recommended to take laser models.

Choosing the perfect printer model is easy the main thing is to decide for what purposes it is intended . If you only want black and white printouts, laser samples are worth considering. For color images, inkjet devices are suitable.