Five points to consider when choosing a printer in 2022

If you've made it this far, you're looking to buy one of these devices and have encountered the age-old question of whether to buy a laser or inkjet printer. We offer a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of each, as well as the situations in which one or the other is recommended.

In the past, if you wanted high-quality color printing at an affordable price, at home or at work, you bought an inkjet printer. If you needed something faster for office work, you bought a laser printer. Now, they seem to have merged. Even color lasers have become affordable for individuals, while inkjet office printers are found in large businesses. So, which one should you choose?

If we consider a laser or inkjet printer, both have their (logical) advantages and disadvantages, even though the best of internal technology is used in each model to overcome their limitations.

We'll see where each option benefits, depending on your intended use, and we'll conclude with a brief summary. You can skip to the end if you don't want to see the full answer, although we recommend it.

1. Which one can handle the most workloads?

It's easy to choose between a laser and an inkjet printer based on its paper capacity. Laser printers can handle substantial workloads, with monthly duty cycles ranging from 2,000 to 20,000 pages, depending on the model. Few inkjet printers can handle a similar number of sheets, as their capacity typically ranges from 1,500 to 5,000 sheets.

But if you don't plan on printing as much as a laser printer, you could consider an inkjet, which will be more than adequate for most teams, offices, or small departments. However, if you really need to print constantly and relentlessly, laser printers are the only ones you can rely on.

2. Which one is the fastest?

Conventional wisdom will tell you that lasers are faster, but the reality is more complex. A few years ago, inkjet printers could produce 30 pages per minute in black and white and 10 pages per minute in color, while laser printers could produce up to 40 pages per minute in both cases. Today, laser printers can produce up to 70 pages per minute in more professional models.

Does this mean that inkjet printers have been left behind? Far from it; a new generation of desktop printers has emerged to revolutionize printheads and A4 printing. These new printers can also achieve the same speeds as lasers.

3. Which one is the cheapest?

Once again, we come back to the popular belief that, between inkjet printers and laser printers, the latter are more expensive to buy but cheaper to maintain, while inkjet printers are cheaper initially but cost more in the long run.

Some also claim that a toner cartridge for a laser printer will last for thousands of pages, while ink cartridges need to be replaced frequently. We know this isn't true in that respect.

If you consult our comparisons between laser and inkjet printers, you'll be surprised by the similarity in price. On the one hand, laser printers are becoming increasingly cheaper, and the least expensive models come with starter cartridges that run out quite quickly, even though standard cartridges last longer.

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On the other hand, inkjet printers are striving to reduce the cost per page. Meanwhile, extra-large cartridges are capable of producing more than 9,000 pages in black and 6,500 in color.

There are, however, some costs to consider. Laser printers produce excellent results, even on flat paper, so there's no need to buy a special model. As for inkjet printers, office paper is no longer very expensive, and these models consume less energy than lasers. Consequently, the running costs of an inkjet printer are lower than those of a laser printer. Furthermore, they are less expensive to purchase, making inkjet the winner in this category.

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4. Which of the two prints is of better quality?

Laser printers remain the champions when it comes to producing crisp text and brilliant graphics. Whether you're printing business documents or personal paperwork, a good laser printer is probably the best choice.

However, as expected, inkjet printers are not to be outdone, having improved considerably in text production to the point that the quality is equally good for both indoor and outdoor use. Furthermore, inkjet printers tend to produce more natural-looking results when printing photos, which is why most professionals use them. A standard office inkjet printer won't give you professional-quality photo prints, but it will provide good results.

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5. Which one is best for office and management?

Historically, lasers have been the focus of attention in the workplace, and you will find that these have more interesting model lines with more interesting management tools and advanced technologies, not to mention upgrade options such as expandable memory or security.

At the same time, inkjet printers have adapted to their laser counterparts to be suitable for office use, and have also incorporated these features. We've found that they even offer features such as Wi-Fi, touchscreens, and cloud support, which allows printing from any connected device. While a laser printer may offer more management and security tools, an inkjet printer can now offer them as well.

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Conclusion

It depends on how you intend to use it. It's more a question of budget, volume, and the type of tasks you'll be performing.

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We hope this article has helped you make your choice and answered all your questions. Our team remains available should you have any further questions.

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