Looking for a stay at home printer?
If what you’re really asking is what type of printer should I get to stay productive at home and you know that you will generally print a mix of colored and monochrome documents, I recommend you get an affordable color laser printer. Laser printers are in it for the long haul and are more economical than inkjet printers. Laser printers use toner cartridges which print thousands of pages so you don’t need to worry about replacements anytime soon. Laser cartridges contain toner powder so you also don’t have to worry about the drama of running into dried or clogged ink at all!
Many consumers have asked the very same question: should I get an inkjet or laser printer? There are many factors to consider and to help you decide, it’s impossible not to talk about each one. In this article, we go through each consideration to make sure you make the most educated choice.
First, let me give you the short of it.
The biggest differences between inkjet and laser printers is that an inkjet printer uses ink, is suitable for low volume printing, and is the traditional choice of home users, while a laser printer uses toner, is ideal for high volume printing, is mostly utilized in office settings but is also suitable and is a more economical choice for home use.
Whether or not you need an inkjet or laser printer would depend on what you print, how often you print, and how much your printing budget is.
Now, let’s get to the long of it.
Printer Comparison
What is an inkjet printer?
Inkjet printers are machines that spray microscopic droplets of ink onto paper. Inkjet printers are generally cheaper, smaller, and can be used to print both text documents and high quality colored images, especially photos. BUT be wary of cheap inkjet printers as those will end up costing you a fortune later on.
What is a laser printer?
Laser printers are machines that melt toner powder onto paper to create a print. Laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers upfront and uses pricier toner cartridges but is still a more economical option in the long run with its overall lower cost per page, faster print speeds.
Let’s take a closer look at the strengths and weaknesses of laser and inkjet printers so you can make your next purchase with confidence.
What Will You Use The Printer For?
If you’re looking for a home printer for occasional printing, most people would advice you to get an inkjet printer. However, a common complaint with inkjet printers is that the ink dries up if you don’t use it often. With that said, if you have the budget for it, I strongly suggest you get an affordably priced laser printer instead; the toner used by laser printers doesn’t dry up.
But if you’ll be printing a small volume of documents and require high resolution colored images regularly, inkjet printers will get the job done. Laser printers are known to be more durable and can print large quantities of monochrome and colored documents frequently.
What is a monochrome printer?
A monochrome printer is a printer that prints only in black and white. Monochrome printers only need a black printer cartridge to print.
Though laser printers were originally built for office use, they are now growing in popularity as a home printer for economical reasons.
If you’ll be printing large volumes of documents, a laser printer is the best machine for you. Laser printers can print high volumes of documents daily without even batting an eyelash (if a printer ever had one…or many).
What about for printing in color? Color laser printers are good for everyday color printing but if you’re looking to print professional high resolution photos, go with a photo inkjet printer.
High quality photo inkjet printers are specially engineered to produce vividly detailed photos with the tonal variety and deeper blacks that photographers and creatives need. Many professional photo inkjet printers use pigment-based ink which is more fade-resistant and works with a wide variety of art paper types as well as a range of paper sizes but you can also find dye-based photo inkjet printers if you don’t require the longevity of pigment ink.
Inkjet vs. Color Laser Printer – One of the most popular questions we get from buyers is: should I get a color laser printer or an inkjet printer? It boils down to what you need color printing for.
- If you need gallery quality photos, get a photo inkjet printer.
- But if you need to print medium quality colored images that don’t require color depth and tonal range, we recommend color laser printers over inkjet printers for two reasons:
- laser toner does not dry up if left unused
- you print more pages from laser toner cartridges than inkjet cartridges
Technology (How It Works)
Inkjet printers spray liquid ink through microscopic nozzles onto paper as pictured below.
Laser printers, on the other hand, have a drum unit that fuses (or melts) toner powder onto paper with heat.
So, one printer type uses ink, the other uses powder. Inkjet printers sprays ink droplets while laser printers melt toner powder onto paper.
With this difference in application between the two inkjet and laser printer types, it’s a common belief that smudging is more common with inkjet printers than laser. That’s not to say all inkjet printers do. Inkjet printers that use pigment based ink aren’t likely to smudge whereas dye-based ink require a longer drying time for the ink to set. And this can also largely depend on what paper you’re printing on. Some paper types absorb ink better while some don’t.
Print Quality (Print Resolution)
Print quality, more formally referred to as print resolution, depends on the output you need.
In a nutshell, if you need to print super detailed, high-resolution photos, look for a good professional photo inkjet printer that produces high resolution images. If what you need is a reliable printer that can keep printing sharp documents and satisfactory colored reports or images, a laser printer fits the bill.
A laser printer for printing in color?
Absolutely. A common perception is that inkjet printers are simply better for printing anything in color, and laser printers are exclusively best for black and white text.
Although inkjet printers still win over laser when it comes to high resolution photos boasting incredible color tones and depth, color laser printers are now an option to consider for those looking to print medium-quality colored images while enjoying the reliability, endurance, and economic benefits of a laser printer.
The technology behind the two printer types mainly determine the limitations when it comes to the quality of print results. But advancements in laser printer technology have allowed color laser printers to now produce pretty impressive colored photos as well.
Print Resolution Comparison
Resolution is measured in DPI which stands for “dots per inch”. The more dots there are in an inch of paper, the sharper the result. You only really need a printer with a resolution of 600 dpi in order to create high resolution documents and 1200 dpi in order to print good colored images.
Though it’s said that the higher the dpi, the sharper the details will be in a printed image, you can hardly notice the difference after 1200 dpi. You only really need to worry about higher resolutions if you’re looking to print sharp photographs.
When looking at printer specifications, you will see that print resolution is always a set of two numbers as in 4800 x 1200 dpi. This means the max resolution of that printer is 4800 multiplied by 1200 dpi. And yes, there is such a thing as too much dpi.
Inkjet Printer Resolutions
Most inkjet printers now have a maximum of around 5,000 dpi. Most Canon PIXMA printers have a maximum resolution of 4800 x 1200 dpi (dots per inch). Epson photo printers have maximum print resolution of 5760 x 1440 dpi. The Canon iP110 printer has a dpi of 9600 x 2400 dpi, twice that of regular PIXMAs.
Laser Printer Resolutions
Most laser printers have print resolutions of up to 2,400 x 600 dpi but newer models can now optimize their dpi in order to provide an enhanced print resolution of 38,400 x 600 dpi such as the HP Color LaserJet Pro M479fdw.
In a nutshell:
- Monochrome Laser printers: Excellent for text and documents
- Color Laser Printers: Excellent for text, documents, and can print medium-quality color images (ie. family photos for personal use).
- Photo Inkjet Printers: Great for printing high quality photos with wide color range and tonal depth. Best when printing photo gallery prints.
Print Speed
Laser printers are built to accommodate the demands of a workplace so they are engineered to print faster (between 15 to 100 pages per minute, or ppm), while inkjet printers print slower at about 16 ppm. Since laser printers are faster, they are able to produce more documents compared to inkjet printers and therefore have a higher monthly print volume.
- Laser Printers: 15 to 100 pages/minute
- Inkjet Printers: 16 pages/minute
Print Volume
Print volume refers to how much your printer can print at a given time. A laser printer is considered to be the workhorse of the office because of its capability to quickly print large amounts of documents. Given that inkjet printers are meant for home use, it’s print volume is significantly smaller. For comparison, let’s take a look at the HP LaserJet Pro M401n’s print volume and speed alongside the Canon’s inkjet PIXMA TR8620.
| HP LaserJet Pro M401n | Canon PIXMA TR8620 | |
|---|---|---|
| Printer type | Laser | Inkjet |
| Pages per minute | 35 ppm | 15 ppm |
| Monthly print volume | 750-3,000 pages | Less than 1,000 pages |
Notice the stark contrast between the print speed and print volume between the two printer types.
Maximum Monthly Duty Cycle vs Recommended Monthly Print Volume
It’s often confusing to consumers which number to follow when it comes to how much they should really print with their printers to keep their printers in optimal running condition. Let’s take this opportunity to clarify the difference between maximum monthly duty cycle and recommended monthly print volume.
- The maximum monthly duty cycle is how much your printer can print in a month without causing damage to its parts.
- The recommended monthly print volume is the amount you should print monthly to keep your printer at optimum performance.
Printing at maximum monthly duty cycle can result in your printer calling it quits much sooner than you expect. Try to stay within the recommended monthly print volume instead to keep your printer around longer.
Page Yield
Toner cartridges can print a significantly higher amount of page yield than ink cartridges so toners last longer than ink cartridges. Most ink cartridges contain an ink volume that can usually print between 135 – 1000 pages. Toner cartridge page yields can range from 2,000 to upwards of 10,000!
Ink tank printers however have allowed inkjet printer users to enjoy having a higher volume of ink in their printer so they won’t have to keep replacing cartridges. For Epson, Canon and HP ink tank printers, you use ink bottle refills instead of cartridges. The Epson 522 cyan ink bottle, for example, can print about 7,000 pages. Brother’s ink tank printers still use cartridges but larger ones that hold more ink volume. One of the largest Brother ink tank cartridge can print up to 6,000 pages. That’s a lot of pages for an inkjet printer!
However, it pays to mention that such a large amount of ink in your inkjet printer would only make sense if you print regularly.
Ink tank printers are still inkjet printers so it still inherits the flaws of the technology such as ink drying up and nozzle clogs. If you want to avoid replacing cartridges frequently but are not sure if you’ll be printing with any regularity, we recommend you go with a color laser printer. If you’ll be printing a lot of colored documents daily, ink tank printers is a good option.
Printer vs Cartridge Cost
The upfront cost of a laser printer may seem like its biggest weakness. After all, inkjet printers have a much lower upfront cost with newer models priced as low as $29.99 while laser printers are significantly more expensive with the cheaper ones priced at around $59.99–still twice the price of the cheapest inkjet.
But beware of dirt cheap inkjet printers. These cheap models have a high cost per page and use cartridges that can print only a few hundred pages that you’ll end up having to replace cartridges frequently. Before you know it, you’ve already spent more on ink cartridges than the printer itself.
When compared with laser printers, inkjet printers have a lower price partly because —
- inkjet printers have a minimum life span of 3 years,
- whereas laser printers have a lifespan of at least 5 years
— and this is all depends on frequency of use.
A more important factor to consider when shopping for a printer is its cartridge price.
In the same way that inkjet and laser printers widely differ in price, cartridge prices for a laser and inkjet printer also widely differ — and for good reason.
Laser printer cartridges, also known as toner cartridges, can print significantly more pages than any inkjet cartridge so they are generally more expensive. In spite of this, however, you will find yourself spending less per page with a laser printer.
This all boils down to the cost per page of your printer cartridge.
What’s cost per page?
Cost per page is the best way to measure how cost-efficient your printer is. You can calculate your cartridge’s cost per page by taking your cartridge’s price and dividing it by it’s expected page yield:
cost per page = cartridge price / cartridge page yield
Using the two printers we used previously as an example, the HP LaserJet M401n uses the HP 80x high yield LaserJet toner cartridge which can print at least 6,900 pages while the Canon TR8620 inkjet printer uses the Canon PGI-280XL high yield ink cartridge which prints at least 400 pages. Compare 6,900 pages vs 400 pages!
An HP 80x cartridge costs $206.89 (as of 8/22/2023) and the Canon PGI-280XL cartridge currently costs around $27.99. Although the HP toner is priced 87% more than the Canon cartridge, since you get 86% more pages out of the toner, the HP laser cartridge has a more economical cost per page. Check out the table below.
| HP LaserJet Pro M401n | Canon PIXMA TR8620 | |
|---|---|---|
| Printer Type | Laser | Inkjet |
| Cartridge | HP 80X Black Toner | Canon PGI-280XL Black Ink |
| Page Yield | 6,900 pages | 400 pages |
| Cost | $216.89 (*as of 8/22/2023) | $27.99 (*as of 8/22/2023) |
| Cost per Page | 3.1 cents per page | 6.9 cents per page |
HP 80X has a lower cost per page of 2.9 cents or $0.029 per page, whereas Canon PGI-280XL has a higher CPP of 6.9 cents or $0.069 per page.
If the price of laser toner is too steep for you, consider trying more affordable toner cartridge alternatives in the market.
Non-OEM compatible ink and toner cartridges are widely available at much better prices and print just as well as expensive branded cartridges.
For comparison purposes, let’s take the pricing of an original HP 80x cartridge and compare it with a compatible HP 80x cartridge.
- Original HP 80x Cartridge: ~$216.89
- Compatible HP 80x Cartridge: $29.99
- That’s a price difference of $186.9!
That makes the compatible HP 80x cartridge 84% cheaper than the original. You can get big discounts on compatible ink cartridges as well. Thanks to aftermarket options, expensive printer cartridges is now a thing of the past.
The upfront cost of an inkjet printer might seem the more economical (and attractive) choice at first but when you take into account the price of ink cartridges AND how often you’ll have to replace them (considering it’s low page yield), the running cost of replacing cartridges will easily get much more expensive than the initial cost of the printer.
On the contrary, laser printer cartridges can print more pages so it will be months or even years before you’ll need replacements, again depending on how much you use your printer.
Mind the Drum Unit
Another difference between inkjet and laser printers is that for inkjet printers you only need ink cartridges to print, while for laser printers, you need a toner cartridge and a drum unit. Laser printers always come with a drum unit that transfers the toner powder onto paper. The toner and drum unit are the two consumables required for a laser printer to work. Sometimes they come together as one piece and sometimes there are models where they come separately. Some brands of laser printers have toner cartridges with an integrated drum unit like HP. Brother laser printers on the other hand have a toner cartridge and a separate drum unit. When shopping laser printers, make sure to check if you’ll be needing to replace the toner cartridges AND the drum unit (though you only need to replace the drum unit a lot less frequently than the toner). Don’t let this turn you off laser printers though. You will only rarely need to replace the drum unit–usually every 3-4 toner cartridges. Check out our other blog article, the difference between a toner and drum to learn more.
Other Alternatives to Ink Cartridges
In an effort to make the cumbersome and expensive replacement of ink cartridges easier, printer manufacturers have alternatives to buying ink cartridges.
HP’s Instant Ink Subscription Program
Though not exactly a replacement to ink cartridges, the HP Instant Ink program is a subscribe-and-forget-it service for ink cartridges so you don’t have to keep running to the store when you run out of ink. There’s a good mix of reviews for the service so be sure to read them before signing up.
Ink Tank Printers
Epson, Brother, Canon and HP have all created a series of printers that can hold bigger volumes of ink so that users won’t need to replace cartridges for a while. Such printers utilize a CISS (Continuous Ink Supply System).
We have an article all about Ink Tank Printers that talks about how it compares against regular inkjet printers as well as its performance compared to laser printers. It also answers commonly asked questions. If you want to explore this printer option further, I recommend you check it out.
Some downsides to larger ink tanks are:
- That it’s much more expensive than the average inkjet printer and
- It doesn’t change the fact that if you don’t print often, ink still ends up clogging your cartridge nozzles and printheads.
So be sure to consider your frequency of use before investing in a pricier CISS printer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: What’s a good home printer that can print both black and colored documents, is good for home and school use, and won’t dry up in between uses?
Answer: A color laser printer meets all of these criteria. Color laser printers print both black and colored documents and use toner powder instead of ink so it won’t dry up in between uses–plus no printhead to worry about! Of all printer brands, HP Color LaserJet printers deliver the best print results when it comes to color accuracy and sharpness but Canon Color ImageClass printers come at a close second. Look for color laser models suitable for home or small business use, you don’t need the costly enterprise models. Look through customer reviews if you’re caught between two or more printer models.
Question: I print a lot regularly and need a cost-efficient printer that can print in black and color. What printer should I get?
Answer: You can either get a good HP or Canon color laser printer OR you can also check out ink tank printers. Laser printer cartridges print thousands of pages before running out of toner, and ink tank printers have large ink reservoirs so it can print a lot more pages than standard inkjet printers.
Question: I work at home and print a lot of photos and need high resolution images. Can a color laser printer produce the results I need?
Answer: For high resolution photos and images, we recommend getting a professional photo printer specially if this relates to your line of work. Color laser printers are still bound by current laser printing technology limitations and cannot deliver the same color accuracy and sharpness as top photo inkjet printers.
Question: Can a laser printer print stickers or labels?
Answer: Yes, you can print stickers or labels using a laser printer as long as you get the correct sticker paper for laser printer use. Do not use sticker paper meant to be used for inkjet printers on a laser printer. This might result in expensive and irreversible damages like the sticker paper melting inside the laser printer’s fuser unit.
However, if you need vibrant and sharp colored stickers or labels, we suggest going with an inkjet printer. Printing with an inkjet printer also gives you the option to print water- and fade-proof labels. If you need fade-proof stickers, make sure you choose a printer that uses ink cartridges that contain pigment-based ink. Pigment-based ink produces longer lasting images compared to dye-based ink which is not waterproof and fades faster.
Here’s a summary of the differences between an inkjet and laser printer.
Inkjet Printers
PROS
- Inkjet printers are usually smaller and lighter – making it ideal for a bedroom or home office where space saving is valued.
- Great at producing photo quality prints and image-heavy documents, as inkjet printers do a better job of blending and producing vibrant colors than laser printers.
- The price of an inkjet printer is less than most laser printers.
- No warm-up time needed before printing.
- Can print on a variety of paper types, including glossy photo paper, textured art paper, and fabrics.
- Can accommodate larger paper sizes.
- Ink refill kits can reduce the cost of printing.
CONS:
- Ink is expensive, especially for users who print on a regular basis who are continually forced to repurchase more cartridges because ink cartridges can only print a few hundred pages.
- Much slower than laser printers.
- Low-capacity paper trays of 50 to 100 sheets, which can be frustrating for a user who prints a lot.
- Low monthly duty cycle (the maximum amount of prints possible in a given month without causing damage to the printer).
- Ink can sometimes smear and takes longer to dry than toner powder.
- Since it is a liquid, ink will dry out over time if it’s not used regularly.
Laser Printers
PROS:
- Most laser printers print much faster than inkjet printers. This isn’t and shouldn’t be a strong selling point for casual printers, but high-volume users will notice a huge difference.
- Laser printers produce sharp text. If you’re a high-volume printer that only requires text documents, laser is the way to go.
- Higher monthly duty cycle means they are better prepared to handle high-volume jobs.
- A price-by-price comparison favors laser printers over inkjet printers if you print on a frequent basis and aren’t producing documents that are graphically complex.
- Toner, on average, is cheaper in the long run for high volume printers because their cartridges can print out thousands of pages in comparison to ink cartridges.
- Toner stores better than ink. Since toner powder is made of plastic materials, it won’t dry out like ink and can last for months untouched inside your printer.
CONS:
- Can handle simple graphics, but complex images and photos are a challenge.
- Although there are some compact laser printers on the market, they are generally bigger and heavier than inkjet printers.
- Laser printers can’t handle the same variety of paper that inkjets can.
- The upfront cost of a laser printer is usually more than your average inkjet printer.
Deciding on whether you should go with an inkjet or laser printer comes down to what you print, how much you print, and how much you’re willing to spend on printing. Inkjet printers are best suited for small, image-heavy documents, like photos and school projects. But, if you’re looking for a printer that can handle heavy volumes of text-based documents, a laser printer is the more efficient and economical choice.
It also pays to think farther down the road. Do you project your print needs to change? Will your kids be needing a more reliable laser down the road, or should you stick to an inkjet printer? Our needs change and taking them into consideration can save us potentially hundreds of dollars in the future.
If you know which printer type, you’re getting and would like to see a list of recommendations, check out our list of best laser printers and best inkjet printers. Happy Shopping!
