Inkjet vs. Laser Printers: Which Costs Less?

The rising cost of printing at home has been receiving an increasing amount of scrutiny in the mainstream media, with The Guardian (who also recently published an excellent piece on OEM cartridges) this weekend reigniting the age old battle between inkjet and laser printers.

The article considered the cost-effective credentials of the two printing technologies in an attempt to determine which represents the better investment for frugal users. The conclusion was one that most in the printing industry already know; it depends on how often you print, how much you print and the type of documents you print.

At first glance, inkjet printers – especially the cheapest inkjets – would appear to be the obvious cost-effective solution, what with the initial cost of the cheapest inkjet hardware far outstripping the cheapest laser printing hardware.

In terms of consumables, ink cartridges – for all the bad press they receive – also come out as the initially cheaper option, with printer cartridges costing as little as £15. By comparison, OEM toner cartridges can retail for anything up to £120.

Look beyond the initial cost, however, and a different picture emerges. Toner cartridges usually have a far higher page yield than their ink equivalents; around 1500-2000 pages in comparison to an average ink yield of around 150 pages. If you print regularly then the cost of replacing ink will soon mount up, whereas a toner cartridge will cost more initially but will need replacing far less often.

So, if you print a lot, you should invest in a laser printer...well, not quite.

The value a user derives from a printer is equally important in determining its cost-effectiveness. This essentially comes down to you being able to do everything you need to do with the printer to a satisfactory degree of quality.

Inkjet printers are widely regarded as being all-round printers, capable of producing most kinds of project in a timely fashion, whether that is a 10,000 word document or a few family photos. Photography is actually where inkjets shine ahead of their laser equivalents, with laser printer unable to recreate the kind of crisp digital photos a decent quality inkjet can.

Unfortunately, this all-rounder quality is tempered by the relatively small capacity of an ink cartridge and the propensity of inkjets to consume a lot of ink while cleaning themselves. If you don’t use your printer that often, you also run the risk of your ink cartridges drying out.

By contrast, a laser printer is far more of a workhorse and will churn out high-quality text at an unrivalled pace. While they can take a while to get going due to the initial heating of the toner, laser printers print at a much quicker pace and can print out more pages over the life of a cartridge. While they do cost more initially, they’re an ideal solution for heavy users. Toner cartridges, unlike ink cartridges, won’t dry out either.

In short, determining the cost-effectiveness of an inkjet or laser printer largely comes down to your personal printing habits. Take these into account and you should find the process of finding the right printer for you and your budget a lot easier. Also remember that you can significantly cut the cost of printer consumables by getting your cartridges refilled at your local Cartridge World store and buying high-quality compatible cartridges from this very website!

Image Credit: @Doug88888 on Flickr