A printer is an extremely useful addition to any computer, whether at home or in the office. When it comes to purchasing a colour printer, you must choose between an inkjet model and a laser printer. While inkjet printers are excellent for printing photographs, there are numerous advantages to using a colour laser printer that make it a more cost-effective and productive option.
Ink Does Not Smear
Documents with smudged ink appear unprofessional. Laser toner, which is used in colour laser printers, adheres to the paper via static electricity and is then fused to the paper via heat. Unlike inkjet documents, there is no wet ink that can smear if the paper is moistened by drops of water or sweaty fingers. As a result, the printed words and images will always be readable and clear.
Cost Per Page
The initial cost of purchasing a laser printer has decreased significantly over the years, putting them in the same price range as many higher-end inkjet printers. The replacement toner cartridges now account for the cost difference. Toner cartridges for a colour laser printer are more expensive than ink cartridges for a colour inkjet printer, but the cost per page for a laser printer is much lower because the cartridge produces far more pages than an inkjet cartridge. The exact figures vary, but a laser cartridge typically prints over 1500 pages, whereas an inkjet cartridge typically prints a little more than 150 pages.
Large Print Jobs
Laser printers do have to warm up to get the fuser hot, but once it is ready a laser printer will print 50 percent faster than an inkjet. Not only are color laser printers faster, but their paper tray capacity is larger as well, so there is no need to continually refill the paper tray in the middle of a high volume print job. Since they’re built for larger print jobs, laser printers are also less likely to jam and cause a disruption in the print process.
Less Maintenance
When an inkjet printer requires a new cartridge, the heads must be aligned to ensure accurate print quality. The print heads must be cleaned and aligned throughout the life of the cartridge. Add to that the fact that ink can dry up in the printer’s moving parts, and you have a printer that can be difficult to maintain. This is not required for laser printers. When toner cartridges are replaced, no additional work is required for printing. Because toner is a dry powder, it does not cause the same cleaning issues that ink does.
