Which is better, laser or inkjet printers?
Do you need a printer for home use to print black and color documents? Do you print regularly and want an efficient printer? Or are you looking for the least expensive and most consumptive printer? Do you work at home and need high-resolution photo printing?
There are many types of printers available in the Oman markets, but the most famous among them are the “Inkjet Printers” and “Laser Printers”, and for this we have dedicated this news to you in which we compared these two machines after we collected the most important differences and advantages that pertain to them in order to facilitate You should choose the printer that suits you by reading this valuable and comprehensive information, as it will help you make the right purchase decision and identify the best type of printer that meets your needs, by going through all these previous questions and providing optimal solutions to them, in the following order:
- Explanation of the types of printers "inkjet printers and laser printers"
- Comparison of inkjet printers and laser printers
- Advantages of inkjet printers and laser printers
- Comparison table between inkjet printers and laser printers
Explanation of the most popular types of printers in Oman
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are the most popular and widely used types of printers in offices, schools and homes. They are small in size and light in weight, and they are less expensive compared to a laser printer, in addition to that they have various functions such as scanning, copying, text printing and color photo printing, and that Through several "Cartridges", which are either two or four cartridges for obtaining color images, these cartridges are filled with liquid ink that is deposited into the "Print Head" that contains a large number of micro-holes, where it in turn emits Ink on paper in the form of text or images.
Laser Printers
Laser printers use a focused beam to transmit images or texts on paper, when this beam is transmitted to the cylinder in the printer, which is called photoreceptors. This cylinder contains positive electrical charges, to reflect the laser or the beam in the printer, which enables Various patterns of text and images are printed on the photoreceptor, and once the pattern is created on the cylinder, it is covered with toner from the cartridge. Ink powder is black most of the time, but it can also be colored in color laser printers, as the positively charged powder sticks to areas of the drum that have been negatively charged, and when the paper passes through the printer, it is given a strong negative charge using the fuser. Fuser", allowing the ink to adhere to the paper, and the result is a clean copy of the image written on the paper.
Comparison of laser printers and inkjet printers
There are many differences between inkjet and laser printers, which made each of them have its own function and advantages, as we will explain to you as follows:
Buying price comparison between printers:
The Inkjet Printer has a much lower initial cost than the Laser Printer as its price does not exceed 50 OMR, and the Laser Printer starts at 40 OMR.
Consumption price comparison between printers:
There are many factors that must be taken into account when purchasing any new printer, the most important of which is the long-term consumption price, as it is not only the initial price of the printer, but also the total costs that you will incur throughout the period of use, such as the need to change ink cartridges, as Laser Printer cartridges are expensive, but they are very economical and do not need to be replaced often, unlike Inkjet Printer cartridges, which are characterized by their medium or cheap cost, but they always need to be changed, which results in more The costs, in addition to the maintenance and cleaning work that this printer needs, and its life span that does not exceed two years, making it almost equal in price to the Laser Printer.
Print quality comparison between printers:
The quality of the Laser Printer is better than the Inkjet Printer in terms of text printing, due to the ink heating technology, but the Inkjet Printer outperforms it in printing photos and designs, as it mixes colors more efficiently .
There are also many things that affect the quality of the printer, such as: the print head, the type of ink, and the print driver, but the most important thing is the availability of the “DPI” feature in the printer, which means dots per inch, as the higher the number of dots per inch. The result is clearer and better quality, like the idea of pixels that are used in designs and photos, where you will need 600 dpi to create high-quality documents, and 1200 dpi to print color photos.
Compare maintenance costs between printers
Although the price of the inkjet printer is cheaper than the laser printer, with a clear difference, the cost of maintenance is higher, due to the need to constantly change the ink cartridges, in addition to the more difficult and ink-consuming cleaning process. On the other hand, it can be considered The Laser Printer is easier to maintain, as the ink does not dry out and clog the ink stream, as is the case in inkjet printers, because the ink is dry and not liquid, and it supports longer periods of use and more pages.
Compare print speed and size between printers
There is a big difference in the speed of the performance of the two printers, due to their different mechanism of work, where the printing speed was calculated by the number of printed pages per minute, as the “Laser Printer” printer is considered the fastest with a printing rate ranging from 20 to 100 sheets per minute or more according to The type of printer, as for the Inkjet Printer, it can print a maximum of 16 pages per minute.
The sizes of the Inkjet Printer and the Laser Printer also differ, as the first is smaller and less weight, and therefore it is more suitable for home use, but this is not a requirement, with the development of the industry both printers are very similar in size.
Ink type comparison between printers
Both printers use ink cartridges, but in the inkjet printer the ink is liquid and sprayed from small nozzles from the printer head onto the paper, while the laser printer uses the dry ink powder that is dissolved through fusers to print on paper.
Advantages of inkjet printers and laser printers
Inkjet Printer Advantages & Features:
- Inkjet Printer is usually smaller and lighter, making it ideal for small spaces.
- The Inkjet Printer is very good at printing photos with high accuracy and quality, thanks to its inkjet cartridges and better color blending than a laser printer.
- Inkjet Printer price is much lower than most laser printers.
- The Inkjet Printer does not need to warm up before operation, as is the case with a laser printer.
- The Inkjet Printer is used to print on various surfaces and types of paper, including glossy, textile, and more.
- Inkjet Printer allows use of ink refills which are less expensive.
- An inkjet printer is much easier to use than a laser printer.
- Inkjet Printer cartridges are generally cheaper than laser printer cartridges.
Laser Printer Advantages & Features:
- A laser printer prints paper much faster than inkjet printers.
- The Laser Printer is ideal for printing both large and small format text.
- A laser printer is capable of producing much more prints than an inkjet printer.
- Laser Printer toner is cheaper in the long run, as it can print thousands of pages compared to toner.
- Laser Printer Toner Cartridges contain dry toner made of plastic materials, which prevents it from drying out, unlike the liquid ink in the inkjet printer, which dries quickly once left in the printer.
- Laser Printer is much easier to clean cartridges than inkjet printer.
Comparison table between Inkjet Printer and Laser Printer
| Compare | Laser Printers | Inkjet Printers |
|---|---|---|
| Purchasing price |  Starting from 40 OMR |
 Do not exceed 50 OMR |
| Consumption cost | Much lower than inkjet printers |
Consumption cost is high |
| Maintenance cost | Does not require high maintenance |
It requires regular and high maintenance |
| Print quality | Outstanding print quality |
Print quality is lower, especially in text |
| Ink type | Dry ink |
Liquid ink |
| The print resolution | Higher resolution |
Lower resolution |
| Number of pages | From 20 to 100 PPM |
Not to exceed 16PPM |
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