A laser printer uses a different technique than inkjet printers to apply color to the paper. There are pros and cons to a laser printer - it largely depends on what you are going to use it for and what your needs are. Check out our extensive guide to laser printers here!
What is a laser printer?
One cannot define a laser printer without comparing it to the classic and for most people, the well-known inkjet printer. Where an inkjet printer uses ink for printing, a laser printer uses toner. There is a great difference between choosing a laser printer or an inkjet printer. It depends on what your needs are - we will go into more detail in this guide.
The main advantages of a laser printer are the speed of printing and costs, if you print a lot. A laser printer is significantly faster than an inkjet printer. Once the laser printer has printed, the document is completely dry and does not stain - whereas you often find that the text on the print just needs to dry a little when you print from an inkjet printer. If you print a lot, it is also economically better with a laser printer - it is cheaper in operation in the long run, and can print many more pages than an inkjet printer before having to replace the toner cartridge.
The most popular laser printers are from brands such as Brother, HP, Canon and Epson, Lexmark and Samsung.
How does a laser printer work?
When it comes to how a laser printer works technically, the most interesting thing is to look at the toner - or laser toner, as it is also called.
A laser toner's biggest difference compared to a normal ink cartridge is that the toner is a dry substance. Thus, it is not liquid as we know it from ink cartridges. We can say that it is ink in powder form. The powder colors very effectively, but the technicality of the print function itself is significantly different than with ordinary ink.
What creates the actual print in a laser printer is static electricity. Here, the static electricity acts as a 'glue' - with the help of a laser, the drum is charged with toner right where the text is to be printed. Here the toner dust is applied when the paper passes the drum. Before the paper is ‘out’ of your laser printer, the paper and toner dust are heated up - and the toner is burned onto the paper with laser precision.
For example, the same toner and technology are used in copiers. A laser toner can, using the advanced technology, print much faster than an inkjet printer. In addition, a laser toner has a much higher content than an ink cartridge: Often a toner has a capacity of up to 3000 prints. This means that you do not have to change toner as often as you need to change an ink cartridge - and it can have an impact on costs and time, if you print a lot.
A laser printer is thus in the long run the cheapest printer solution if you have a high printing demand. The price of the laser printer itself is often higher than that of an inkjet printer, but after the printer has been purchased, the price per print is often significantly lower.
When you have to invest in a new printer, many questions arise, because it is important to identify what the printer is to be used for and what needs are to be covered.
It can be tempting to choose a printer that is cheap in price or looks nice on the shelf / table you have at home. As a general rule, you can say:
When buying a printer, it is important to also examine the operating costs: what is the price of toner or ink for the particular printer you have chosen? It can fluctuate incredibly much.
Advantages of a laser printer
- The laser printer prints much faster than an inkjet printer
- Ideal for business
- 'Dry' prints when finished printing - you experience sharp, precise prints
- Far higher print capacity than an ink cartridge: toner takes longer to replace compared to using ink.
- Cheaper than an inkjet printer if you print a lot
- The toner does not dry out as with an inkjet printer.
Disadvantages of a laser printer
- There are laser printers that are not suitable for photo printing - the photo paper cannot be used.
- Expensive purchase: The printer costs generally a little more than an inkjet printer.
- Toner cartridge be a little more expensive to buy at once - on the other hand, it prints up to 3000 prints which is far more than an inkjet printer can handle before it's time to replace.
The main differences between laser printer and inkjet printer
There are two types of printers: laser printers and inkjet printers. If you look at the result, it is practically the same: printing images, texts, documents and the like. For both types, the goal is to produce a high-quality print quickly, sharply and accurately and at a good consumer-friendly price.
The biggest difference between an inkjet printer and a laser printer is the technology that is used for printing. The second biggest difference is the type of product used for printing.
An inkjet printer - also called an ink printer - prints by firing micro-droplets of ink onto the paper.
As mentioned earlier, a laser printer works by heating the toner, which is a special blend of color pigmentation in a chemical composition. The toner is in powder form and thus dry where ink is liquid. When heating, the toner powder binds to the paper.
Ink and toner are crucial 'ingredients' for the printer - and have the same purpose. This is all about what you prefer as a consumer.
Laser printer vs. Inkjet printer
Ink
The inkjet printer is the type of printer most people know and have in their homes. The inkjet printer is cheap and good for color - if you are printing a lot of images, then the inkjet printer is what you might want to consider.
The disadvantage of ink is the price and capacity: it is a more expensive price per print than if you would use toner, and the printing time is significantly longer than that of a laser printer.
Toner
The laser printer is fast and accurate. It is this type of printer that is mainly preferred in companies and offices because time here is crucial - and printing is sharp and accurate. As mentioned, a toner can often print up to 3000 prints and therefore you do not have to spend time on replacement nearly as often as with ink.
You will also find the laser printer in many private homes, as the price of a laser printer has become more consumer friendly than it has been before. It is still generally more expensive to purchase than an inkjet printer - but the operating costs are very economical.
When you buy the printer, you will notice that the price of a laser printer is higher than if you would have choosen an inkjet printer, but in the long run, the laser printer is the cheapest.
What is the cost of a laser printer?
That question is ambiguous, because as mentioned earlier, you have to look at both the purchase price of the printer - but also the associated operating costs.
Over time, laser printers have become cheaper than they cost when they were launched on the market. They still cost more than inkjet printers though.
Another factor regarding the price is also the purchase of ink vs. the purchase of toner. When you buy ink or toner, the cost on the spot will be higher for toner than for ink - on the other hand, it can take a very long time before you need to replace the printer products again if you decide on toner for a laser printer. You might want to make that decision based on how much do you need to print.
Printing everything in color can be an expensive pleasure, whether you have an inkjet or laser printer. If you print mainly in black and white, you can go a long way with a monochrome (a black and white) laser printer.
As mentioned quite a few times, laser toner is more expensive than ink cartridges, but is cheaper in the long run.
The initial cost is larger than that of inkjet printers, but in return the laser printer has the advantage that the more pages you print the more you save per page.
Thus, it costs less than half the price to print in black and white on a laser printer rather than an inkjet printer. If your printing needs are low - and you print only a few quantities at a time, an inkjet printer will be the optimal printer for you. But if you print many pages regularly, then you might want to consider a laser printer - also because printing takes place much faster on a laser printer than if you would be using an inkjet printer.