Learning About Creating A Business Plan

Posted on: 3 February 2017

If you print a lot of photographs, stationary, term papers, and other items, then you should choose your printer carefully when you need a new one. There are two main choices that include inkjet and laser printers. While inkjet printers are standard and easy to find at your local home store, you might want to consider a laser printer instead. They have a variety of benefits over inkjet varieties.

They Are Cheaper To Run

If you look at the initial cost of purchasing a laser printer instead of an inkjet one, then you may be surprised at how much more a laser printer can be. You can typically find a good inkjet printer for about $100 or less. A good laser printer can cost as much as $800, but you can find one for a few hundred dollars. While the initial cost may be high, you will save yourself money on ink costs over time. If you have ever seen a cost comparison between printer ink, gasoline, and champagne, then you likely know that the ink is extremely expensive. If you print a lot, then a printer with a moderately priced $55 cartridge can cost you over $700 a year in yearly ink costs.

If you look at laser printers, then you will see that cartridges are actually more expensive than inkjet varieties. In some cases, the cartridges cost over $100. However, the toner is not used nearly as quickly. A single toner cartridge can last more than five times longer than an inkjet one. This makes the cartridges a lot cheaper over time. 

Toner cartridges last longer due to the way the toner is used to create a print. Toner is a fine powder that is placed on the paper and then heat set. In comparison, inkjet printers spray a fine mist of the ink liquid on the paper. The spraying causes some waste. Also, some of the fluid in the ink will need to evaporate so the ink sets into the paper. This means that a volume of the ink used to create a print disappears. 

They Print Faster

If you need to print a large volume of documents, like if you are authoring a book or if you need prints for an extensive work project, then laser printers have the advantage of printing quickly. This speedy printing has to do with the way the printer works. Laser printers use drums that are electrically charged. This charge matches the image or the letters that need to be printed. Toner is then added to the drum, and it sticks to the positively charged areas of the drum. A paper is then passed over the drum, and the toner deposits on it. The paper moves through heated rolls and out of the printer.

The way the laser printer works, the image is placed on the paper all at once. Inkjet printers use a printer head to spray the ink line by line. Due to this, it takes much longer to create a single print. 

While laser printers can create prints many times faster than an inkjet printer, it does take some time for the printer to warm up. This is not the case for inkjet varieties. However, the wait period is only really an issue when you first turn the printer on. If you only print a few pages at one time, then this may be a nuisance. If you print 50 pages or more at once, then you will not notice the lag. Many people keep their laser printers on at all times to reduce this concern. This is an option, but you may want to look for a device that has a power saving mode. This will help you to use less electricity while the printer is not in use. For more information, contact a company like Lafayette Business Machines Inc.