Inkjet Vs. Laser Printers: Which is Better?

Introduction

An inkwell and a fountain pen lying on a white sheet of printer paper

Like so many other areas of technology, printers have seen a dramatic recent increase in their functional capacity. Unlike even a decade ago, today’s printing machines can do all kinds of things beyond simply printing out the page required. With wireless and Bluetooth connectivity support, extended battery lives, more high-quality image production capabilities and even the possibility of email-to-page printing, printers have never been more technologically advanced than they are today.

If you ignore all of the extraneous features, though, and focus instead on what the main printing mechanism actually is, you’re left with two main categories of printers to choose from if you’re considering renting a printer in Toronto. One of these uses lasers; the other uses good old ink. As the split between the two continues to grow, each has made significant advancements recently, making it more complicated than ever to decide between them.

That’s why we’re going to break down exactly what the differences are in the following article. Rather than lean towards one more than the other, we’ll be completely impartial in how we compare them. If you’re going to be deciding on a printer to rent in Toronto, you need to be as well prepared as you possibly can. That’s why, rather than answer definitively which is best, we’ll just provide you with the facts so that you can decide for yourself whether an inkjet or laser machine is what you should go for.

Without further ado, here’s the laser vs. inkjet debate, broken down into the key differences.

Price

A man scratching his chin and looking at a laptop in confusion.

Any business decision needs to consider the question of price first and foremost, and renting a printer in Toronto is no different. Fortunately, this is a pretty straightforward question to answer when it comes to comparing the two main families of printers. Laser printing works out to be cheaper than using ink on a page-to-page basis, and there are two main reasons for that.

The first reason is that it’s more cost-efficient to print paper with a laser printer due to the fact that laser cartridges are simply more long-lasting. Because you can print more pages per laser cartridge than per ink cartridge, you’ll find yourself needing to restock less often, saving you dividends down the line when it comes to transport and packaging costs. The second reason is that laser printers are considerably easier to maintain.

However, it’s worth pointing out that the cartridges laser printers use are also more expensive than their standard ink counterparts, so the fact that each printed page costs less, relative to ink printers, isn’t the whole story. You’ll have to weigh the upfront costs of the printer as well as the per-page cost when you’re choosing which is more economical when you decide which printer to rent in Toronto.

Sound

Anybody who has spent any time working in an office environment will gladly tell you that one of the single most annoying noises is that of the printer working. What people might not know, though, is that there’s a sizeable difference in sound between laser and inkjet printers, which could play a large part in reducing the overall irritation factor of having the machine running in the background.

Laser printers are almost always louder than ink printers because they have many more parts in operation at the same time. Even though many of these parts aren’t themselves particularly noisy, the fact that all of them are moving all the time can contribute to a few headaches. However, an inkjet printer which periodically resets itself will also be a little frustrating — and printing pages is never a silent experience in the first place.

The difference in noise will vary from product to product to a small degree, but in general, laser will always be louder, so be sure to take the amount of sound produced into account when you’re deciding on a printer to rent in Toronto.

Resolution

This is a pretty easy question to answer for yourself, as long as you know what kind of printing your business will be doing on a regular basis. The fact of the matter is that today’s generation of laser printers can’t manage to produce images in as high a resolution as their inkjet counterparts.

This likely won’t have any impact on your office at all if you’re using the printer for standard purposes like agendas, memos, notes, and other word documents. It should also be more than good enough to print off a chart or a graph from a PowerPoint presentation or spreadsheet. But if you’re going to need to print high-resolution images on a regular basis, you’d probably be better off going for an ink printer, simply because of the current difference in image resolution quality.

Size

The question of size is another important one you should be asking yourself as you start trying to decide between a laser and an inkjet printer. While this metric will also vary from machine to machine, inkjet printers are typically a lot smaller and more suited to desktop use than laser printers. When you combine that characteristic with the fact that they’re less noisy, inkjet printers start to look like your best bet for keeping the piece of equipment out of sight and out of mind; and as a result, they’d likely suit smaller spaces better.

Conclusion

The four main categories listed above represent the biggest differences between the two different flavours of printer currently available on the market. The best way to ensure that the printer your company ends up renting in Toronto works in the long-term is by prioritizing some of those categories above others.

When it comes down to it, only you know for sure whether or not size is more important than print speed, or how much ambient noise is too much. If you’re still undecided about which option to go for, feel free to get in touch with us here at busys.ca. We’d love to talk over exactly what you’re looking for and help come up with the best option for you.

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