Printers Laser or inkjet

Capricorn · May 24th, 2003

I am about ready to change my Epson 460 Inkjet printer. I have noticed that laser printers can be purchased for not much more than the cost of an inkjet.
Are they more expensive to run. For example the ink for my Epson is really cheap, but is the toner, or whatever else is needed for a laser printer, likely to be as cheap?

**sboulema** · May 24th, 2003

yeah i geuss so. lasers print faster and hav a better quality in my opinion

**NetRyder** · May 24th, 2003

I'd recommend going in for a laser printer only if you're planning on printing only text, or any other black and white documents. Laser printers print really crisp text documents.
Color laser printers are also available, but they are much more expensive to maintain.
As for the toner, it can usually print more pages than a normal inkjet cartridge. So even if the cost is slightly higher, it's worth it.

May 24th, 2003

It all depends..........

A laser is more cost effective, but a higher initial outlay for toner. A black cart for my laserjet 4500 is about £55 + vat, but will last for over 9000 pages.

A colour cart is about £90 + vat (remember you neen Cyan, magenta and yellow!), and lasts for about 6000 pages per colour @ 5% coverage.

Now, what do you require? Do you need colour? If so, an inkjet is waaaaaaay cheaper initially. What kind of quality do you need?

If you let me know your needs, i will be better informed to advise you.

Cheers,

H

**Taurus** · May 24th, 2003

if you want color, definitely go ink. you can get, say, a deskjet 3820 for like $60 now and it prints photo-quality pictures on photo paper. to get a laser printer to do the same thing, you'd have to spend tons more.

if you want crisp text, go laser.

or maybe both?

May 24th, 2003

Don't get me wrong, i had inkjet for about 6 years, no probs........But, when you go colour laser, man!

As I said before, high initial outlay, but quality and speed are second to none!

If you need colour, laser may not be for you, a decent colour laser you can pick up reconditioned for around £450. A lot more than sub£100 inkjets. My advice - go with with the best you can afford.

May 24th, 2003

Oh yeah, dont forget, with a laser you will also need to replace - Fuser kit (£100 ish), Transfer Belt (£79ish) and Drum Kit (£100 ish!)

Don't let this frighten you though - Lasers Rock!

Capricorn · May 25th, 2003

Thanks Guys. I only use the printer for home use, and do like to use colour sometimes. After reading the replies I think I'll settle for the Cannon 330 photo inkjet. It is reasonably cheap to buy, and I can get colour and black inks for next to nothing.

Capricorn · May 28th, 2003

An example of a Colour Copier that started me wondering about choosing a Laser or Inkjet:-

HP 310 Digital Flatbed Colour Copier - Only
£89.99!

May 28th, 2003

When you say a laser can be had for not much more than an inkjet I have to assume you mean black and white. Color laser printers are very expensive to buy and maintain. If you are printing graphics in color an Epson large sheet printer is probably your best bet. A lot of designers use Epson for this. If text is what you want then laser is the way to go for speed and quality. I have an inkjet color and a black and white laser on a printer switch. I use one or the other depending on what I am doing.

May 24th, 2003	Top \| #1
Capricorn OSNN Senior Addict Joined: December 2001 Posts: 379 Reputation: 10 Power: 131	Printers Laser or inkjet I am about ready to change my Epson 460 Inkjet printer. I have noticed that laser printers can be purchased for not much more than the cost of an inkjet. Are they more expensive to run. For example the ink for my Epson is really cheap, but is the toner, or whatever else is needed for a laser printer, likely to be as cheap?

May 24th, 2003	Top \| #3
NetRyder Tech Junkie Joined: April 2002 Location: New York City Posts: 13,256 Reputation: 4260 Power: 297	I'd recommend going in for a laser printer only if you're planning on printing only text, or any other black and white documents. Laser printers print really crisp text documents. Color laser printers are also available, but they are much more expensive to maintain. As for the toner, it can usually print more pages than a normal inkjet cartridge. So even if the cost is slightly higher, it's worth it. http://kunal.kundaje.net

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
HP Business Inkjet 2600 Making Wurring sound	lancer	General Hardware	1	October 22nd, 2004 3:22am
Inkjet printers now printing animal tissue	NetRyder	Green Room	10	August 12th, 2004 10:13pm
Laser Printer Error	cpugeniusmv	General Hardware	2	June 16th, 2003 9:19pm
Inkjet cartridges for Canon Printers	djchapple	General Hardware	2	March 29th, 2003 9:39pm
Getting an inkjet printer on a home network through a router?	Mike521	Windows Desktop Systems	4	November 28th, 2002 11:18am

Latest News Posts

Latest Forum Posts

Latest Member Blogs

May 24th, 2003	Top \| #2
sboulema OSNN Veteran Addict Joined: June 2002 Location: Amstelveen, The Netherlands Posts: 2,846 Reputation: 120 Power: 150	yeah i geuss so. lasers print faster and hav a better quality in my opinion

May 24th, 2003	Top \| #4
H@cher Unregistered Posts: n/a	It all depends.......... A laser is more cost effective, but a higher initial outlay for toner. A black cart for my laserjet 4500 is about £55 + vat, but will last for over 9000 pages. A colour cart is about £90 + vat (remember you neen Cyan, magenta and yellow!), and lasts for about 6000 pages per colour @ 5% coverage. Now, what do you require? Do you need colour? If so, an inkjet is waaaaaaay cheaper initially. What kind of quality do you need? If you let me know your needs, i will be better informed to advise you. Cheers, H

May 24th, 2003	Top \| #5
Taurus hardware monkey Joined: May 2002 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 3,206 Reputation: 90 Power: 155	if you want color, definitely go ink. you can get, say, a deskjet 3820 for like $60 now and it prints photo-quality pictures on photo paper. to get a laser printer to do the same thing, you'd have to spend tons more. if you want crisp text, go laser. or maybe both?

May 24th, 2003	Top \| #6
H@cher Unregistered Posts: n/a	Don't get me wrong, i had inkjet for about 6 years, no probs........But, when you go colour laser, man! As I said before, high initial outlay, but quality and speed are second to none! If you need colour, laser may not be for you, a decent colour laser you can pick up reconditioned for around £450. A lot more than sub£100 inkjets. My advice - go with with the best you can afford.

May 24th, 2003	Top \| #7
H@cher Unregistered Posts: n/a	Oh yeah, dont forget, with a laser you will also need to replace - Fuser kit (£100 ish), Transfer Belt (£79ish) and Drum Kit (£100 ish!) Don't let this frighten you though - Lasers Rock!

May 25th, 2003	Top \| #8
Capricorn OSNN Senior Addict Joined: December 2001 Posts: 379 Reputation: 10 Power: 131	Thanks Guys. I only use the printer for home use, and do like to use colour sometimes. After reading the replies I think I'll settle for the Cannon 330 photo inkjet. It is reasonably cheap to buy, and I can get colour and black inks for next to nothing.

May 28th, 2003	Top \| #9
Capricorn OSNN Senior Addict Joined: December 2001 Posts: 379 Reputation: 10 Power: 131	An example of a Colour Copier that started me wondering about choosing a Laser or Inkjet:- HP 310 Digital Flatbed Colour Copier - Only £89.99!

May 28th, 2003	Top \| #10
roban Unregistered Posts: n/a	When you say a laser can be had for not much more than an inkjet I have to assume you mean black and white. Color laser printers are very expensive to buy and maintain. If you are printing graphics in color an Epson large sheet printer is probably your best bet. A lot of designers use Epson for this. If text is what you want then laser is the way to go for speed and quality. I have an inkjet color and a black and white laser on a printer switch. I use one or the other depending on what I am doing.