What is the difference between a laser printer and an inkjet printer? How to choose a printer for home use? Which company to buy a color printer for home

October 5, 2013

A home computer without a printing device looks flawed and limited today, so the debate about printers among users is constantly supported by new questions, thoughts and answers. In general, the price of even laser color printers has dropped significantly today, and you can buy them not only for office purposes. And somewhere in the distance 3D printers are already appearing ...

A rich choice is a big headache when you want more and cheaper everything. In particular, which is better - laser or jet printer, MFP or separate units in the form of a printer, scanner, copier, etc.? Let's try to consider the pros and cons of each approach. For example, what is good about an MFP: many of its nodes are combined in a single device, which can greatly reduce the price. Usually the kit includes a laser monochrome printer, copier, scanner. The device takes up little space on the surface, which is a plus. High integration of components plays a negative role if one of the nodes breaks down: in this case, all other functions stop working. Many of them, by the way, are quite controversial. For example, do you really need a copier in the machine, because it can be replaced by a printer with a scanner? Although it will take more time, this copying operation is performed much less often than you might think. Perhaps the best way out is to purchase a simple printer and a separate scanner, and in the amount of costs they will not greatly overlap the cost of the MFP.

The main question: do you need an inkjet or laser printer for your home? It must be said right away that the time for mass purchases of color laser printers has not come: they have too high prices for most customers. Thus, one has to choose between full-color and monochrome printing. If you have ever worked with old HP laser printers, you can confirm - this is the "eternal option". The old laser printers include the LaserJet 5, 6, 1100, 1200 series and the like. It is almost impossible to find them in stores, but buying them from ads is quite, and it will be cheap and practical.

The secret is that they used high-volume toner containers, and no limit chips were installed to replace the photoconductor. Units for such printers are supported in official sales for 25 years, and printers are repaired anywhere. Moreover, consumables can be taken from Canon, as well as "Chinese" - there are no special complaints about powder paint. Refueling costing 100 rubles guarantees printing up to 3-5 thousand sheets with a traditional 5% coverage. More modern models such as hp laserjet p2035 have more high speed printing, up to 30 pages per minute with a resolution of 1200 dpi in A4 and user-defined formats. Also the ability to print on thin, thick and rough paper, envelopes, labels, film and heavy media, including toner save mode. The user will receive an excellent typewriter that can be used for years without fear that something will dry out in it, as in inkjet printers. The latter are cheaper, but you need to print on them at least once a week, otherwise a dried up cartridge will not allow you to print at all, and a complete replacement of the kit will cost 50-70% of the cost of an inkjet printer. This alone suggests that monochrome laser printers will always be popular.

In this article, we will tell you which printer is better to buy for home use. Nowadays, the choice of printers is very large, but when buying, you need to consider several factors, which we will talk about today.

Inkjet printer and laser. Their differences.

Tips for choosing a printer.

Firstly, at home, a printer is more often needed than a scanner and a copier.

Secondly, in the event of a breakdown of one of the component devices, you need to carry it in for repair, and you completely lose your home assistant. And the cost of such a complex is much more expensive than the printer itself.

Jet printer.

We do not advise you to buy an inkjet printer for your home, even though it is the cheapest. Its main problem is that it uses ink for printing. And if the printer is rarely used, then the cartridge dries up and must be replaced. And its cost is quite decent - approximately half the cost of the printer. Yes, and charging an inkjet cartridge is problematic (and sometimes impossible) and quite expensive.

Therefore, it is necessary to print on it at least once a month. In addition, the text on the printed sheets will blur if it gets wet, like any text written in ink.

If you intend to print photos constantly at home, and not periodically, then you can purchase an inkjet printer. The cost of one print on an inkjet printer reaches up to $0.25, which makes printing at home expensive and impractical. Print photos in service center It will cost you less and without any hassle.

Laser printer.

For use at home, we recommend purchasing a laser black and white printer. It uses a special powder for printing, so the printed pages are not afraid of moisture. The cost of such a printer is somewhat more expensive than an inkjet, but it is indispensable for home use. The cartridge is constantly in working condition and does not require constant use. The laser printer is always ready to work, despite long periods of inactivity. The print speed is several times faster than an inkjet printer.

You only need to choose when buying a laser printer with a non-chip cartridge. The cartridge containing the CHIP cannot be refilled. After it prints a certain number of pages, you need to throw it away and buy a new one. And it costs several times more than refilling a non-chip cartridge.

Buying a color laser printer for your home does not make sense. It's quite expensive. And you won't be printing paid receipts for a communal apartment in color!

A color laser printer, like an inkjet, is purchased by those who are professionally engaged in color printing or photography at home. For the average citizen at home, a black and white laser printer is enough.

The best printer for home.

We advise you to purchase one of the following printer models from well-known manufacturers Cannon 6020,6030 and HP 1100, 1102. These are black and white laser printers that have almost the same design, are reliable and easy to use. They have interchangeable and non-chip cartridges (there is the possibility of refilling), as well as excellent reviews about the operation. There are several similar models from other manufacturers, but based on our own experience, we do not advise you to buy them.

When buying, pay attention to the date of manufacture of the printer and the country where it was manufactured. This information is located on the back of the printer.

The process of unpacking and installing the HP 1102 printer.

4 . Install the printer cartridge in place and close the top cover.

5 . We insert into the printer (very important - we only insert into the printer) a cable for connecting to a computer (it is not included in the kit, you need to buy it separately). During the driver installation process, the program will offer to connect the printer to the computer. We connect the network cord.

6. After connecting the printer to the power supply, insert the driver disk and follow the instructions. If the disk is missing, you can download the drivers on the official website of the manufacturer.

7 . After installation, fill the printer with paper and print a test page.

See our video for detailed installation. We hope you enjoy our selection.

Video. The best printer for home.

Try to imagine an office without a printer? Weird picture, right? This gadget is widely used all over the world. It's pretty good to have a device nearby that can print a document in an instant. And it is useful not only in the office, but also at home. Then one question arises: which color printer is better - laser or inkjet? Everything will depend on individual needs and printing requests. Also, the cost of maintaining the device will depend on your choice. The answer is quite simple to find out if you understand some of the nuances. This is what we will do in this article.

Laser printer

This type of technique uses “powder ink” for printing. Such devices can be classified into two types: black and white and color. It is mainly used for printing texts and various documents. He handles these tasks with ease. The color device is suitable for printing texts, booklets, etc.

Advantages of black and white models:

• Works great for typing.
• Prints pretty fast.
• Withstands heavy loads during operation.
• Small costs for "consumables".

Flaws:

• Not suitable for imaging.

Important! Conclusion: buy black and white if you are working with documents without images.

Advantages of color models:

• Convenient when working with documents and pages that contain images made in color.
• Quite efficient in operation compared to inkjet technology.

Flaws:

• Unfortunately, the maintenance of such devices is expensive, and they are not suitable for printing photos.

Important! Conclusion: buy a laser color printer if you are going to use devices in the office, but do not forget about the price and the inability to print photos.

Jet

The principle of operation of such a device is to work with liquid ink. Such devices are always colored. Printing technologies are strikingly different from previous purchase candidates. Devices based on this technology will perfectly complement the home “stationery”. But such gadgets have their bright and dark sides.

Advantages:

• Perfectly prints in color, perfectly copes with photos at a high quality level.
• Has a low cost.
• You can use cheap cartridges (compared to laser).
• Modern models print pretty fast.

Flaws:

• Unfortunately, the replacement of cartridges should be carried out more often, and the equipment itself will cost more to maintain.

Important! Conclusion: if you are engaged in photography, want to print an abstract or just ordinary documents, you can safely purchase a device with inkjet printing technology.

If you nevertheless planned to purchase an inkjet printer for working with photography, take a closer look at those models that have a factory CISS system - similar actions help you cut your budget considerably. And do not forget to use only high-quality photo paper. High-quality photo paper will help you achieve the desired brightness and quality.

Important! This technique is environmentally friendly in operation compared to the same laser.

best color printer

What is the best color printer? You know perfectly well that office equipment perfectly produces high-quality work in color. In order to choose a printer, you can get acquainted with one of these.

Canon Laser Shot LBP5200

This device does a great job with color text work. The output will always be a very bright and clear document. Canon does not do so well with photos. The output will be a faded image. But for invitations, cards, envelopes and other things, it will do just fine.

Important! Be prepared to face long print times.

Prints come out pretty good. Paleness is compensated by a well-displayed picture.

The best black and white printer

The print output device does not have to be large, compactness only makes the purchase more profitable. If you are interested in such an easy-to-use device, you can get acquainted with one of the representatives of this type.

Ricoh SP 150w

The printer is just perfect for occasional use. The shape of the body of the device allows you to store paper, even when not in use. The low cost of the printer is offset by the cost of consumables, but it will not require “crazy” money. Each device has its advantages and disadvantages, let's talk about them. Ricoh has hundreds good reviews among Internet users in online stores.

Advantages:

• The toner save mode is very effective.
• The virtual control panel makes the device easy to use.
• Small dimensions and practical design make Ricoh unobtrusive.

Flaws:

• The chipped cartridge makes refilling pointless.
• Has a maximum paper weight limit.

Now the choice of an information output device will not become a problem for you and will not raise any questions. First of all, meet the individual requirements for the device, then the purchase will definitely please.

Scientific and technological progress is moving at the speed of a shopaholic on the last day of pre-New Year discounts, and today everyone has the opportunity to purchase any type of printing device for themselves. Naturally, we ask ourselves the question: what should we choose?

Modern manufacturers are pleased with the breadth of the model range. But before proceeding to a direct purchase, it is worthwhile to carefully understand the functional side of the question: what is a printer in general, what can it be, what are the disadvantages and advantages of its various types? This is what we'll do.

What is a printer?

This is a technical device, the main purpose of which is the transfer of information from electronic media to hard media - paper. The resulting document is called a printout.

This achievement of technology has confidently migrated from printing shops and large offices to compact desktops in cozy apartments.

Now he has become an indispensable home assistant in a situation where you need to print a text document or even a photo.

Multifunctional devices (MFPs) are very popular among consumers, which most often combine the following functions:

• printing;
• scanning;
• copier.

There are also models with telefax. It is very convenient for efficient work in the office.

These devices have their own set-up and operation features, but we will not dwell on them carefully, but will return directly to the main topic. In accordance with the principle of operation, several types of printing equipment are distinguished, each of which we will consider separately.

Types of printers and their functions

There are several selection criteria various kinds printing technique:

• principle of operation;
• color layout features;
• type of suitable ink;
• type of original printed material.

According to these criteria, and chronologically, matrix technology was one of the first to be used in print.

The image was applied to the sheet using a special print head with a certain fixed number of needles that move under the action of electromagnets. The head, moving along the sheet, hit the ink ribbon, leaving a mark on the paper - a dot. Accordingly, the more needles, the sharper the image. Now this principle is used only for checks in cash registers.

There are sublimation printing machines that are not widely used and are now used only in printing, because they have especially high level color reproduction. Also, devices based on the technology of a rotating drum are no longer very popular.

Its surface was embossed, there were various letters and numbers on it. The width of the drum was the same as the width of the sheet, and the number of rings with the alphabet was equal to the maximum allowable sum of characters in each line. It should be noted that this type was the first produced in the world, and to this day drum technology is considered the fastest.

Of course, most often in modern offices and homes you can find either laser or inkjet printing machines. Therefore, we will pay more attention to their consideration.

Video: Which printer is better?

Laser printer

Laser printing technology existed at the beginning of the 20th century and was called electrography, later it was called xerography. She's different high quality printed material, speed, low unit cost of printing.

The central link in the principle of operation of such an apparatus is a photodrum, the main property of which is to store on its surface an electric charge corresponding to each point.

The beam from a special scanner hits the mirror, due to which the surface of the photoconductor subsequently acquires a positive charge.

Charged areas and form an image. Toner (special coloring powder) wakes up on the drum and focuses on charged dots, creating a pattern.

Thus, the speed increases significantly, as does the quality. In addition, the printed material is very resistant to external influences. The pattern will not deteriorate due to moisture, the color will not fade.

Jet printer

The technology of applying an image to a sheet is similar to the matrix one, only instead of needles there is a print head with liquid paint. The image is also created using dots. The print head can be attached directly to the cartridge where the ink is located, or located in the machine itself, which makes it easy to change ink.

Such "printers" differ in terms of what underlies the ink used.

They can be:

There are also alcohol-based inks, but they are not popular, as they dry quickly on the surface of the print head.

This technique has become widespread in many areas of activity, according to this, there are:

Which is better: inkjet or laser printer?

When deciding which unit is best for you, it would be appropriate to compare the characteristics of both:

If we talk about what is better for the home - a laser or inkjet printer, then you should pay attention to all these nuances, as well as how often and in what volumes you are going to print. The larger they are, the more appropriate it is to lean towards electrographic technology.

Video: Features of choice

Advantages of devices

The main advantages of an inkjet printer include:

If you choose what is better for a photo - a laser or an inkjet printer, definitely, the second one will be more appropriate and efficient, because it conveys colors better, makes them brighter.

The main advantages of a laser printer include:

• the cost per printed page is low;
• the speed of work is very high;
• ideal for working with bulky text material;
• designed for high loads;
• does not require frequent refueling;
• gives a moisture-resistant imprint;
• can print on almost any kind of paper without compromising image quality.

Cons of devices

The main disadvantages of an inkjet printer include:

The main disadvantages of a laser printer include:

• high energy consumption;
• high cost of the device;
• unsuitable for photo printing;
• suitable for working only with black and white images and texts;
• refueling at home is excluded;
• toner is harmful to health, it is recommended to ventilate the room after finishing work.

If you are faced with a choice between the described units, be guided by your financial capabilities to begin with. Laser - expensive to buy, economical to use. Inkjet - relatively cheap, but expensive to maintain. Pay attention to the amount of printed material: a few documents per month will not pay off an expensive acquisition, another thing is daily printing.

You won't surprise anyone with a home computer for a long time. But such equipment as a printer, by the way, is a necessary thing, not everyone still has it. If you decide to buy this household appliance, you need to decide which printer you need, laser or inkjet.

What is a printer?

The printer is peripheral device for printing information on paper. Printing is the printing process itself, and the finished document is a printout. The printer has a special converter that translates incoming digital information into machine language that is understandable to technology.

According to the method of operation, printers are:

• matrix
• jet
• laser
• sublimation

They also differ in print color: color and monochrome. For the home, most often they purchase a laser or inkjet printer. How to choose which one is right for you?

Jet printer

The principle of operation of an inkjet printer is very simple. The device houses a matrix with a built-in print head and liquid ink cartridges. It moves back and forth over the paper, from the nozzles of the head paint is supplied in small drops. This is why inkjet printouts are always a little wet at first. There are models with a replaceable print head when it is built into the cartridge, in which case the consumables are high in price.

An inkjet printer is always in color. Moreover, there can be 4 types of paint (blue, crimson, yellow and black), or maybe 6 (light blue and light crimson are added). The higher the print resolution, the more better quality printed document.

Advantages of an inkjet printer:

1. Always colored.
2. Even cheap printer able to print a good quality image.
3. When using photo paper, ideal for printing photos at home.
4. Relatively cheap consumables and reasonable price of the printer itself.
5. You can refill your own cartridges.
6. If the document is folded, the ink on the fold does not fly around.

Cons of an inkjet printer:

1. The paint runs out quickly.
2. Prints slowly.
3. Sometimes the paint dries up and clogs the nozzles, and it can be expensive to clean the entire head.
4. Printing photos is more expensive than in a photo studio.
5. At low resolution, dots in the picture are visible.
6. If you spill water on the document, it will blur.

But keep in mind that manufacturers do not stand still, and every year inkjet printers become more perfect.

Laser printer

At the heart of a laser printer is a photoconductor. A discharge of electricity is applied to it, which forms an image or text on it. Powder, toner sticks to these charged places, then the photoconductor is rolled over the paper and the toner is transferred to it, after which thermal fixation takes place, the photoconductor is cleaned of powder residues and everything starts again. The paper comes out of the printer warm.

Laser printers can be monochrome and color, and monochrome is more common.

Advantages of laser printing:

1. Ideal for text information.
2. High print speed. This item is especially important if the equipment is bought for an office with large print volumes.
3. Sharp image.
4. Cartridge lasts very long long time, although it depends on the print volumes.
5. Low printing cost.
6. Long continuous printing.
7. A color printer is suitable for producing color images.
8. The printed document is not afraid of water.

Cons of a laser printer:

1. Even color is not suitable for printing photos. The photo paper will just melt there.
2. When bent, the paint crumbles.
3. Expensive replacement cartridge, although refilling toner is now very common.
4. A color laser printer is expensive.

So what to buy?

Both inkjet and laser printers for the home are of approximately the same quality, have relatively the same price and dimensions. So we will make a choice based on our needs in printing. Most importantly, determine what you need the printer for. If you plan to print photos, pictures and occasionally text, then definitely take an inkjet printer. If your goal is term papers, reports, information or printing will be rare, then your printer should be a laser printer.