Which MFP is better laser or inkjet. Laser or inkjet MFP: which is better to buy for the home. Which company to buy a color printer for home use


During the time when modern technologies“attacked” humanity on all fronts, a printer for home use became a severe necessity. It is much more convenient to print digital images at home than in a studio. If your children are studying at school or university, this device acquires the same indispensability as a kettle in the kitchen.

They are relatively slow to print, but both types take a certain amount of time until they are ready for use. When ink is used for a long time, the ink cartridges dry out quickly, and a lot of ink is consumed for subsequent cleaning. original ink from the manufacturer are usually very expensive and can be saved with ink refills from foreign manufacturers. Many ink cartridges are protected with chips to prevent refilling and using foreign cartridges. Ink cartridges sometimes reduce print quality so they are not as light as originals or are not recognized by the machine. Printing is not always document oriented. Paper trays are usually smaller and need to be refilled more often. Print many pages quickly, especially convenient for office and home printers. They should be in a separate and well ventilated room due to air stress during printing, look for signs such as "Blue Angel".

  • Always Install latest version firmware.
  • Toner cartridges almost never dry out.
  • Toner cartridges are initially more expensive to purchase, but they also last longer.
  • Color laser printers are often not as brilliant as inkjet printers.
Inkjet printers are suitable for photo printers and regular, but not very high-volume printing.

So, when choosing any device, you first need to answer a simple question - what is it for. Depending on whether you will print photographs or documents, we choose an inkjet or laser unit.

Types of printers

First, let's dive into the thick of the variety of these devices. What are the printing devices?

  • jet;
  • laser, LED;
  • inkjet photo printers;
  • inkjet MFPs;

What are they characterized by?

What are their features? Inkjet printer (for home use this is the best option) is perfect for printing images, color documents, small amounts of text. If you plan to use the unit exclusively for printing documents, feel free to purchase a laser machine.

Thermal sublimation photo printers are designed to please amateur photographers. This color prints high-quality 10 x 15 cm pictures. The MFP is a copier that can create documents and photographs, as well as scan photographs, documents and films. Dot matrix printer - a device for printing black and white documents, feature which is a dot print. It is practically not found on sale, it can be found in state banking structures.

Laser printers are more suitable for multi-purpose printers because the cartridges do not dry out. Therefore printouts are fast and documented. There are practically no differences in the printing of texts. Anyone who needs a printer must choose: ink or laser. With these tips, you'll find the right printer and keep your costs under control.

If a old printer broken, it tends to go over quickly with a new acquisition. If you do not require a special device such as a thermal sublimation printer, you decide between the main printing technologies of inkjet and laser. Each printing process has its strengths and weak sides. In addition to quality and pace, the choice of technology determines how much equipment you get.

Characteristics of printers and their types

And we will start with inkjet technologies. When choosing a color printer for your home, you need to understand that there are three types of inkjet technologies. It:

  • piezoelectric;
  • bubble;
  • thermal jet.

An example of piezoelectric printing would be Thermal Inkjet devices from Hewlett-Packard. Bubble Possesses Canon printer(but not all models). By the way, in terms of performance characteristics, inkjet counterparts win. They are capable of printing up to 19 pages of color documents per minute, while for "laser printers" this figure is 3-4 sheets.

Ink or toner costs

The laser is not necessarily cheaper than jet printer, although this view persists. The cost of the site is from 3.0 to 10 cents for multifunctional devices. The color side of a color laser costs between 12.2 and 19.2 cents. Also in the price per page for a text page, inkjet paper is often cheaper than expected. Looking at the printers and all-in-ones from the tests, the cost per text page is between 1.0 and 6.5 cents. However, most laser devices are cheaper in text printing, with page prices ranging from 1.0 to 5.2 cents.


Piezoelectric technology

Between themselves, these technologies are very, very similar, but their main difference is the way ink drops from the print heads get on the surface of a sheet of paper. However, each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. The advantages of the piezoelectric imaging method include the possibility of fine tuning the droplet size. This makes it easy to print from high resolution. In addition, this system is considered more reliable, but also more expensive. More precisely, a more expensive printer print head. When using low-quality ink, its nozzles may become clogged and it will need to be replaced. Among other things, when using any of the jet units, whether Epson printer or HP, you will need to print something from time to time so that the remaining ink does not dry out and you do not have to change the head.

Caution Toner for beginners: For laser printers, it is especially important that cartridges are often underfilled. The contents of these cartridges guarantee the commissioning of the printer, but are usually sufficient for several hundred pages. Especially color laser printers and multifunctional devices have starter toners rated for 500 to 750 pages.

The more you print, the larger the cartridges should be because this will reduce the cost of printing. Check if high capacity cartridges are available for the desired printer. On the other hand, print only occasionally, keep in mind that ink can dry out and toner won't lose its quality if stored properly. Alternatively, consider third party cartridges. They are much cheaper than original manufacturers cartridges. As a rule, the loss of quality of printouts is painful. However, be aware of the manufacturer's terms for your ink or laser device.

Bubble and thermal inkjet printing

Bubble technology occurs as follows. Ink is ejected only due to gas bubbles. They, in turn, appear in the process of heating the ink. This technology is cheaper than the previous one, and the print quality is high.

Power Consumption: Laser is more energy intensive than ink

Some manufacturers will void the warranty if third party cartridges are used. When it comes to power supply when printing, an inkjet printer is in any case more modest than laser printer. Laser printer consumes most current in text mode. The reason for this is that it achieves top speed, which requires pressure mechanics and increases energy supply.

However, power consumption during operation is less critical than power consumption when the printer is waiting for the next job. Finally, don't use the printer all the time. Most printers now have two modes - quiet and power saving. The longer you do not use the device, the less energy it consumes. It's good for money and money. On the other hand, you will lose reaction time. If the printer is in power save mode, it must return to operating temperature before it can print.

Thermal inkjet printing (a Canon printer has it) is carried out in the process of raising the temperature of the ink. They spill out of print head under high pressure.

Despite the significant difference in technology, it is difficult for the average user to see the difference between the results.

Photo printers: what is it and why is it?

More and more people are taking pictures every day. Digital pictures are accumulated on media. They can be viewed, edited, improved. At the same time, the romance of tangible pictures, touchingly pasted into the album, has disappeared somewhere. Therefore, photo frames are back in fashion, and with them photo printers. These are units that are connected to a digital medium (camera) and print an image within a minute. There are devices that create standard A4 formats, but there are also compact models for displaying 10 x 15 cm images. The latter are needed when it comes to offline printing from a camera or flash drive.

This equipment must bring the printer

Thanks to laser devices, this time delay is noticeably noticeable, as in the case of ink models. When it comes to power saving, the devices are much better, as the test results show. The midfielder is in the range of 4 to 5 watts. Make sure you buy the printer with the hardware you need: retrofitting is always expensive and not possible on many models. For example, memory - if at all - can only be used for office printers. The duplex unit for automatic front and back printing is not available as an option with every printer.

Types of photo printers

There are two types of photo printers:

  • sublimation;
  • jet.

The latter in terms of printing technology are practically no different from those described above. I must say that the disadvantages of inkjet include banding. It can manifest itself to varying degrees in different models. It is usually difficult to detect, but it appears when the unit malfunctions or when some nozzles are clogged. As a result, the image becomes divided into horizontal stripes. Sublimation devices do not have this drawback.

Additional paper cassettes are typically found only in printers that are designed for high throughput in an office environment. Later upgrades are simply ruled out in these cases. Old modules can hardly be found. Other cloud services are offered by individual printer manufacturers. Here you will find news, weather information and documents that you can access and print directly from your printer. Especially ink and laser devices designed for home or home office, bring more and more smart features.

Sublimation units, which work even at the lowest resolution, are not inferior in quality to inkjet counterparts with much higher resolution. To negative qualities sublimation models rank high cost of consumables.

They print much faster than their inkjet counterparts. In such devices, their main task is carried out as a result of heating the film on which the dye is applied. The latter evaporates, thereby imprinting on a special paper. As a result of the increase in temperature, the pores of the paper open, and the ink is firmly fixed on it. The future photo cools down, the surface becomes glossy and smooth again. The whole process is divided into several approaches, because to get the result you will have to apply the three main dyes in the correct sequence.

According to the method of operation, printers are

It doesn't matter if these devices use inkjet or laser technology. Conclusion: laser or ink - the technology must match Choosing a printer becomes easier if you know what prints. Anyone who primarily prints texts and can give up color, takes a black and white laser printer. This is still emphasized when it comes to letter sharpness and good blackening. If you are looking for an office printer that prints graphics and presentations in bright colors but also doesn't kneel when it comes to large text documents, a color laser is the printer of your choice.

Laser printing technology

Every day it is getting easier to buy an inexpensive laser printer. And no wonder, because the laser recent times much cheaper for manufacturers. Many people buy such printers for the home. Printing documents using such a device is much more profitable than using an inkjet. This fact is explained by the fact that consumables, when converted to a page, are much cheaper. However, the printer itself is more expensive, the price of which more than pays off with large print volumes. Another point should not be overlooked. It should also be taken into account that if you buy a laser printer, the price of components and consumables (including toners) in case of repair will be lower than for an inkjet printer (at least 2 times).

If you are looking for a versatile one that can be used for both control system and borderless photos, only one inkjet printer is suitable. No laser can print without an edge. AT inkjet printing dominated by multifunctional devices. You print, scan and copy. The printing devices are very mature and reliable. At the same time, device prices are no longer higher than clean printers. The latter only makes sense in special applications, such as a professional photo printer, where each shade of color is more important than page price height.

The economic benefit from the purchase of such a device appears when the user needs to print large volumes of text documents daily - from several tens to several hundreds. For a couple of pages a week, an inkjet printer is enough. If you want a color printer for the home, then it is better to neglect the laser one. The quality of the color printing of the laser device leaves much to be desired. Nice photos are unlikely to succeed.

Here's how it works: The print head travels along a guide on paper, which in turn is passed along the lines. The print head drops small droplets of ink onto the paper. Depending on the nature of the paper, these drops have a more or less strong effect on it. Therefore, the sharpness of the printed image is highly dependent on the paper used.

Benefits: Good ink printers can deliver excellent photo printers on suitable specialty papers that are in no way inferior to chemical photographs in terms of animality and spatial depth.


What to look for when buying a home printer?

  1. Price. A good thing cannot be cheap. In addition, no one wants to closely communicate with service centers to repair the purchased printer. Therefore, the price should be at least average (about $100-150 for inkjet and $200-300 for laser).
  2. Functionality. Before purchasing a printer, you need to decide for yourself which features you plan to use and which can be neglected. In modern units (especially for MFPs), there are a lot of additional functions that increase the price of the device.
  3. Possibility of color printing. If you do not need it, feel free to buy a monochrome printer. Even if the price is practically the same, from time to time you will have to change cartridges. Why are you spending extra money?
  4. Quality assurance. Ask the store about the terms of warranty service.

What else do I need to ask the salesperson in the store (applies to inkjet printers only)?

  1. What is average speed print.
  2. How many copies will an average of one set of consumables last.
  3. Are there consumables available for sale that are compatible with this model, the use of which can make printing cheaper.
  4. Can the user refill cartridges on their own. Is it possible to buy ink in this (or any other) store.
  5. Does this device have protection against refills on the cartridge.
  6. Is it possible to install According to experts, this makes it possible to significantly save money and deprive yourself of pleasure in unexpected this moment see the absence of one of the paint colors.

Cartridges from laser printers are strongly recommended to be refilled at specialized service centers. Without the necessary preparation, you can disable the cartridge, which costs up to 50% of the total price of the entire device. In addition, inhaling toner vapors is extremely harmful to the body. Yes, it's a messy and messy business.

Disadvantages: Depending on the composition of the ink, prints are often more sensitive to water or light than laser prints. Also, the print head may dry out when the ink cartridges are not used for a long time. To prevent drying, the printer flushes ink through the print head nozzles. So ink printers also consume ink when they are not printing at all. This is especially annoying for a few printers.

Here's how it works: The drum is electrically charged over its entire area and then unloaded in a targeted manner using light beams that match the printed image. The toner then enters the drum. It is also electrically charged and will only hover on surfaces previously dumped from the laser. From there, the toner is transferred to the paper and finally baked by the fusing unit at temperatures up to 200 degrees. In many devices, light emitting diodes take over part of the light source.

Which company to buy a color printer for home use?

At the moment, there are many manufacturers of this equipment. However, the most popular are the following companies:

  • Hewlett Packard.
  • Epson.
  • Canon.
  • Lexmark.
  • Xerox.
  • Panasonic.
  • Samsung.

Let's recap!



When purchasing a printer for home use, keep the purpose of the purchase in mind. Do you want to print colorful photos? Pay attention to sublimation or inkjet photo printer. If you are planning to build a career as a photographer, and the quality of the images created is a matter of fundamental importance, it is better to buy a sublimation printer. Are you shopping for work or school? Looking to print large volumes of black and white documents? In this case, a laser unit will come to the rescue. In any case, pre-calculate the average cost of refilling the cartridges of the selected device and the average monthly costs for a particular unit. Find out if your city has service centres manufacturer. This will save you time in the event of an emergency. Be vigilant, attentive and reasonable. Happy shopping and good mood!

But the principle of operation is the same, for the user this difference does not matter. of great importance. Advantages: Laser printers are usually very fast and print particularly sharp text and are generally lighter and more water resistant than ink printers. This makes them ideal workhorses in the office. In addition, lasers do not have the problem of drying the printheads. You can walk for a very long time for a very long time, and then you can walk without problems. Therefore, they are also interesting for printers.

Disadvantages: With comparable equipment, lasers are more expensive and bulkier than ink printers. In the photo printer, they still cannot compete with good ink printers. Also, they cannot print borderless. In addition, laser printers - like many other devices - also create small particles. Some fear that they may pose a health risk. Authorities such as the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing, and the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment have not yet found any evidence of a health hazard caused by laser printers.

So, we found out the printing technology and characteristics of printers.

When choosing what to buy, we are guided by completely different principles, someone wants to buy urgently and cheaper, someone looks at the long term, give someone quality, another benefit, and the third special properties. It is almost impossible to say unequivocally which printer is better, inkjet or laser, so let's look at what they can do, how much they cost and which ones have special features.

Let's start with an inkjet printer - this is an almost classic option and is often used at home.

Advantages of an inkjet printer

  • Printer cost - Inkjet printers themselves are now quite inexpensive and quite affordable, they have color printing features, and to use them, you just need a color cartridge and the right software.
  • Print quality - color printing on an inkjet printer is ideal for printing photos, monochrome printing of texts here will also turn out to be quite high quality and bright.

Disadvantages of an inkjet printer

  • The cost of printing - the printer itself is inexpensive, but sometimes you have to pay a quarter of the cost of the printer itself, or even more, for an ink cartridge. Of course, you have the option of refilling the ink yourself, but many printers are quite capricious and can become clogged from low-quality ink.
  • Paper and media requirements - you can print on labels, envelopes, and just sheets of paper, but they must be good quality, otherwise the printer may become clogged, “chew” them and generally be capricious.

Now let's move on to the laser printer.

Advantages of a laser printer

  • The cost of printing - you can print on a laser printer for a very long time, and its toner will last for it without charging. So if we compare the cost of toner and the volume of printing, then the price for each sheet is quite ridiculous.
  • Unpretentiousness - a laser printer will print you with the same quality on almost any paper, even on newsprint or cardboard.

Disadvantages of a laser printer

  • Printer cost - you will have to invest heavily initially, especially if you want to get a color one, but in the long run it will be economical.
  • Print quality - since color options are very expensive, you will most likely only have a monochrome option available, so printing color images, and even more so photographs, will not be possible.

So, we conclude which printer is better, inkjet or laser. Decide on a goal: if you want to print photos or need to print infrequently and little by little, choose an inkjet printer. If you need to print large volumes and want to save on printing in the future, give preference to laser.

Editor's Choice
Fish is a source of nutrients necessary for the life of the human body. It can be salted, smoked,...

Elements of Eastern symbolism, Mantras, mudras, what do mandalas do? How to work with a mandala? Skillful application of the sound codes of mantras can...

Modern tool Where to start Burning methods Instruction for beginners Decorative wood burning is an art, ...

The formula and algorithm for calculating the specific gravity in percent There is a set (whole), which includes several components (composite ...
Animal husbandry is a branch of agriculture that specializes in breeding domestic animals. The main purpose of the industry is...
Market share of a company How to calculate a company's market share in practice? This question is often asked by beginner marketers. However,...
The first mode (wave) The first wave (1785-1835) formed a technological mode based on new technologies in textile...
§one. General data Recall: sentences are divided into two-part, the grammatical basis of which consists of two main members - ...
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia gives the following definition of the concept of a dialect (from the Greek diblektos - conversation, dialect, dialect) - this is ...