There are two main types of printers, laser and inkjet.  These two types are used for different tasks and efficiency.  Depending on your needs and volume, the decision should be fairly cut and dry.  Let’s review the various differences between the two and hopefully help aid in your decision.

Inkjet printers are found mostly in the home.  These are usually considered personal printers and shine during photo and graphic printing.  They may not print as fast, but they use quality ink, such as Brother LC51Y ink, to handle more complicated tasks.  Another good convenient feature of inkjet printers is their ability to print on multiple types and sizes of paper, from the bottom of the barrel to the top of the quality chain.

Inkjet printers were first conceptualized in 1867, but it took nearly 85 years for the first model to be manufactured and released.  It began as an idea for a continuous print method, and evolved in the high-quality machines that reside in most of our homes.  They have little to no warm up time and feature ink cartridges that can be recycled and reused.  Most printers automatically clean these cartridges, however due to the liquid-based ink, water damage is a potential concern. 

Laser printers are designed for office workloads.  Not only can they handle large volumes, but the cartridges, such as HP 92298A toner, last for thousands of prints.  Where laser printers may lack in quality, they make up for in speed, which is why they are more suitable for an office.  Of course the quality is good enough to provide professional documents, but it doesn’t match the precision of an inkjet.

The first laser printer was used in 1975 and has since grown into a necessity for most offices.  The dry toner is applied to an electrically charged projected image and then applied to the paper.  It creates an entire document at once, rather than the continuous method of an inkjet device.  Though it really is the only option for businesses with demanding needs, the lengthy warm up time, high HP Q6511x toner costs, for example, and cleaning procedures could get frustrating.

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