Before buying a new printer, the endless question arises: laser or inkjet? The latter, which can be multifunctional, has advantages such as a more affordable price and lower sound volume. However, the cost of printing does not compete with the more economical and faster laser.

Comparisons on the web are often organized between new laser / inkjet products. The differences are no longer so noticeable. In this article , the inkjet printer is more ecological and economical than the laser, both from an energy point of view (consumption of watts) and in terms of ink consumption!

The advantages of an inkjet printer

An inkjet printer can use 2 types of ink:

• Pigment ink. High quality, the color printing rendering is excellent. Resistant over time, this solid-state ink can clog printer nozzles.

• The ink with dissolved dyes. Liquid is a mixture of dyes and solvents. Its lifespan is limited in time, due to the alteration of colors, by gases.

The inkjet printer is renowned for the quality of color printing. Although it consumes ink in optimal quality, it allows you to print jobs and documents, with finesse and faithful rendering to the screen, such as photos. For printing classic documents such as text, the laser ensures a clean, smudge-free result.

Touch screen, document feeder, Wi-Fi… the functionality of inkjet printers is as good as laser machines.

The price

In comparison to the laser printer which costs between 200 and 400 euros, the inkjet is significantly less expensive. The first prize is around 60 euros. For 150 euros, it is possible to acquire a machine with high performance.

The noise

The noise of the inkjet printer may be louder while printing.

Multifunctional use

For an affordable price, it is possible to buy an inkjet printer with multiple functions: scanner, copier, fax, photos. Laser printers also offer these features, but at a significantly higher price.

The disadvantages of an inkjet printer

The inkjet printer requires more handling. Cartridges need to be changed more regularly than toner. It is essential to clean the print nozzles regularly, so that the dried ink does not clog them.

The cost of printing

The laser printer is considered to be more economical in nature, with an estimated printing cost of 3 cents per page. The inkjet printer, especially if the page is in color, costs between 10 and 15 cents, which is significantly higher. The use of compatible cartridges allows you to have quality printing at a lower cost.

Should we reduce the number of impressions, however, to save money? UFC's uplifting survey - What to Choose proves ink consumption is indexed to printer usage. Against common sense, the less you print, the more expensive it is to print, due to the greater frequency of cleaning tests, which require a lot of ink. For some brands like HP, the more you use your device, the more economical it becomes.

The rapidity

Print throughput is lower for an inkjet printer. The printing speed is slower. Note that this can definitely be an advantage, to benefit from a drying time directly integrated into the printing.