Advantages and disadvantages
Once we know what they consist of, it is important to be clear about their advantages and disadvantages in order to take the best purchase decision valuing all the aspects, both the negative and the positive points. The advantages may be related to other types of printers or simply be general, something that makes this type of printer stand out, as well as its drawbacks.
Advantages
- Very affordable price in its monocolor model, which makes them ideal for both intensive use and more occasional use.
- Lower cost per page as they use toner.
- Good precision in impressions
- Impressions Fasterespecially black and white
- Fewer maintenance requirements
- They have a larger tray capacity
- prepared for high volumes of work
- Silent operation
Disadvantages
- Higher initial cost on color models
- Toners are more expensive initially
- Lower photographic quality
- They usually have a larger size
- Does not handle as many types of paper
What is an inkjet printer
Inkjet printers are More popular for its low price in the simpler versions, since with them we can print in color, black and white, scan and photocopy. They are many of the models that we usually see in supermarkets, hypermarkets, electronics stores and other establishments, along with lasers.
Inkjet printers are computers that work spraying ink on paper. They do this by ejecting different sized droplets of ink onto the paper. Using inkjet technology the print head does not touch the paper, but the ink is ejected through the nozzles that are in it. To do this, they have a print head with several nozzles that are responsible for printing by irradiating the ink on the paper. They use at least two cartridges with liquid, one for black ink and one for color (using the primary colors cyan, yellow, and magenta).
When choosing them, values such as the pages per minute (PPM) and the maximum resolution in dots per inch (dpi). The higher these values are, the better its quality and performance in printing. You also have to assess the relationship between quality, price and other factors such as the additional features included or the brand.
Currently, there are also printers ink tank, which have tanks instead of cartridges to lower the cost per copy, although they are larger and more expensive than the previous ones, so they are not the most recommended for home users and they are not as popular as the other models.
Advantages and disadvantages
These are the printers more frequent in many homes, although the use of the others is growing more and more, so so that you know if this is your best purchase option or if the previous ones compensate you, we are going to tell you about the advantages of these taking into account different aspects , as well as the disadvantages that stand out and that you should assess when making your final decision.
Advantages
- The multifunctionals allow print, photocopy, scan, send fax and other functions
- initial cost lower
- Cheaper cartridges initially
- Large quantity of compatible cartridges, to save more on purchase
- Many more models different prices to choose from
- Better photographic quality and good color prints
- They can print on various types of paper
Disadvantages
- Maintenance more expensive in intensive use
- If they are not used for a long time, it may lead to dry the heads, so the fuel might have to be changed
- Prints take longer per copy, although it depends on the model
- As their ink is water based, prints can be more prone to liquid damage
Which to choose
Making a decision is not easy because there are currently several models of each of the different printers, so this is an aspect to take into account when making the final assessment, however, we are going to help you by showing you the different circumstances in which you can find yourself so that you know which is the most appropriate solution in each of them. It is not the same that you are a student who does not print much, but does so frequently, that you work at home and need to make many copies, or that you are a person who usually requires the printer once every 3 months. If the circumstances are different, so are the solutions.
Therefore, taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of each of the aforementioned teams, we will tell you what the more suitable for you, although you must take into account all the aspects so that you obtain a solution tailored to your needs.
According to your price and my budget
This is an aspect that depends a lot on the printer model that we acquire and our specific needs, however, to prints that can be in color or black and white, printers of inkjet They usually initially have a lower cost. TO long term, if you can afford it, compensate the laser. If you are only going to make black and white copies, it is worth it in all cases to resort to monochrome laser.
If we look at the price of the cartridges and toners, the decision is more complicated. The cartridges are cheaper because they require less outlay initially, whereas, although the toners are in principle more expensive offer a higher performance and provide you with a lower cost per copy. If you look at it, in the long run this last option is the best, except if you do a lot of color copies.
However, it must be taken into account that there are currently models of compatible and refillable cartridges that, if you choose them well, can offer you a good performance for its relation between price and result. If you have a low initial budget, you may have to opt for the inkjet ones that offer you better quality at the best possible price, if this is higher you may value the possibility of opting for the others.
If I need many impressions
A fundamental aspect in this respect is that the printers To be they can handle high workloads, while in the case of inkjets they cannot handle as much workload if it is very high. If you go to use a lot the printer to make a large number of copies, lasers are cheaper in the medium-long term. Although your initial cost may be higher, the price per copy is cheaper, so increased use compensates. Also, as they offer a better relationship in terms of speed, quality and price, they are the most suitable for people who tend to make many copies. On the other hand, they usually print faster, so you will have what you need sooner.
In addition, the long term performance of ink printers is less, since they require more maintenance in case of high use. However, the same thing happens if its use is too punctual. In any case, the laser models win.
If I need few impressions
If we talk about the opposite case, in which you don’t need many impressions, the answer depends. When it comes to few prints, but enough for regular printer use, you may be compensated by the ink. However, in case of using it in punctual moments, or you usually have long periods of time with it stopped, lasers are better.
This is because the lasers usually work correctly even if they are not used for a long time, while the inkjet ones, despite being cheaper initially, can cause problems if they are not used with a certain frequency since they can be damaged. dry the heads and cause the cartridges or the printer itself to not work. Therefore, when making your decision you have to make a general assessment of this. If you are not sure and you can afford it, lasers may be better, unless you want to print photos.
Depending on your speed
Although it depends on the specific model, the lasers they are usually a lot Faster when making your copies, especially in its monochrome models, so if you usually need many copies frequently or occasionally and the speed of printing is a determining factor, you will surely prefer them. If you value your time this is your best option.
If you cannot afford them, it is important that you take into account the impressions per minute (PPM) that can be carried out by the models you have in mind to make an assessment. Currently, they have improved and every time we can find faster models that offer good results in their work, so opting for these may not be an inconvenience for you either.
Depending on the type of printing
if you are going to want print in color or photographs with your printer, you may be more interested in those of inkjet, while if you are going to make a lot of impressions, they can compensate you for the laser type. If you are going to use it to make copies in black and white, or that is the most use you give your printer, the best thing would be to buy the printers To be monochrome because they have a very affordable price and stand out for their speed. In this case, if you are going to make a color copy very occasionally, you can always use a copy shop.
The final decision is complicated and you should only take it based on your needs and what you give preference. If you have a good budget and you usually do a lot of printing, lasers would be the most suitable if you want to get good results and not worry. On the other hand, if you have a lower initial budget, you are a student or you want to print a photograph from time to time, you may opt for ink.