If you want to buy a color printer, there are three choices: color inkjet printer, color laser printer or solid ink printer. Both color inkjet and color laser printers have been around for a long time while solid ink printers are relatively new to most people. So what are the differences among solid ink vs color inkjet vs color laser printers?

Color inkjet printers require a low initial investment but the liquid ink runs out quickly and the replacement ink cartridges are expensive. Color inkjet printers print slowly but there is no warm up time. The ink may smear on some papers and the printout is not resistant to light and water. In general, color inkjet printer can produce good quality text and excellent images on special paper.

Color laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers. The replacement toner cartridges are also costly although they can usually last for a long time. Color laser printers have a high print speed but they do require warm up time. Because of the complex design, laser printers are bulky and take up a lot of space. Color laser printers can produce excellent text quality but unless you buy the high end color laser printers, they are less capable of producing high quality images. Unlike inkjet cartridges, it is less common to refill the toner cartridges. The empty cartridges produce lot of waste and take a long time to decompose in landfill.

Solid ink printers use ink sticks instead of cartridges. The ink sticks are in solid form at room temperature. When they are heated to a specific temperature, they are melted and applied through the print head. Once printed on the media, they return to solid form immediately. The way solid ink works give them some distinct advantages over color inkjet and color laser printers.

1) The wax based ink produces good quality text, vivid colors and bright images on a wide range of media.

2) The ink sticks can be used up entirely for printing, there is no empty cartridge left.

3) Solid ink printers have simple design, so they are more compact and affordable than color laser printers.

4) Unlike color inkjet printers, solid ink printers can print at a high speed and are good at high volume printing.

5) Replacement solid ink sticks are more affordable than color inkjet or color laser cartridges.

6) Solid ink sticks are easy to use and handle, there is no leaking and spillage.

However, solid ink printers also have some disadvantages, such as longer warm up time, higher power consumption as the ink has to be heated even at standby mode. The wax based ink is difficult to write on and is not resistant to sunlight.

In summary, if you want to buy a color printer for occasional color printing at home, a color inkjet printer will be a good choice for you. However, if you are shopping for a color printer for office use, you should do some research on the solid ink printers. The relatively low investment cost, affordable consumables, compact design and good print quality for both text and image make the solid ink printers an attractive choice for small businesses.



Thanks to Kwan Lo for contributing this article to our Inkjets blog:

Inkjet Ink Cartridge Refill

Can you answer Sara B’s question about Inkjets?:

We have a new school and want to recycle inkjet cartridges to raise money. What is the most profitable company to use?

Canon Color Inkjet Printer

Can you answer fifty’s question about Inkjets?:

I know that it cost less to produce a copy from a laserjet printer, but I’ve become good at filling those inkjet cartridges plus Walgreen’s and others offer inexpensive refills. So, I was wondering which kind of printer would be good for my home network.

Also, I have a tiny home business and I have to print clothing tags on light cardboard. Do you know how I figure out which printer would do this?

Making Money Online

When it comes time to buy your next printer, you’ll be faced with the difficult task of deciding between inkjet and laser technology. These devices utilize very different methods to produce text and images on the printed page. As with all modern machines, there are advantages and disadvantages to using each of these printers. In this guide, we’ll go over their main features and functions so that you’ll have a better understanding of which printer is right for you.

For starters, inkjets use small dots of ink to create output, whereas laser printers use toner to produce text. For small office and home environments, inkjets are usually the better choice because they cost less initially yet deliver brilliant, vivid color. On the other hand, laser printers produce high-quality output at a lower cost per page. Plus, toner cartridges last longer than inkjet cartridges, which eventually bring down overall printing costs. For these very reasons, laser printers are more popular in larger office settings.

When you do the math, inkjets seem to cost a whole lot more in the long run, especially if you do frequent, high-volume printing. Consider the average numbers for an inkjet versus a laser printer:

            Typical toner cartridge: $50-$60

            Page yield: 2,000-3,000 pages

            Average cost per page: 2-2.5 cents

            Typical inkjet cartridge: $20-$30

            Page yield: 400-500 pages

            Average cost per page: 4-6 cents

Although these numbers are only averages, the difference in price adds up quickly. In addition to cost benefits, laser printers typically operate much quieter and faster than inkjets, and they’re remarkably hassle-free. Another drawback of inkjet cartridges is that the ink tends to smear when wet, and can also fade over time. Photo quality, however, is usually excellent (better than most laser printers), and improves with more expensive models.  

Over the past few years, the market for laser printers has been on the rise, while prices continue to fall and the range of available products steadily increases. As an inexpensive alternative, replacement and remanufactured cartridges are also available for both models.

So before purchasing a printer, you must always consider the type of jobs and applications that it will be used for. Don’t buy a laser printer if you’re going to use it two or three times a week. Don’t buy an inkjet when you’re going to be printing hundreds of large documents. The bottom line: using the right printer for the right job is the key to successful print management.



Thanks to Stacy Page for contributing this article to our Inkjets blog:

Inkjet Tips

With computers in almost every home and at every office desk, people are becoming more and more computers dependent and so there needs. Working on a home computer or at office certainly brings out needs to print the documents or pictures. Having your computer alone now-a-days makes a little sense without having a printer. The most economical printers available today are the Inkjet Printers.

If you are aware of the inkjet printers than certainly you must be aware about the cost associated with an inkjet cartridge as well. If you are good at bargaining then certainly an inject cartridge is going to cost you pennies as they are heavily used for printers and fax machines. Wondering where you can buy them for cheap?

There are best internet websites available to buy any inkjet cartridges for your printers at a price never listed before. You name the printer make and model and it is listed there. With easy search feature, you can move around and click on the product you like and purchase it directly online. The website has the most comprehensive range of branded products and their respective inkjet cartridges. You can buy these cartridges at the same price that is listed on the website without any taxes etc. What you see is what you pay and nothing other than that.

Moving on with the inkjet cartridges, new products are released regularly every now and then at special prices which can be purchased online with money back guarantee. The prices listed are approximately 70% less than advertised on other websites. Remember the fact that more usage of printers will consume more ink and exhaust the toner. Therefore, get refilled inkjet cartridges or new toners and other relevant HP, Lexmark, Epson, canon etc printer cartridges at the cheapest possible price ever published on the internet.



Thanks to Rohit Maini for contributing this article to our Inkjets blog:

Inkjet Glossy Photo Paper