Since the lockdowns, millions of people find themselves setting up home offices, sales of both laser and inkjet printers have skyrocketed. But which is the wiser purchase? Well, that depends.

Home printers aren’t, in the scheme of things, particularly high-cost pieces of technology. But one thing to keep in mind is that a printer is far more than a one-off payment: you’re also committing to spending more on cartridges or toner to replenish its ink supply. With that in mind, choosing a printer is something that should be an informed decision.

In this article, we dive into the differences between inkjet and laser printers, their respective pros and cons, and how they compare in terms of price, speed, space and print quality.

Once you’ve read this article, we suggest you take a look at our pick of the top printer deals this month, and our best printer and best budget printer guides. Then, head to where to buy printer ink online.

What is a laser printer?

A laser printer works by using a powdered substance known as toner, rather than liquid ink, to produce its prints. The laser creates an electrostatic charge that transfers the toner to the paper, which is then fixed in place on the paper’s surface with an application of heat.

Pros

• Fast speeds. A laser printer will produce reams of documents
• Toner doesn’t bleed, so you won’t smudge your documents
• Toner is relatively inexpensive. You’ll need to replace your toner cartridges far less frequently than those of inkjet printers.

Cons

• Laser printers are much larger than inkjet printers, and if you’re not planning to print regularly, you may find it takes up more space than you’re happy with.
• They might be fast and productive, but laser printers are quite noisy with it. What drones away unnoticed in the background at work might be far more of a nuisance at home.
• The upfront cost of a laser printer is higher. While inkjet printers from reputable brands like Canon, Epson and HP start at around £50, with laser printers, it’s more likely £80 to £100.

Read our laser printer reviews:

What is an inkjet printer?

Inkjet printers work with liquid ink, dispensed onto the page via a series of micro-nozzles in the print head. You can get both monochrome and colour inkjet printers, although since inkjets are so often bought for photo printing, you’ll find very few of the former on the market, and being honest, are hard to justify purchasing.

Pros

• Upfront cost. You can pick up a perfectly reliable inkjet printer for as little as £50 – and you can find older models on sale for half of that (at the end of this article, you’ll find a few budget-end printers that are on sale right now).
• Inkjet printers are much more popular as home printers because of their compact size. Wireless options are particularly convenient much they’re much easier to unbox and stow away. Inkjet printers have grown particular mini in the last few years – the HP Tango X is a great example of a compact inkjet.
• For photo printing, inkjet printers produce superior results to laser printers, whose efforts …….

  Source: https://www.radiotimes.com/technology/technology-guides/inkjet-vs-laser-printers/