Inkjet vs laser printer: which one should you buy?

How inkjets and lasers actually work

The two technologies are fundamentally different, and that difference drives every practical pro and con. An inkjet sprays microscopic droplets of liquid ink onto the page through tiny nozzles. That lets it blend colours and print photographs, which is why inkjets dominate home printing. A laser printer works more like a photocopier: it uses a laser to draw an electrostatic image on a drum, which picks up fine toner powder and fuses it to the paper with heat. Toner is dry, comes only in black on the affordable home models, and bonds to the page instantly, which is why laser text is so crisp and smudge-proof.

Two consequences flow directly from this. First, because inkjet ink is liquid, it can dry out and clog the nozzles if the printer sits unused, forcing wasteful cleaning cycles; toner, being dry powder, simply cannot dry out. Second, a toner cartridge prints far more pages than an ink cartridge, so although it costs more up front, the cost per page is lower. Hold those two facts in mind and the right choice becomes obvious for almost everyone.

When to choose an inkjet

Choose an inkjet if you need colour, want to print photos, or need scanning and copying in one machine, which describes most homes. Inkjets are the natural all-rounders: a 3-in-1 inkjet like the Brother MFC-J1010DW handles documents, the odd photo, scanning and copying, and an ink-tank model like the Epson EcoTank ET-2850 does all that at a very low running cost. If your printing is mixed, a bit of colour, some documents, occasional photos, an inkjet is almost certainly your printer.

The one trap to avoid is buying a cheap cartridge inkjet without thinking about ink. That combination, low purchase price and pricey cartridges bought as you go, is the single most expensive way to print. If you want an inkjet and you print regularly, either buy an ink-tank model or put a cartridge printer on an ink subscription. Do that, and the inkjet's flexibility comes without the financial sting.

When to choose a laser

Choose a mono laser if you print mostly black text and value reliability and low running costs. For documents, letters, forms, study notes and tickets, a laser like the HP LaserJet M110we or the budget Pantum BP2300W is simply better: sharper text, faster printing, and a lower cost per page. Just as importantly, it is the right answer for the very common household that prints only occasionally but needs it to work every time, because the toner never dries out. If you have ever been let down by an inkjet that clogged from disuse, a laser will feel like a relief.

The trade-off is that affordable home lasers are mono and print-only: no colour, no photos, and usually no scanner or copier. If you can live with that, the laser is the cheaper, more dependable tool for text. If you need colour or scanning, it is the wrong choice, and an all-in-one inkjet is right.

Which is cheaper to run?

It depends on what you print. For black text, a mono laser is usually cheapest per page, because toner lasts so long. For colour and all-round printing, a refillable ink-tank inkjet like the EcoTank is cheapest, beating both cartridge inkjets and colour lasers. The most expensive option of all is a cheap cartridge inkjet run without a plan, where the ink quickly outcosts the printer. So the running-cost answer mirrors the type answer: laser for text, ink-tank for colour, and never a bargain cartridge inkjet bought carelessly. Our cheapest printer to run guide breaks the numbers down further.