Printers are extremely useful for any office. Unfortunately, some people may find it quite challenging to choose printers that suit their office needs because of the multiple options available to choose from. One major thing you may have to deal with when selecting a printer for your office is whether to choose a laser or an inkjet printer. In laser printing, images or prints are produced when a laser beam is scanned across photoreceptors to melt the toner (powdered ink) onto the paper. On the other hand, inkjet printing simply involves the use of ink drops to produce prints. Each of these prints has its own pros and cons, and here is a guide to help you make the perfect choice for your office.

Costs

While prices will vary across manufacturers, inkjet printers usually have lower upfront costs. Therefore, if you are on a budget, inkjet printers would be the most ideal choice. The costs of the cartridges used by the printers (ink cartridges for the inkjet printers and toner cartridges for their laser counterparts) also matters in terms of the operational costs. The ink cartridges are usually cheaper than the toner cartridges, meaning it will cost you less to replace them. However, while ink cartridges are cheaper, inkjet printers tend to use up more of the ink, which means you may have to replace the ink more often than you would if you were using toner.

Print Volume and Speed

How many pages do you intend to print daily? Having this in mind will help you choose wisely between these two types of printers. Typically, laser printers have the capacity to print a larger number of documents at any given time compared to their inkjet counterparts. If you are printing a huge amount of documents, then it pays off to have them done within the shortest time possible. This is why, when considering the print volume, you need to think about the print speed too. Fortunately, laser printers also print at a higher speed.

Versatility

What printing materials do you intend to use? You may want to consider an inkjet printer if you intend to print on a range of media. Besides paper, these printers can work well on materials such as textured stationery, cotton, canvas and even specially-coated fabrics. The reason laser printers should only be used to print exclusively on plain paper is because the beams used in these printers produce some level of heat. Therefore, you shouldn't run any materials considered heat-sensitive through them.

To learn more about your options, contact a company that specialises in office printer sales.