Inkjet printers are usually considered to be the more affordable option, given that laser printers are significantly more expensive to buy and toner cartridges also cost more. However, these are only factors that make the inkjet printer more affordable in an immediate sense. In the long term, though, a laser printer is significantly more cost-effective, especially when used commercially.
If you are about to buy a new printer for your business, hold off making the purchasing decision, until you’ve gone through the reasons that make laser printers a far better option for businesses below.
Higher Yields at a Lower Price
The primary difference between the commercial and residential use of printers is in volume. A business will always benefit more from a printer that is capable of providing it with value at a higher volume. What this means is that the initial cost of a printer means very little to a company, as compared to how much they will be paying for each printed page. In that respect, the toner cartridges that laser printers use are significantly more cost effective than ink cartridges for businesses.
We can expect to print roughly 500 – 1000 pages from an inkjet cartridge, but laser printers will yield anything between 2,000 – 10,000 pages per toner! As a result, despite being more costly than ink cartridges, toner cartridges offer significantly more value for money, given that the per page printing cost becomes a lot lower at high volumes. Eventually, the savings made from every laser printed page make up for the additional price you have to pay to buy a commercial laser printer.
Faster Printing
In business, time is more valuable than money, which is why printing speed should be a big consideration when choosing a printer. Rest assured that any decent laser printer will outpace even the fastest inkjet printer by a significant margin. The highest level, commercial grade Brother Laser Printers can now print at speeds as high as 100-ppm, while the most premium offerings from HP have also touched the 70-ppm mark. On the other hand, even the most advanced inkjet printer caps out at only 30 to 40-ppm.
Toners Last Longer
The ink will dry up if you leave inkjet printers unused for a few weeks. This will not happen with toners, which is another reason why toner cartridges make up for their higher initial cost in the long run. Most workplaces close down during the holidays, meaning that printers will not be turned on for a week or two. Even with the utmost care, the ink will lose some, if not all, of its useability when the place reopens again. Your laser printer, on the other hand, will be ready to work as soon as the business opens, just as always.
The bottom line is that laser printers offer more value for money to businesses down the line, while inkjets are the more cost-effective options for moderate home usage. In that respect, an inkjet printer can only be viewed as an expense for a business, while a laser printer is definitely an investment towards the company’s future.
