So i am getting a laser printer free with my monitor, so i reckoned i might write about how lasers compare with their inky counterparts , these are things i know

Laserjet--- a laser shines onto a drum, the drum gets charged, attracts toner, and is applied to paper at high temperature and pressure. Thats why the paper is warm when it comes out.

Pros -
Faster printing
Better Quality
Ideal for high volume printing
Most have inbuilt bigger buffer memory

Cons-
Expensive
Toner expensive
Colour versions really expensive

verdict - Ideal for Office or SOHO and also if you have to many bucks to count. However the cost of toner might kill you.


Inkjets- As the name suggests they spray ink onto paper, or in case of bubblejet , a bubble is made which bursts to put the ink on paper. They use movable heads to spray Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black ( commonly CMYK) colors. Inkjets combine these colors to make any shade possible.

Pros-
Much Cheaper
Color printing cheap
Consumables cheaper ( i say cheaper and not cheap as as the cost of cartridges outweighs the cost of the printer in a few years)

Cons -
Lesser Quality
Slower speed

Verdict - ideal for low volume home printing, or color prints when the budget is tight.

I dont guarantee the technical accuracy of all this info, however all this is true to the best of my knowledge

In both types of printers i see that the cost of cartridges/toners is quite large, so is refilling a good choice. Its cheap true, but the ink quality is bad. Moreover some companies revoke warranty if you dont use original consumables. Addon something productive if you know more about it or correct me if i am wrong somewhere.

If you want a printer for home use, then get the inkjet. But if you are printing large amounts of reports or other things, then its a no brainer, get the laserjet. Laserjets are way too expensive for your own use, thats why I always get the cheap ones.

Yup, the Laserjets are more for printing images or suchs and they're very expensive and if you have run out of toner it would be better to buy another printer instead of buying the toner, the laser printers aren't expensive, but the toner is. I suggest an inkjet printer for your home and a a laserjet if you want fast, quality prints for your business. And about the refillin I don't think it's a good choice, refill them only if you're very desperatea and can't buy the toner.

This post has been edited by PyramidHead777: Apr 11 2006, 02:34 PM