Laser printer or inkjet printer for the office?

Anyone who wants to buy a printer these days is spoilt for choice. Should it be a high-quality laser printer for the office or should the inkjet printer be used? These two variants are basically available to every potential buyer. Which printer is ultimately the better choice depends on the use and wishes of the customer. However, it can be said that there is a suitable printer for every situation - regardless of whether it is operated with ink or toner.

The techniques in comparison

As already mentioned, potential customers can choose between inkjet printers and laser printers. The two variants differ not only in name, but above all in technology. This ultimately provides information on when a printer should be used and how.

As the name suggests, inkjet printers work with ink. This ink is fed into the printer in so-called ink cartridges and later onto the paper. Basically, the inkjet printer distinguishes between two printing processes - the piezo process and the bubble jet process. The latter works with an overpressure through which the ink from the cartridge is pressed onto the paper. Heat is used, which in turn ensures that the printer is very slow in comparison. However, it can be said that the Bubble Jet printer scores well in price in direct comparison.

On the other hand there is the piezo printer. This is used with so-called piezo crystals inside the cartridges. Electrical impulses deform the crystals so that they push the color out of the cartridge through the nozzle. There is no heat generation, so this type of inkjet printer is very fast. However, once clogged nozzles can no longer be cleaned, which in turn drives up the purchase price of the cartridges.

Laser printers can also be purchased as an alternative to inkjet printers. Laser printers do not print objects line by line on the paper, but use a complete print. For this purpose, an image drum inside the printer is electrically charged. Neutralization is carried out at the important points. If the image drum now moves over the paper, the image drum places the desired object on the paper. Very high printing speeds are thus pre-programmed. However, the toners, which store the ink in powder form, have to be changed.

The printing speed

With a glance at the printing speed, the choice between the two printers is enormously simple. If speed is the only consideration, the laser printer is usually always ahead. Due to the complete printing (no line by line printing) documents can be photographed within seconds. Reprinting is also not a problem, as image drums can store information for a long time and reissue it.

A good inkjet printer can indeed approach the performance of a laser printer - but buyers usually have to accept a much higher purchase price.

Tip: In the area of printing speed, the laser printer wins the race in the office.

The image quality of printers

The issue of image quality is a difficult one and both printers can score well on. First of all, it must be said that the laser printer can display normal text and simple graphics very precisely, but the inkjet printer is ahead of the field, especially with complex photographs. The inkjet printer is therefore the first choice if many photos are to be printed.

However, since simple documents are usually printed on copy paper in an office, the inkjet printer must also be beaten here. The advantage of the laser printer is that the image is burned onto the paper using laser technology. This ensures that the documents are insensitive to ageing and sunlight. Especially inkjet printers with cheap ink tend to fade images after some time. This cannot happen with a laser printer.

For the office, the laser printer is the better option. The only exceptions are the departments where many photos have to be printed on photo paper. Unfortunately, the laser printer cannot keep up here.

The cost of different printers

In terms of costs, it is primarily the cost of accessories that matters. The accessories are toners and cartridges. In a direct comparison, cartridges always have a lower purchase price. Apparently the inkjet printer seems to be ahead. Looking at the price-performance ratio, it becomes clear that although the toner has a higher purchase cost, the capacity is usually higher than with an ink cartridge. Extrapolated, customers either pay the same price or get away with a toner with a long life even cheaper.

However, it always depends on the manufacturer and the capacity of the toner. XXL toners make sense in the office.

The disadvantage is that a laser printer should rarely be installed in the same room as the employees because of the toner. This is due to the powders that come out of the toner. Especially frequent use can cause fine dust pollution, which can damage the health of employees. A separate room is absolutely necessary.

If you look at the costs, then you should not ignore electricity consumption. Laser printers work with high-quality image drums, which then reach enormously high temperatures. High temperatures also always mean high energies. These can only be achieved with increased power consumption, which in turn leads to rising costs.

For comparison: an inkjet printer has an output of almost 20 watts in continuous operation. An equivalent laser printer has an output of 100 to 500 watts. Such consumption quickly becomes noticeable in the office.

The costs are available for both printers - but the inkjet printer is ahead of the field here.

Features of the printers in comparison

  • Laser printer with high printing speed
  • Ink jet printer with higher image quality for photos
  • High power consumption for laser printers
  • Fine dust pollution with laser printers
  • Comparison of equivalent costs for toners and cartridges


Whether a laser printer or inkjet printer is to be ordered for the office is difficult to answer in general terms. If only a few photos and many normal documents are printed and the office has a separate storage room, then the laser printer is certainly the most efficient method. But if there is no separate room, a high-quality inkjet printer can be a worthwhile replacement.

When it comes to taking photographs, customers can't avoid an inkjet printer anyway - here the printer has by far the best results. In terms of costs, customers have to decide for themselves what costs they want to accept. Both printers have their advantages and disadvantages here.