Prisma N.V.

While purchasing a printer we often do not pay much attention to the underlying technology. There are different types of printers and primary among these are laser printers and inkjet printers. The main difference between the two types is that the inkjet printers spray ink through tiny nozzles onto the paper, while a laser printer uses toner cartridge with ink in powdered form. The underlying computer-to-plate technology is also different with ink-jet printers using an inkjet plate and laser printers using laser plates. The heart of any printer includes the plate technology; the resulting print quality depends on all these factors.

An inkjet plate basically consists of the use of fine spray of ink which is sprayed onto a metal plate. Thus, unlike the laser plates‘ printers, the inkjet printers create the images without any exposure to lasers. The image does not require any post processing or drying and can be used immediately after the ink-jet imaging is complete. Naturally the ink-jet printers are less expensive compared to laser and thermal equipment printers. Experts however believe that the printing quality of laser printers using laser plates’ technology is a far more superior compared to inkjet plate using printers. As far as the inkjet technology is concerned there are two sub categories in this. One is the continuous inkjet spray while a second process is the drop-on demand.

While considering the cost of ink-jet printers which use inkjet plate technology and comparing it with the laser plates‘ technology of laser printers, people are often surprised to hear that the initial costs of both the printers is essentially similar. If you are considering a budget multifunction printer, there isn’t much difference between the inkjet and laser models. The only difference is that the former can print colored images while the cheap varieties of the latter are restricted to black and white documents. The cheaper varieties of inkjet printers also come with starter cartridges which need refilling after fewer prints; so cost incurred goes up. As one goes on to compare running costs of the two varieties of printers, experts who have researched the subject have found that the expensive version of laser printers have lower cost per page (running costs) in the long run. It is also common knowledge that larger laser printers need additional fuser cartridge and kits for maintenance. Print lifetime of these printers depends on quality of paper and ink used.