Colour laser vs inkjet

[David Hare-Scott]

With the rapid drop in the purchase price of colour lasers they are now a
real consderation for small business and personal use. My requirement is
for small business use - specifically holiday accommodation in a Bed N
Breakfast establishment. The purpose is to print business stationery such
as letters, small brochures, one-page flyers etc. It needs to be in colour
as I want to include some pictures of the (rather pretty) surroundings etc,
and for general better impact than monochrome.

As the business is just in the start-up stage it is hard to predict the
volume required but it is likely to be nearer 50 pages per week than 500.
The quality should be such that images actually look like what they
represent but that does not mean they have to be wonderfully realistic works
of art. The density is some images embedded in black text not full page
images. If I have a 2in X 3in pic of cows on a green field it needs to be
recognisable as that not mistaken for pimples on Shrek's bum. It looks to
me that both systems would provide that.

I am faced with the choice between laser and inkjet. It seems that the long
term cost of either system depends very much on volume. With a very low
volume the inkjet is cheaper due to the very low capital cost of a medium
quality machine. At high volume the laser is cheaper due to the low cost of
toner compared to ink. I am unsure of where my needs fit in here.

As well as quality and price my third criterion is reliability. I don't
have time to deal with cranky equipment and I am out in the country a fair
way from tech support and repairmen. If I say that I am going to send
somebody a brochure I have to do it that day and it can't have stripes or
unreal colours on it. I know very little about the reliability of either
system.

Any advice either on how to work out the details so that I can make a better
decision or recommendations of specific machines (with reasons why) would be
appreciated.

David

 

[Ivor Jones]

: : With the rapid drop in the purchase price of colour
: : lasers they are now a real consderation for small
: : business and personal use. My requirement is for small
: : business use - specifically holiday accommodation in a
: : Bed N Breakfast establishment. The purpose is to print
: : business stationery such as letters, small brochures,
: : one-page flyers etc. It needs to be in colour as I
: : want to include some pictures of the (rather pretty)
: : surroundings etc, and for general better impact than
: : monochrome.

[snip]

I can only recommend what I have used myself, and that is the HP 2605dn.

See here for info:

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/uk/en/ho/WF25a/5043-5047-5051-5051-5063-12166214.html

I've had mine since March and have printed probably no more than 1000
sheets on it, so it doesn't get horrendous use, but it works for me.


Ivor

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

With a very low
volume the inkjet is cheaper due to the very low capital cost of a medium
quality machine. At high volume the laser is cheaper due to the low cost of
toner compared to ink.

It isn't even the print volume. At every point, the raw cost per page
is higher on inkjet than on laser.

But for a long time, inkjets were very cheap to buy compared to
lasers--so people could feel free to indulge themselves and have a
machien on hand capable of doing the work, but if they didn't use it,
they didn't have much capital locked up in equipment they weren't using.
In other words, it's very cheap to decide not to use the inkjet for
whatever reason (business went downhill, it's the slow season, whatever).

The higher capital investment in a color laser used to mean you should
expect to use it, because to spend that much money and NOT use it is
ridiculous.

But now that color lasers are US$500 and under for decent machines
(maybe a tad more--check out the Xerox Phaser 6180DN), the equation
changes. Suddenly it's OK to invest in the equipment, even if you're
not 100% sure that it'll be used all the time.

 

[Michael Johnson]

<snip>

As well as quality and price my third criterion is reliability. I don't
have time to deal with cranky equipment and I am out in the country a fair
way from tech support and repairmen. If I say that I am going to send
somebody a brochure I have to do it that day and it can't have stripes or
unreal colours on it. I know very little about the reliability of either
system.

Any advice either on how to work out the details so that I can make a better
decision or recommendations of specific machines (with reasons why) would be
appreciated.

My advice is to look at the cost of replacing a set of toner cartridges
for whatever color laser you choose and then look at the cost of using
compatible ink in an inkjet printer. I have Canon inkjet printers and
use compatible ink that costs me $1.59 per cartridge shipped to my door.
For the typical cost of a set of color laser toner cartridges I can
buy almost 200 inkjet cartridges that would allow me to print way more
pages than a set of toner cartridges on a laser printer. If you plan on
buying OEM ink for any inkjet then I say the laser printer is the better
choice but using compatible ink the inkjet is far more economical on a
cost per page basis.

 

[Ivor Jones]

[snip]

: : My advice is to look at the cost of replacing a set of
: : toner cartridges for whatever color laser you choose
: : and then look at the cost of using compatible ink in an
: : inkjet printer. I have Canon inkjet printers and use
: : compatible ink that costs me $1.59 per cartridge
: : shipped to my door. For the typical cost of a set of
: : color laser toner cartridges I can
: : buy almost 200 inkjet cartridges that would allow me to
: : print way more pages than a set of toner cartridges on
: : a laser printer. If you plan on buying OEM ink for any
: : inkjet then I say the laser printer is the better
: : choice but using compatible ink the inkjet is far more
: : economical on a cost per page basis.

It's not just about cost. I firmly believe a colour laser gives better
*quality* than an inkjet for most types of output. True, for top quality
photographic prints, you can't (yet) beat a specialist inkjet printer, but
for most purposes a laser will beat an inkjet hands down. It may well cost
more, but you're paying for the quality IMO.

A laser is also far more forgiving about paper type. You can print most
things on standard copy paper and there's no possibility of ink running if
the paper gets damp like with inkjets.


Ivor

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

Any advice either on how to work out the details so that I can make a better
decision or recommendations of specific machines (with reasons why) would be
appreciated.

My advice is to look at the cost of replacing a set of toner cartridges
for whatever color laser you choose and then look at the cost of using
compatible ink in an inkjet printer.[/QUOTE]

The user should NOT focus on "how much did they charge my credit card".
The COST of replacing cartridges is meaningless; it's all about the COST
of printing each and every page that comes out of the printer, period.

If the toner carts cost $400 to replace, that's fine with me--as long as
that $400 gets me more pages than spending $400 on ink cartridges for an
inkjet. Sure, I spend that $400 spread out over time, $30 at a time.
So what? In the end I will have spent the $400 anyway, and I will have
gotten fewer pages out for my money.

I have Canon inkjet printers and
use compatible ink that costs me $1.59 per cartridge shipped to my door.

I seriously doubt that.

For the typical cost of a set of color laser toner cartridges I can
buy almost 200 inkjet cartridges that would allow me to print way more
pages than a set of toner cartridges on a laser printer.

Sure, if they're only a buck fifty nine. I seriously doubt that.

 

[Michael Johnson]

My advice is to look at the cost of replacing a set of toner cartridges
for whatever color laser you choose and then look at the cost of using
compatible ink in an inkjet printer.

The user should NOT focus on "how much did they charge my credit card".
The COST of replacing cartridges is meaningless; it's all about the COST
of printing each and every page that comes out of the printer, period.[/QUOTE]

Exactly. Toner is expensive and compatible ink is inexpensive.

If the toner carts cost $400 to replace, that's fine with me--as long as
that $400 gets me more pages than spending $400 on ink cartridges for an
inkjet. Sure, I spend that $400 spread out over time, $30 at a time.
So what? In the end I will have spent the $400 anyway, and I will have
gotten fewer pages out for my money.

I can replace a complete set of cartridges in our Canon printers for far
less than $10. That means I can have FORTY complete cartridge changes
for the price of ONE set of toner cartridges. I doubt the yield of one
set of toner cartridges equals the yield from forty sets of ink cartridges.

I seriously doubt that.

Doubt no more.

https://www.neximaging.com/ProductList.asp?ID=18551&name=Canon%A0Pixma%A0ip4000

I use these cartridges in four different Canon printers with no
problems. I also use their compatible cartridges in a Canon N2000 with
no problems.

Sure, if they're only a buck fifty nine. I seriously doubt that.

Here you go, one more time in case you missed it:

https://www.neximaging.com/ProductList.asp?ID=18551&name=Canon%A0Pixma%A0ip4000

 

[Michael Johnson]

[snip]

: : My advice is to look at the cost of replacing a set of
: : toner cartridges for whatever color laser you choose
: : and then look at the cost of using compatible ink in an
: : inkjet printer. I have Canon inkjet printers and use
: : compatible ink that costs me $1.59 per cartridge
: : shipped to my door. For the typical cost of a set of
: : color laser toner cartridges I can
: : buy almost 200 inkjet cartridges that would allow me to
: : print way more pages than a set of toner cartridges on
: : a laser printer. If you plan on buying OEM ink for any
: : inkjet then I say the laser printer is the better
: : choice but using compatible ink the inkjet is far more
: : economical on a cost per page basis.

It's not just about cost. I firmly believe a colour laser gives better
*quality* than an inkjet for most types of output. True, for top quality
photographic prints, you can't (yet) beat a specialist inkjet printer, but
for most purposes a laser will beat an inkjet hands down. It may well cost
more, but you're paying for the quality IMO.

A laser is also far more forgiving about paper type. You can print most
things on standard copy paper and there's no possibility of ink running if
the paper gets damp like with inkjets.

I agree that a color laser will give better results on plain paper.

 

[Elmo P. Shagnasty]

I seriously doubt that.

Doubt no more.

https://www.neximaging.com/ProductList.asp?ID=18551&name=Canon%A0Pixma%A0ip400
0
[/QUOTE]

Well, even if you get only 100 pages out of it, that's pretty damned
good.

Of course, depending on your printer, you may end up throwing ink away.
I like printers with completely separate cartridges.

 

[Michael Johnson]

Doubt no more.

https://www.neximaging.com/ProductList.asp?ID=18551&name=Canon%A0Pixma%A0ip400
0

Well, even if you get only 100 pages out of it, that's pretty damned
good.[/QUOTE]

I don't know how many letter sized pages one can get from a set of
cartridges but we don't worry at all about ink cost for our printing
needs. Plus, we don't have to fool with refilling. If someone decides
to refill then the cost is probably under $1 per cartridge.

Of course, depending on your printer, you may end up throwing ink away.
I like printers with completely separate cartridges.

We have Canon printers that use the BCI-6 cartridges that support five
and six separate ink tanks. We have no wasted ink like you would have
in multicolor cartridges.

 

[Bob Headrick]

We have Canon printers that use the BCI-6 cartridges that support five and
six separate ink tanks. We have no wasted ink like you would have in
multicolor cartridges.

Just a bit of clarification there - while you may (or may not*) have less
stranded ink in a system with six separate ink tanks, it does not
necessarily mean you will have less wasted ink. Whenever you change an ink
tank it will run through a priming/service cycle on all the colors. This
servicing can be significant, and may easily exceed the amount of ink left
stranded in a tricolor integrated cartridge.

* Systems with fixed printheads typically stop printing at some point when
they think the ink may be getting low. Depending on the model there may be
15-30% of the ink left stranded. Systems with integrated printheads
typically allow printing until all the ink is actually used.

- Bob Headrick, MS MVP Printing/Imaging

 

[measekite]

With the rapid drop in the purchase price of colour lasers they are now a
real consderation for small business and personal use. My requirement is
for small business use - specifically holiday accommodation in a Bed N
Breakfast establishment. The purpose is to print business stationery such
as letters, small brochures, one-page flyers etc. It needs to be in colour
as I want to include some pictures of the (rather pretty) surroundings etc,
and for general better impact than monochrome.

As the business is just in the start-up stage it is hard to predict the
volume required but it is likely to be nearer 50 pages per week than 500.
The quality should be such that images actually look like what they
represent but that does not mean they have to be wonderfully realistic works
of art. The density is some images embedded in black text not full page
images. If I have a 2in X 3in pic of cows on a green field it needs to be
recognisable as that not mistaken for pimples on Shrek's bum. It looks to
me that both systems would provide that.

I am faced with the choice between laser and inkjet. Laser
It seems that the long
term cost of either system depends very much on volume. With a very low
volume the inkjet is cheaper due to the very low capital cost of a medium
quality machine. At high volume the laser is cheaper due to the low cost of
toner compared to ink. I am unsure of where my needs fit in here.

As well as quality and price my third criterion is reliability. I don't
have time to deal with cranky equipment and I am out in the country a fair
way from tech support and repairmen. If I say that I am going to send
somebody a brochure I have to do it that day and it can't have stripes or
unreal colours on it. I know very little about the reliability of either
system.

Any advice either on how to work out the details so that I can make a better
decision or recommendations of specific machines (with reasons why) would be
appreciated.

David

 

[Michael Johnson, PE]

Just a bit of clarification there - while you may (or may not*) have
less stranded ink in a system with six separate ink tanks, it does not
necessarily mean you will have less wasted ink. Whenever you change an
ink tank it will run through a priming/service cycle on all the colors.
This servicing can be significant, and may easily exceed the amount of
ink left stranded in a tricolor integrated cartridge.

This is true but for the price I pay for cartridges this isn't a big
concern.

* Systems with fixed printheads typically stop printing at some point
when they think the ink may be getting low. Depending on the model
there may be 15-30% of the ink left stranded. Systems with integrated
printheads typically allow printing until all the ink is actually used.

For our printers, I get a warning when the ink level is low but they
will print until the cartridge is bone dry (not a good idea). The
availability of good, inexpensive, non-chipped compatible cartridges are
why they will pry my BCI-6 based printers from my cold dead fingers.

 

[Frank]

Laser
Inkjet...lasers are hazardous to your health.

 

[Yianni]

* Systems with fixed printheads typically stop printing at some point when

they think the ink may be getting low. Depending on the model there may
be 15-30% of the ink left stranded. Systems with integrated printheads
typically allow printing until all the ink is actually used.

And not only. Usually, most systems with fixed printheads consume more ink
on cleaning cycles.

 

[Meghan Noecker]

I seriously doubt that.

I do my own refilling. It works out to less than $1 per tank. I
usually replace the actual tanks once per year, usually twice for
black.

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Color laser printing and Inkjet printing a different enough in their
process that I'm not sure they can be equated. They currently each have
their benefits and difficulties.

Color laser is fast, waterproof, can print well on plain uncoated paper
do best with matte or semigloss surfaces, and provide quite color stable
results, but are complex to profile accurately.

Inkjet is slow, but very precise, does well with either matte and glossy
surfaces, but requires special coated papers for the best results. The
results can be waterproof and fade resistant depending upon ink and
paper type.

Paper handling is quite different. Most lasers still can't handle
continuous feed or roll paper.

Costs are a toss up depending upon the paper and ink/toners and coverage
required.

Costs for toner can add up when high coverage is required.


Art

 

[Arthur Entlich]

Fighting over which technology is cheaper is almost moot. The costs are
manipulated by the manufacturers. One week they decide to make the cash
on a per push charge, or the servicing contract, the next they cash in
on the cost of acquisition of the machines, and next they decide to
profit on the consumables. Xerox probably has been the most
flip-flopping company to do this. Inkjet did some of the same earlier
in its career, before settling on consumable fees.

They aren't the same types of technology, and they don't provide the
same type of output.

Inkjet can be printed onto thick art papers. Laser printers will jam,
smudge, stutter and the toner will not fuse properly with thick art
quality papers.

Inkjets clog without use, some inks fade and run if wet, etc.

To date, laser is still principally for commercial small and medium run
printing. Inkjet is still principally used for very small run and art
and photographic printing. They each do certain things well/poorly.
Costs probably get close to a toss up depending upon how clever the user
is and what game the manufacturer's are playing this week.

Art

My advice is to look at the cost of replacing a set of toner cartridges
for whatever color laser you choose and then look at the cost of using
compatible ink in an inkjet printer.

The user should NOT focus on "how much did they charge my credit card".
The COST of replacing cartridges is meaningless; it's all about the COST
of printing each and every page that comes out of the printer, period.

If the toner carts cost $400 to replace, that's fine with me--as long as
that $400 gets me more pages than spending $400 on ink cartridges for an
inkjet. Sure, I spend that $400 spread out over time, $30 at a time.
So what? In the end I will have spent the $400 anyway, and I will have
gotten fewer pages out for my money.

I have Canon inkjet printers and
use compatible ink that costs me $1.59 per cartridge shipped to my door.

I seriously doubt that.

For the typical cost of a set of color laser toner cartridges I can
buy almost 200 inkjet cartridges that would allow me to print way more
pages than a set of toner cartridges on a laser printer.

Sure, if they're only a buck fifty nine. I seriously doubt that.
[/QUOTE]

 

[tomm42]

With the rapid drop in the purchase price of colour lasers they are now a
real consderation for small business and personal use. My requirement is
for small business use - specifically holiday accommodation in a Bed N
Breakfast establishment. The purpose is to print business stationery such
as letters, small brochures, one-page flyers etc. It needs to be in colour
as I want to include some pictures of the (rather pretty) surroundings etc,
and for general better impact than monochrome.

As the business is just in the start-up stage it is hard to predict the
volume required but it is likely to be nearer 50 pages per week than 500.
The quality should be such that images actually look like what they
represent but that does not mean they have to be wonderfully realistic works
of art. The density is some images embedded in black text not full page
images. If I have a 2in X 3in pic of cows on a green field it needs to be
recognisable as that not mistaken for pimples on Shrek's bum. It looks to
me that both systems would provide that.

I am faced with the choice between laser and inkjet. It seems that the long
term cost of either system depends very much on volume. With a very low
volume the inkjet is cheaper due to the very low capital cost of a medium
quality machine. At high volume the laser is cheaper due to the low cost of
toner compared to ink. I am unsure of where my needs fit in here.

As well as quality and price my third criterion is reliability. I don't
have time to deal with cranky equipment and I am out in the country a fair
way from tech support and repairmen. If I say that I am going to send
somebody a brochure I have to do it that day and it can't have stripes or
unreal colours on it. I know very little about the reliability of either
system.

Any advice either on how to work out the details so that I can make a better
decision or recommendations of specific machines (with reasons why) would be
appreciated.

David

It is very simple, if you are printing brochures, the color laser is
the way to go, inkjet especially 8.5x11 printers are way too slow on
decent resolution settings. You can use low quality paper and still
get acceptable results, but if you decide to use 20lb copier paper on
your brochures they will certainly look cheap.
If you want to make your own note/greeting cards on nice paper then
inkjet is the way to go, offset is of course another alternative for
cards and brochures. There are some great printing deals on the web.

Tom