Printers are probably one of the most overlooked tools when working from home, largely because we're so used to having reliable printers at the office. Now that most of us are stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, I'm pretty sure some of us have considered getting a printer for your home office so that you don't have to head back to the office just to get something printed.
With that being said, there might be some of you who are unsure whether you should get a printer for yourself, which is the best printer for you, or whether to go for a laser or inkjet printer. In this article, we'll be going into more detail on whether you should be getting your own printer, as well as how to choose between a laser and inkjet printer.
Should you get a printer for your home?
To determine whether you need a printer for your home, you should consider how many documents you need to print daily. This should be common sense, but if you only need to print a few documents every few weeks, it might be better to head over to the closest printing shop instead of investing in a printer for your home.
However, if your workload requires you to print stuff every day, getting a printer might be a worthwhile investment. That way, you won't have to drive around that often, which is a waste of time and petrol. Keep in mind that there are extra expenses to consider when getting a printer, such as maintenance or repair cost if you run into problems with the printer, as well as the refills like ink cartridges or toner (depending on which type of printer you buy).
Inkjet printer
Inkjet printers are by far the most common printers found in most households, as they are the cheapest to purchase and the upkeep is generally quite cheap. The way these printers work is by spraying microscopic ink from the ink reservoir onto the paper via a print head.
The biggest drawback for an inkjet printer is the speed at which the printer can print. It's also common for the ink to clog on the print head if the printer isn't used for a while. On top of that, the user must also use the built-in software to realign the print head after a few prints to ensure that the printed documents are not blurry.
Laser printer
The laser printer, while more expensive than Inkjet printers, are generally a lot more reliable and durable because it utilises a toner (filled with powdered ink), so it's less likely to clog up as compared to liquid ink. But that's not all, laser printers can print documents at a much faster rate of around 20 pages per minute or more, while your average inkjet printer can only print around 13 pages per minute.
Because of the higher reliability and printing speed, laser printers are generally preferred over Inkjet printer in larger enterprises. This is because they are better options when there are many people who need to print documents daily. However, the cost of a laser printer is significantly higher than an inkjet printer. In particular, a colour laser printer would be even more expensive.
Which type of printer should you get?
Do you need something that's reliable and fast? Then you might want to consider getting a laser printer, as they require a lot less maintenance compared to Inkjet printers. However, if you need to print a large number of documents with colours, an inkjet printer might be the way to go as they're much cheaper. Of course, that's as long as you're constantly printing to keep the ink from drying on the print head.
With all that said, would you settle for a laser printer or an inkjet printer? Let us know on our Facebook page and for more updates like this, stay tuned to TechNave.com.
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