With all the different types of print technology available, the decision of whether to get an all-in-one color laser printer or some other type of printer could be tough. While inkjet printers are losing ground to all-in-one color laser printers in some respects, they're still a better choice for some applications.
What does an all-in-one color laser printer do?
All-in-one color laser printers, like other multifunction devices, are intended to print, scan and copy. Some multifunction units also offer fax functionality. With the growing popularity of PDF file formats, many all-in-one color laser printers offer the ability to scan to a photo or directly to a PDF, which could be a useful feature if you work from home. When you're looking at functionality, find out what software comes with the all-in-one color laser printer, how it scans to a device and whether it would work well in your home or network setting.
Think about what you want to do with your all-in-one color laser printer.
Think about how you plan to use it before you go shopping for an all-in-one color laser printer. Laser printers are really devices best utilized in high-speed or high-volume applications. The quality is generally better with an all-in-one color laser printer, but that might not be enough to make the cost difference worthwhile if you're only using it for school work and the occasional letter. However, if you're running a small business or working from home and print a high volume of documents, an all-in-one color laser printer may be a better choice than an inkjet.
Operating costs.
All-in-one laser printers are expensive initially, but generally cost less to run in high volume applications. You can typically get 2,500 prints out of an all-in-one color laser printer cartridge, whereas you're lucky to get 250-500 from an inkjet printer. Depending on the model, you can run an all-in-one color laser printer for less than half an inkjet printer; around $0.12 per page for the laser, compared to $0.20-0.30 for the inkjet.
However, if you don't have a high volume and aren't using the all-in-one color laser printer frequently, it takes longer for you to recoup your initial investment and the operating cost savings are irrelevant. Also, another thing that many price comparisons don't consider is the extra electricity used by all-in-one color laser printers; they have significantly higher energy consumption than inkjets.
Not for photos.
Many users complain that the color functionality of all-in-one color laser printers can't match that of inkjet printers. If you're looking for a printer to print photos, inkjet photo printers produce higher-quality prints than the color laser units. Color laser printers produce a more flat, matte look to the color prints, which is fine for documents but generally insufficient for photo prints.
 | While laser printers create an image and throw powdered ink (toner) to paper that passes over an electrically charged drum, an inkjet printer sprays tiny dots of ink onto the page to create the image. A laser printer is standard equipment in offices around the world. |
 | If you're like most people, you follow the instructions to change laser printer toner when it's necessary and then forget about it. However, you might be missing out on opportunities to extend the life of your laser printer toner, and you may not be disposing of it properly. |
Laser printers can still hold their own against ink jets when it comes to speed, text resolution and ownership costs. |
When laser printers first came on the market, they were ridiculously expensive and those who just had to have the latest in technology paid the price. However, now that so much time has elapsed since their debut, the prices have come down to nearly affordable. |
By far the most annoying peripheral for a computer has to be the printer. It either jams, runs out of ink or just plain acts funny. You have finally gotten to the point where you have to break down and buy a printer, but the technology changes every six months and you just can't keep up. |
