Cost Comparison Between Ink Cartridges And Laserjet Cartridges

2010-04-21

Choosing between the two major printer types - inkjet and laser - can be a tough decision, but there are several factors which can help the shopper decide on purchasing one over the other. The most important of these is invariably price, and both the initial and the long-term costs are vital in helping to convince someone to purchase a certain model or not. The different printer cartridge types are retailed for varying prices, some more cost effective than others. Before deciding on one particular type, it may help to first work out which will be more affordable over the long term. While laser printers are typically more expensive than inkjets, it will be the printer ink cartridges and toners which will make up the bulk of the total expenditures in the long run.

Inkjet printers are very cheap and can be purchased for under $100. While their cartridges have a lower price tag than laser toners, they cannot print out as many pages. The average inkjet cartridge can print out approximately 500 pages and costs around $20. This equates to a rate of 4 cents per page. While this may seem small, remember that printing out 20 pages a day will set a business back over $200 a year. Moving on to the laser toner, we can properly compare these two printer cartridge types. Most people avoid laser printers because they can cost several hundred dollars. However, in the long term, they can actually save you money. A typical laser toner can produce around 3,000 pages and costs about $60. This comes to 2 cents per page or around $100 a year at 20 pages a day. Forgetting other aspects such as printer ink quality or speed, it is obvious to see that over time a laser printer is a smarter choice for any business' bulk-printing needs simply due to its cost-effectiveness.

In the end, it is up to the consumer to decide whether a laser or an inkjet is the best printer for them. It also depends on the quantity of documents printed out by any individual or company. The savings between a printer ink cartridge and a toner will only matter if the buyer is actually printing out thousands of documents a year. It is literally a case of the, more a person prints, the more they save. Remember that the initial cost of an inkjet is cheaper and so it will be necessary to use a laser printer very frequently to gain any significant savings from it. It is also important to look at printer ink quality and the average printing speed before you make any decision on which model to choose.