The Difference Between Toner And Ink You Need To Know
Do you know the difference between toner and ink? It's important to distinct them if you want to buy a printer. First, we introduce the basic concept of toner and ink.
Ink is contained in small tanks or cartridges and sprayed out in a microscopic mist over the designated print pattern. The ink inside an ink cartridge can be either dye-based or pigment-based, depending on which cartridge you have. Most inkjet printers on the market traditionally include dye-based inks.
Toner is a largely powder-based printing agent used by laser printers, using organic compounds and polymers to make up the majority of the material. Toner is a dry powdery substance that won’t stain like an ink cartridges, but it can get messy if handled improperly. Monochrome laser printers print with just a black toner cartridge. Color laser printers use four separate black, cyan, magenta and yellow toner cartridges to produce a print.
Both inkjet and laser printers are used for home and commercial printing purposes, such as creating prints taken with your digital camera or zipping through dozens of pages of text. But the way they apply material to a piece of paper is very different. Choosing the right kind of printer for your business can save your company big money; however, making the decision between a LaserJet system and an inkjet system isn’t always black and white. Knowing the kinds of printing you’ll be doing, the level of quality you need and the size of your average printing jobs on a daily basis will help you make the right decision for your small business.
Along with format and functionality, the benefits of toner and ink cartridges differ as well. After grasping the main distinction between these two types of printer cartridges, buyers can move on to comparing important secondary factors. Thoughtful buyers consider efficiency and cost-efficacy issues like machine speed, print quality, and overall price when assessing printer functionality. After doing so, consumers can decide whether they prefer the benefits of toner or ink before they buy their next printer.
Cartridge replacement cost is a crucial factor to consider, especially when buyers are trying to choose between toner and ink. Printer cartridges certainly vary in price, but in general, toner replacements are more expensive. While inkjet printers and replacement ink cartridges are initially cheaper than their laser and toner counterparts, the costs start adding up quickly. Though toner costs more up front, the longevity of these cartridges makes them more cost-effective in the long term.
Laser printers are the preferred option for people who value speed. In general, printers that use toner are much faster than those that use ink cartridges, and once again, it all goes back to functionality. The electromagnetic process that takes place inside a laser printer is highly precise, and this allows it to run large print jobs quickly and efficiently. Inkjet printers are rather slow in comparison, mainly because the jets that control ink output are not as precise as laser printer technology. Inkjet printers also tend to hold fewer sheets of printer paper, which means more breaks to refill.
As far as quality is concerned, laser printers generally prevail over inkjet models. While there are high-quality inkjet printers that produce remarkably vivid photos, not all models are capable of such detail. The process of applying ink in tiny pixels cannot quite match the exacting nature of laser-drawn imagery.
