Home > Store > Solution Guides > Will A Home Laser Printer Save You Money?
By Jazmin V. Hupp, Tekserve Staff
Now that Mac compatible laser printers start at only $199, a laser printer could be more cost effective than an inkjet printer for your home.
Is Laser Cheaper Than Ink?
According to the optimistic printer manufacturer estimates, the cost per page is about the same for inkjet and laser printers these days. However, ink cartridges tend to clog or dry up if they aren't used frequenlty. If you don't print at least once a week, you may have to replace clogged ink cartridges long before they actually run out of ink. I sometimes use about half of my ink cartridges running nozzle checks and head cleanings, which means ink prints are costing me double what the table shows below.
| Printer | Price | New Set of Ink/Toner | Prints Per Set | Ink/Toner Cost Per Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
(b&w laser) |
$199 | $69 | 2,000 (black) | $0.03 (black) |
|
(color laser) |
$199 | $165 |
1,500 (black) 1,000 (color) |
$0.03 (black) $0.12 (color) |
|
(b&w laser) |
$249 | $99 | 3,500 (black) | $0.04 (black) |
|
(b&w laser + scanner) |
$349 | $69 | 2,000 (black) | $0.03 (black) |
|
(4-color inkjet) |
$99 | $39 |
230 (black) 310 (color) |
$0.06 (black) $0.10 (color) |
|
(6-color inkjet) |
$299 | $120 |
470 (black) 810 (color) |
$0.04 (black) $0.12 (color) |
Initial Investment: Inkjet printers are inexpensive because the manufacturers tend to make their money selling ink. A laser printer is a bigger investment but won't require extra supplies until after 1,000+ prints. Both inkjet and laser printers usually come with "starter" cartridges that don't print as many pages as the cartridges you'll buy later on.
Maintenance: Laser printers tend to have more replaceable parts. When an inkjet printer wears out, you will have to replace the entire unit. Laser printers allow you to replace some of the parts that wear out over time. For example, the Samsung CLP-315 requires a new waste toner container every 2,500 color pages (around $15) and a new imaging unit every 6,000 color pages (around $150).
Black & White or Color?
If you are only going to own one printer, I recommend getting a color printer. Black and white is great for documents but at some point you’re going to need to print something in color. Until recently, I used the black & white Lexmark E260D laser printer for document printing and an Epson all-in-one inkjet for photographs. This worked well until having a MFA art student in the house drained two sets of ink cartridges in one project and I bought the Samsung CLP-315 for color laser printing.
Black and white prints: Laser prints are typically preferred because text tends to crisper. Inkjet printers have come a long way in the last few years to match that quality but laser prints tend to be a little cleaner.
Color prints: For printing documents with solid colors, a laser printer will work fine. However, photographs are best printed on an inkjet printer. Inkjet printers, with the right paper, can create lab-quality photo prints. This is because inkjet's print at a higher resolution, in other words, inkjet printers put more dots per inch of ink on the page than laser printers. This means that color gradients (like skin colors) are smoother and more accurate using ink instead of laser. Additionally, Epson claims that inkjet photos printed with the right ink and paper can last up to 105 years (since inkjet printers haven't been around for that long, I'll get back to you in a few decades when we actually find out).
Speed
Laser printers are typically faster at printing multiple page documents than an inkjet and you don't have to wait for the prints to dry. However, laser printers can take a few minutes to warm up initially. If you print a lot of one-page documents, you might not see much of a speed increase. If a lot of your home printing is done last minute as you're trying to run out the door, a laser printer will help you catch that bus on-time.
Duplexing Cuts Paper Use By Up To 50%
Duplexing, which allows you to print on both sides of your paper automatically, is a common feature among business laser printers. Only the Lexmark E260 has duplexing available in the home laser printers I reviewed. If you print a lot of multi-page documents, duplexing can save a lot of trees.
Is A Laser Printer Right For You?
After purchasing my first laser printer in 2007, I never want to go back to inkjet only again. The quality, convenience, and speed is worth the higher initial investment on the printer. If I could only own one printer, it would probably be an Epson all-in-one because I love having copying and scanning available. But if you're looking for your second home printer, laser is what I recommend.
| 4 products foundSort by: $ → $$$ | $$$ → $ | A → Z | Availability | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | Samsung CLP-315 Color Laser Printer | $159.00 | In StockShips in 1-2 business days |
 | Samsung CLP-315W Wireless Color Laser Printer | $199.00 | In StockShips in 1-2 business days |
 | Lexmark E260DN Mono Laser Printer | $259.00 | In StockShips in 1-2 business days |
 | Samsung SCX-4500W Wireless All In One Mono Laser 'Piano' Printer, Copier & Scanner | $349.00 | In StockShips in 1-2 business days |
| 4 products foundSort by: $ → $$$ | $$$ → $ | A → Z | Availability | |||