It’s
a battle that rages for centuries...ink vs toner! Who will emerge victorious
from the printer/copier wars?
Uh,
well, neither really.
Toner
and ink are like gasoline and diesel. Both are types of fuel, but they are used
in different engines.
Toner
cartridges and ink cartridges are both used to print text and images, but they
are made for different types of machines.
The Difference Between Toner and Ink
Toner Cartridge
Used
in laser printers
Contains
fine powder
Higher
page yield
Does
not dry out or clog
Long/unlimited
shelf life
Low
cost per page
Higher
initial cost
Ink Cartridge
Used
in inkjet printers
Contains
liquid ink
Lower
page yield
Can
dry out and clog
Short/limited
shelf life
Higher
cost per page
Lower
initial cost
Without
getting too complicated, laser printers use a different printing process than
inkjet printers.
Inkjet
printers, as the name implies, squirt droplets of liquid ink onto paper to form
an image. Laser printers etch an image onto a rotating drum which attracts
charged particles of dry toner. The rolling drum transfers the image to the
paper and the toner is fused to the paper with heat and pressure rollers.
That
is why prints that come out of laser printers are warm.
Let us break it down this way:
Laser
printers use toner cartridges
Inkjet
printers use ink cartridges
Toner
cartridges contain dry powder
Ink
cartridges contain liquid ink
Toner
cartridges are bigger than ink cartridges
Toner
cartridges typically have page yields ranging from 2,000- 20,000 pages
Ink
cartridges typically have page yields of about 500 pages
Toner
cartridges don’t expire
Ink
cartridges expire
Toner
does not dry out due to infrequent use
Ink
can dry out and clog due to infrequent use
What Is Better? Toner or Ink?
Now
that is a good question! Not “Who will win in a battle between toner vs. ink?”
That is a stupid question!
Let
us quickly compare ink and toner based on two (probably most important overall)
factors below:
Longevity- How Long Does Toner Last vs Ink?
We
believe toner longevity and lower overall print costs make laser printers the
way to go.
Ink
cartridges carry the risk of malfunctioning if the heads dry out or become
clogged. This risk increases the longer that inkjet printers are not used so it
is important to use inkjet printers weekly.
In
contrast, toner cartridges don't expire and don't get clogged if not used.
Toner vs Ink - Cost
Toner
cartridges have a higher initial cost than ink cartridges.
Toner cartridges are physically bigger, meaning they hold more supplies and print more pages. If you do a lot of printing, toner cartridges are more cost-effective. However, if you do not print too often, you may find low-output, low-cost ink cartridges more cost-effective.
So,
Ink or Toner? Which Is Better For You?
High-end
commercial inkjet printers are used for product packaging, posters, marketing
materials, advertisements and more.
Laser
printers and colour copiers used to be too big and expensive for home and small
business use, but that is all changed due to compact printer designs and
cheaper laser technology.
Now
laser printers and inkjet printers are priced nearly the same. It will cost
more for new toner cartridges than for new ink cartridges, but, by comparison,
you’ll get a much higher page count.
