When choosing a printer in a store, many thought about the difference between laser and inkjet printers. Which to choose? The technologies that underlie their work are fundamentally different. Inkjet printers use liquid ink, while laser printers use powder paint.
Inkjet printing
Inkjet printers use liquid ink in the printing process. They are located in special cartridges installed inside the printer.
In inkjet printers, ink is applied to a sheet of paper by means of a print head. In some printers, it is an integral part of the design, and the cartridges act as ink reservoirs. Several manufacturers place the printhead directly on the cartridge.
The print head has ink spray nozzles. Most printers use heads with several dozen nozzles. A number of modern models are equipped with heads with hundreds of nozzles. The more, the higher the print quality.
There are two main technologies for spraying ink. Some manufacturers use piezoelectric heads. Others use thermal spray technology.
Piezoelectric technology is based on the ability of piezo crystals to deform under the influence of an electric current. Bending in a certain way, the piezoelectric element located in the print head creates the necessary pressure, squeezing a drop of ink of a certain size onto a sheet of paper.
Thermal spraying takes place at the expense of high temperatures. A heating element is located in the head. When an electric current is passed through it, it heats up in a split second, the ink boils and forms bubbles. Thanks to them, the required amount of paint is released onto the paper.
Laser printing
Laser printers use powder ink - toner instead of liquid ink. Toner is poured into a cartridge that is installed inside the printer.
The main parts of laser printers are a drum, a charge roller, a laser, and an oven called a fusing unit. The charge roller transfers static electricity to the drum unit. The laser "draws" an image on the drum, thereby removing the charge from this area.
A sheet of paper, passing through the toner hopper, attracts the powder particles to the uncharged area. After that, the sheet is placed in a preheated oven, where the toner melts under the influence of temperature and is fixed on the paper.
Comparison of technologies
Inkjet printing has traditionally been considered a technology for the home. It suits those people who do not print much. In addition, many color inkjet printers are capable of producing high-quality photographs.
The main disadvantage of inkjet printers is the high cost per page. Cartridges contain very little ink and run out quickly. The price of a set of branded cartridges sometimes exceeds the cost of the printer itself.
Keep in mind that an inkjet printer cannot stand idle for a long time - the ink in the nozzles will simply dry out. If the head is in the cartridge, it can be replaced. If it is part of the printer, it can be permanently damaged. Even service centers do not always undertake cleaning of the head, and its replacement will be very expensive.
If you plan on using your printer to print photos, be prepared for high costs. You will need special photo paper, which is much more expensive than office paper. Ink consumption, which is already high, will increase significantly when printing photos.
A laser printer usually costs more than an inexpensive inkjet printer, but wins in terms of cost per page. In addition, a single toner cartridge can last several thousand pages.
The print quality of this type of printer is usually very high. The print speed is impressive even for home use models. Also, the laser printer is not afraid of long downtime.
