Printing photos with an Inkjet or Laser printer is a question we get asked quite often. We’ve already explored various topics on printing and scanning photographs. While there are many things to take into account, we wanted to look at whether inkjet or laser printers are better for printing photos.
Both have their benefits and a lot comes down to what your specific needs are and what exactly you want to achieve. Therefore, we’ve looked at some of the benefits to both.
Differences Between Laser and Inkjet
First, a quick rundown on the difference between inkjet printers and laser printers.
Laser printers use toner. Toner is a powder, which when heated is fused to the page.
Inkjet printers – on the other hand – use liquid ink, which doesn’t require heat to affix it to the page. While each inkjet printer works slightly differently, essentially the ink is fired at the page in hundreds of tiny dots to make up the full picture.
Are Inkjet Printers Better for Printing Photos?
If you use coated photo paper, inkjet machines will win hands down. When you put these two things together you’ll see deeper blacks and smoother colour transitions.
Home Photo Inkjet Printers
Home inkjet printers are known for their lower output cost and small sizes. They’re versatile too, capable of printing documents and photo’s. Take the Canon PIXMA TS6350a, a desktop sized printer ideal for home photo’s and great quality for framing prints.
Professional Photo Inkjet Printers
If you get one of the professional inkjet printers such as the Epson SureColour SC-P700 and add orange and red inks into the mix then the effect can be dramatic, especially if you’re using high-quality archival paper.
Inkjet printers are particularly great for art reproduction thanks to the great range of colours you can use with an inkjet printer, but you will be looking at a costlier process because of the colour.
Are Laser Printers Better for Printing Photos?
If you’re looking to print colour images in volume on plain paper or card, then this is where the laser/LED printers will be the best choice. Specifically, posters, brochures and other point-of-sale materials will be best printed through a laser printer. If you are using a graphics printer with shiny toner output, with a Postscript driver or a dedicated RIP (Raster Image Processor) then you’ll be able to print high-quality images quickly and at a cost way below that of the inkjet. However, you won’t be able to achieve the same art reproduction finish that you will be able to from an inkjet.
A basic RIP will be found in most printers but some have different profiles depending on the requirements. It isn’t essential, but if the printer has this software, it allows for handling multiple files, file types and sizes. This in turn allows for printing high-volume photos in different sizes and types a much easier process.
The Oki C650 is a brilliant example of a laser printer, perfect for marketing material and point of sale posts. Built around printing marketing material from labels and signs through to stickers and banners at a high quality and high speeds.
A Brother DCP-L8410CDW is an affordable office multifunction laser printer. Capable of reaching high speeds while keeping a great print quality.
Xerox VersaLink C400DN is a perfect desktop laser printer with a fantastic print quality and a specialised DPI featuring an 8 bit gradient system.
For a large office printer, the Xerox VersaLink C8000DT is built with speed and quality in mind, designed around printing high quality documents at great speeds. Ideal for large amount of marketing material
Verdict
When picking your printer there are lots of other things to take into consideration. A few of these are: size, capabilities, accepted media thickness, paper type and resolution quality,
If you’re looking to print professional photo’s, family prints or crafting material. Choose an Inkjet, these often have a higher GSM support and offer a better print quality when it comes to vibrancy and general image work.
Laser printers are superior for marketing material, high speeds and high yields of printing. If you’re looking to print on a commercial level, we would recommend a laser printer.
Hopefully the above makes this question a little simpler to answer but you can also take a much deeper look into printing photos and the different options available to you.
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