Inkjet vs Laser Printer: Which Should You Buy?
Buy a mono laser printer if you mostly print black-and-white text — homework, forms, shipping labels. It costs less per page and the toner won't dry out between print jobs. Buy an inkjet, ideally a refillable tank-style model (EcoTank, MegaTank, Smart Tank), if you print photos or color regularly. The printer to avoid is a cheap cartridge inkjet used once a month — idle ink dries out and clogs the printhead.
Inkjet and laser solve different problems. Inkjet handles color, photos, and glossy media well but costs more per page on cheap cartridge models. Laser prints crisp text fast and cheaply but is mono-only at the low end. Match the printer to what you print most, not to whichever spec sheet looks longer.
The core difference
Inkjets spray liquid ink onto the page; lasers fuse dry toner with heat. That single distinction drives nearly every trade-off below — from cost-per-page to whether the ink dries out between uses. (Brother's inkjet-vs-laser explainer covers the underlying mechanics; the comparison below is consistent with it.)
Side-by-side comparison
| Factor | Inkjet | Laser |
|---|---|---|
| Best at | Color, photos, glossy media | Crisp black text, high volume |
| Upfront cost | Low (cheap cartridge models) | Higher, especially color laser |
| Cost per page | High on cartridges; low on tank models | Low (toner yields many pages) |
| Text sharpness | Good | Excellent (no ink bleed) |
| Photo quality | Excellent | Mediocre (color laser only) |
| Speed (text) | Moderate | Fast, especially first page |
| If it sits idle | Ink can dry / clog | Toner doesn't dry out |
| Best for | Photos, occasional color, students | Home office text, documents, low hassle |
Page-yield ("cost per page") numbers on packaging are usually rated under industry test standards like ISO/IEC 19752 for toner — see the Brother cartridge spec below — and real-world yield still varies with page coverage and how often you print.
Where inkjet wins
Choose inkjet if you print color often — photos, school projects, graphics. The catch is running cost: cheap cartridge inkjets are cheap to buy and expensive to run. A tank-style inkjet (EcoTank, MegaTank, Smart Tank) fixes the cost-per-page problem while keeping color quality — Epson, for instance, says EcoTank ink-bottle refills can save "up to $1,000" versus buying ink cartridges over a printer's life on select models (Epson).
Where laser wins
Choose laser — usually a mono laser — if you mostly print text, contracts, forms, or shipping labels. Toner doesn't dry out, the text is razor-sharp, and the cost-per-page is low: Brother's own high-yield TN660 cartridge, for example, is rated for about 2,600 pages under the ISO/IEC 19752 industry test standard (Brother) — hard for a cartridge inkjet to match page-for-page. The trade-off: entry-level mono lasers can't print color at all, and even a color laser trails an inkjet on photos and glossy media, while the machines and toner cartridges take up more shelf space than a compact inkjet.
Two printers worth a look
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Brother HL-L2350DW (mono laser)
A cheap, fast, reliable mono laser for people who mostly print text — the classic "just works" document printer.
Epson EcoTank ET-2800 (color/photo)
A cartridge-free supertank inkjet — better for color, photos and glossy media, with much lower running cost if you print color regularly.
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How to decide in 30 seconds
- Mostly black text, low hassle → mono laser.
- Photos or frequent color → inkjet, ideally a tank model to control running cost.
- Prints rarely (a few times a month) → laser; ink that sits dries and clogs.
- Tight budget up front → cheap inkjet to start, but budget for ink.
Also deciding on an office chair? See Steelcase Leap V1 vs V2, or read how we compare.
Sources
- Brother USA — Inkjet vs Laser explainer
- Brother USA — TN660 toner cartridge page-yield spec
- Epson — EcoTank ink-bottle cost savings claims
Frequently Asked Questions
Usually yes for text. Toner cartridges yield far more pages than ink cartridges, so the cost-per-page is lower. The exception is a tank-style inkjet (EcoTank/MegaTank), whose bulk ink brings per-page cost down near laser territory.
They can. Liquid ink can clog or dry in the printhead when a printer sits idle for weeks. If you print only occasionally, a laser is lower-maintenance because toner is a dry powder.
Inkjet, clearly. Color lasers have improved but still trail inkjets on photo depth and glossy media. For serious photo printing, a dedicated photo inkjet is the standard.
For offices that print a lot of color documents (charts, flyers, reports) and want low running cost, yes. For home photo printing, an inkjet is the better fit and far cheaper up front.