Inkjet or Laser Printer 

Whether you seek a decent home printer, or a professional printing solution, the market offers a variety of options, depending on your need and budget. Let us help decide which printer is right for you!

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PC penetration in homes and small offices has increased to such an extent that the need for output peripherals has skyrocketed. The market is divided into two major chunks, one that offers reliable bulk printing solutions (in the form of laser printers), and one that caters to the home printing category with inkjet printers. Also included in the latter category are high-end inkjets that for design and digital photography professionals.

Which printer should you select? 

InkJet printers provide good colour printouts at a reasonable price, hence they are more or less suitable for the home segment, where the work load is occasional, and restricted to a few pages.

High-end inkjet printers provide excellent digital imaging for professionals who require quality print-outs. In an inkjet printer, one should be looking at features such as USB interface, which increases printing speed drastically over the older parallel interface.

High-end inkjet printers today have the facility to print from a digital camera directly. Some vendors also have specialised printers for the same job.

If you need a printer for the typical office environment, one that is going to be used as a shared resource, a laser printer is the best bet. But if you are looking for a home printer, to carry out small jobs, an inkjet printer will suffice.

If you need a printer for a small office where you will be using it for just a few printouts a day, opt for a mid-range inkjet printer that can do the job without burning a hole in your pocket.

Market Overview 

Those days have gone when people would shy away from a inkjet printer, or a laser printer simply because of the cost involved, and settle for an ageing dot matrix printer. Due to the fierce competition between the major players in the printer market, costs have drastically fallen, making them more affordable. This cutthroat competition among the vendors has benefited end-users in more than one way. Where an entry level inkjet printer used to cost around US$ 120 to US$ 140, a year ago, today the same printer costs around US$ 60 to 80.

Similarly, an entry level laser printer that cost US$ 400 earlier, costs around US$ 260 -a huge reduction when you look at the price to performance ratio.

The laser printer market, was previously ruled by two major brands-HP and Canon. But now companies such as Samsung, Epson, Lexmark have entered the fray and the resulting competition among them has seen prices take a nosedive. All of these companies have slew of models that one can opt for depending upon the budget and requirements.

Companies such as Samsung and Canon have models ranging from US$ 290 upwards. HP and Lexmark also have entry level models costing around US$ 310 and above.

Today, the competition is fiercer in the inkjet market than in the niche laser printer segment, because a majority of prospective buyers are home and small-office users who don't find a laser printer economically viable.

Major brands that have a strong presence in the inkjet segment are HP, Epson, Canon and Lexmark. HP has been around for a quite a while, and has used this advantage to build up a good reputation when it comes to inkjet printer.

Lexmark offers the cheapest solution with its Z13 inkjet printer. HP is not left behind and offers the cute little 3325. Similar models are also offered Epson and Canon.

In the mid-range inkjet segment, Epson has some decent offers that offer excellent performance at a very good price, like the C61sx. Among high-end inkjets. Canon, Epson and HP have a plethora of models choose from, such as the Canon S530D, Epson stylus 915 and the HP 7550.

These photo printers are capable of printing photos directly from a digital camera, have good color management controls and are provided with a small LCD for direct control.Low-end inkjet printers start at US$ 60 and can go up to US$ 120, whereas mid-range inkjet printers are priced between US$ 140 and 320. High-end printers retail for anything over US$ 360.

Printer Related Pages

Laser Printer Tips

Inkjet Printer Tips

Lexmark X6150 All In One Printer

Printer Glossary

Refilled Cartridges

Future Printers

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