Information is accessible from a variety of sources these days. The Internet easily makes it possible to share such information with others and it can be duplicated as well and scattered around to minimise possibilities of it being lost. Despite all of this, printers are not obsolete and whether you are in the office or at home, there will be a time where you need to print hard copies of information to share and use.

Getting a printer is the first step and often the most difficult because you are normally stuck between two choices – either getting an inkjet printer or a laser printer. These four simple factors should help make your decision process a lot simpler.

Output Quality

Is the output quality an important factor or is all that matters is the document prints are legible and of a reasonable standard? This should be the first factor that should be evaluated because if quality is an absolute must, you should go for a good standard laser printer.

How much money do you have and how much are you willing to spend? Inkjet printers are obviously more affordable than the laser printers so if you are really stuck on a tight budget, don't make that final decision in getting an inkjet until you analyse the next two factors.

Frequency of Use

How often will you use the printer, or what is the average amount of pages to be printed weekly? Knowing the answer to this is very important because it will help foresee any future costs for ink toners and cartridges. Standard ink cartridges for inkjet printers may not be as expensive as the toners used for laser printers, but they aren't able to produce as many individual prints as their counterparts.

If you are planning to print around 500 pages a week, all you need is an average laser printer with toner to last you a couple of months. Going the budget route and letting an inkjet print 500 pages a week may appear that the savings potential is greater, but if you run the numbers, you will realise that you need more ink cartridges to do the job and that means more money spent. Laser printers are a must have if you plan on using it frequently. If the budget is still the major concern, you can always get a low cost laser printer.

Speed Demands

Laser printers have that extra specification highlighting the average number of pages the printer can print per minute. Logically, if you frequently use the printer often, speed can make a very convenient difference and when printing is needed during heavy office hours, laser printers are an absolute must have. This is the last factor that should be evaluated because there could be instances where companies or home users rarely use the printer; but when tons of pages are needed unexpectedly, speed makes it possible. Printing over 100 pages using an inkjet will take hours and is uneconomical.

The bottom line is that inkjets are largely inferior to laserjets in almost every aspect other than cost. This makes inkjet printers perfect for small business and home use where you don't have frequent usage, whilst a laserjet is ideal for anywhere that has a great deal of usage and has a budget to match.