Which One Is Better? A3 Laser Printer or A3 Inkjet Printer

Most people buy the inkjet printer because of the price difference. Laser printers significantly cost a lot more compared to inkjet printers. However, let us break it down further. If it were not for the price difference, will people still buy inkjet printers? In this article, we will discuss the differences of A3 inkjet printers and A3 laser printers.

Laser and Inkjet Printers Story

Laser printers are of the same technology as photocopiers. They use a process known as electro photography which was first invented as far back as 1938 and later in the 1980s, developed further by Xerox and Canon.

The inkjet printer’s development begins in the early 1960s. Siemens patented an inkjet printing device back in 1951.This led on to first inkjet chart recorders. IBM developed the first continuous printer technology in the 1970s.

Physical Attributes

Let us start with the most common characteristic that these printers have which is their physical attributes. A3 laser printers are bigger compared to A3 inkjet printers. Laser printing technology makes use of a drum that rotates along with the page.

Since it is an A3 printer, it has a larger drum. This makes it even heavier than normal laser printers. Unlike an inkjet printer where all that is needed is a printer-head to weave back and forth until the end of the page, the laser printer needs to store the image of the page on the drum. So in terms of physical attributes, the inkjet printer has the advantage.

Printing Quality

Laser printers used to have lower resolutions due to the memory they needed. Fortunately, most printers today are capable of holding high memory levels. However, the highest resolution that a laser printer has is 2400 dots per inch. Unlike inkjet printers which have already crossed the 9600dpi mark.

Laser printers are known for their accuracy in printing. Some companies even use their technology to print “secret” marks for their own identification purposes. Laser printers are capable of printing 0.1mm dots. The inkjet relies on the data sent by the computer for each line until the page is finished. However, for a laser printer, it first generates the page for printing on the drum and then rotates along with the page.

There is no need for ink to dry since ink granules in laser printers are always dry. They stick to the paper depending on which part is charged via the drum, and then it is heated by the fuser so that ink granules stick to the printer without getting wet.

Wet and Dry Prints

Because of the printing technology that laser printers use, prints are never wet. Inkjet on the other hand has no other option but to use wet ink. Depending on the kind of paper used, inkjet prints may come out blotted or wet and may still need more time to dry up.

Laser prints come out dry and can be touched immediately. Each one of these printers has its own advantages and disadvantages. Although most of the time, the cheap cost of the inkjet printer outweighs the advantages of laser printers. If it were not for the cost, most people will buy the laser printer. After all, the laser printer is fast, accurate and can take on heavy jobs.

So the answer to this topic is plain enough. Lasers can handle more workload; can deliver higher resolutions and better quality print. But where they fall behind an inkjet is on cost, although that gap is rapidly closing. Laser printers are becoming more affordable and are the way of the future.

Advantages but at a Cost

A laser printer does have advantages for sure but with A3 size the cost of them is big. They do tend to be more reliable and cheaper to run though. They can sit unused for weeks and of course no clogging. You can achieve a higher quality print on cheaper paper.

On black and white the laser printer is less expensive and quicker, but the printing quality for images may be a little behind an inkjet. But as you will see later the cost for these advantages is high.

An A3 laser printer or A3 inkjet printer are usually designed for business use. Not too many of us have a need for an A3 printer at home as most prints only need to be letter size. For home use an inkjet is more than adequate.

Even for a good many business users an inkjet is perfectly suitable. A popular inkjet model for a business is the WorkForce 1100 Color Inkjet Wide Format Printer by Epson. You can make brochures and spreadsheets up to 13″ x 19″. Designed for business, this model can give you laser quality prints at 13ppm black and 5.5ppm color and for faster prints in draft mode of 30ppm black and 17ppm color.

Of course, the main advantage at present is price and a good inkjet like this model can be picked up for under $140. It gives you smudge free prints that instantly dry and last.

For something similar as a LaserJet printer able to print A3 size, it’s going to be far more expensive. In fact for under a thousand dollars, you will probably only find a refurbished model like the HP Color LaserJet 9500N Printer for around $900 refurbished. Gives you an idea as to why Inkjets are still more widely used by many businesses as the cost for A3 printing in LaserJet’s is high.