Is it always necessary to use a laser printer for business?
Just a couple of years ago, laser printers were the choice for business applications. They were fast, sturdy and workhorse machines, while the inkjets were considered as home printer brands without the work environment presence.
But things have changed, inkjets are catching up with the laser printers, thanks to their speed and multi modes which make them environmentally and economically efficient.
Laser printers still have the edge when it comes to clean, sharp black text and colour graphics. However, inkjets have improved dramatically on the text front which is good enough for the home and office use.
Though laser printers are getting cheaper, but their budget models come with smaller starter cartridges which run out fairly quickly.
Furthermore, inkjets have the same embedded management features, networking and security as their laser cousins.
Just as Superior
A new generation of inkjet printers has emerged in the market which are environmentally friendly and efficient.
The Epson EcoTank Inkjet printer uses permanent refillable tanks in which generous amounts of ink are poured. Instead of buying and snapping in new ink cartridges, you just pour more in when you run out of ink.
The printers and ink may cost more at the outset, but they will save the user money over the long term. According to Epson, the ink set is good for 7500 pages of black text or 6000 of color content. By the company’s estimate, that’s two years of printing (assuming about 300 pages a month). Thus, the Total Cost of Ownership is lower. On top of it, the printer produces sharp quality black and white, and colour prints.
Epson’s EcoTank printers are a little bigger than their cartridge-based equivalents but smaller in terms of footprint. The ink tanks bulge out from the front panel whereas they used to appear at the rear on earlier models and there’s something satisfying about being able to see how much ink you have remaining.
The Epson’s EcoTank system has come a long way, the machine now feels and prints like a premium inkjet machine. It works out far more cost effective than any laser system. With rapid duplex mono printing and the ability to handle A3 paper, these multifunction model is something of an all-rounder.
