{"id":16441,"date":"2016-03-24T17:42:47","date_gmt":"2016-03-24T17:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/?page_id=16441"},"modified":"2025-02-28T13:34:31","modified_gmt":"2025-02-28T13:34:31","slug":"laser-printing-guide","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Laser Printer Buying Guide"},"content":{"rendered":"

Favoured by businesses and organisations across the globe thanks to their impressive all-round performance, laser printers have only recently entered maturity, having been developed and released much later than other printer types<\/a>, including the inkjet. Upon their arrival in the printing stratosphere, laser machines were only capable of printing in black and white, limiting their customer base to workplaces. Now however, laser printers have evolved beyond recognition, offering full colour output as well as a range of other features to rival inkjet machines.<\/p>\n

Put their superfast speeds and cost-effective yields to one side however, and laser printers do have downsides and limitations. In order to make an informed decision on whether a laser printer would be the best fit for your individual requirements, it\u2019s vital you consider the pros and cons of this particular type of machine before investing your hard-earned money.<\/p>\n

In the following guide, we\u2019ll weigh up the pros and cons of laser printers to help you better understand the benefits and disadvantages of the technology, so you can decide if this, or another type of printer<\/a>, is ultimately the one to go for.<\/p>\n

But first, let\u2019s take a look at the technology behind laser printers, and find out how the machines actually work.<\/p>\n

\"toner-changing\"<\/a><\/p>\n

How Laser Printers Work<\/h3>\n

Much like photocopiers, laser printers use a high intensity light (in this case, a laser) to map out and make an exact copy of a printed page. Where laser printers differ from photocopiers however, is that they use electronic data sent from your computer to arrange the text or images to be printed on to the sheet of paper.<\/p>\n

Once the printer has received this data from the device, an electronic circuit within the machine activates, and begins deciphering the data to figure out how to apply it correctly to the page. The same circuit then sends a signal to the corona wire, which is essentially a high-voltage wire that charges nearby objects with static electricity.<\/p>\n

Using masses of static electricity (enough to stick hundreds of balloons to your woolly jumper), the corona wire charges the photoreceptor drum to the point in which it gains a positive charge across its entire surface.<\/p>\n

While this is happening, a laser accurately draws the printed content on to the surface of the photoreceptor drum. The laser erases the positive charge at the points where it hits the drum, creating an area of negative charge in its place. Eventually the drum will be covered in an accurate representation of the document to print, made up of areas of negative and positive charge.<\/p>\n

Next, positively charged toner particles are applied to the drum, sticking only to the areas which themselves have a negative charge. No area of the drum with a positive charge attracts any of the powdered toner, thus the image can be accurately applied to the paper.<\/p>\n

A hopper feeds a sheet of paper towards the drum, first giving it a powerful positive charge using a further corona wire. As it moves past the drum, the negatively charged toner particles are attracted to the paper\u2019s surface, where they remain as the sheet moves towards the fuser unit.<\/p>\n

At this stage, the toner is only resting lightly on the paper\u2019s surface; using a combination of pressure and heat, rollers fuse the toner to the paper, creating a permanent and professional finish.<\/p>\n

Now that we know just how laser printers work, it\u2019s time to get down to the nitty-gritty and weigh up the pros and cons of the technology.<\/p>\n

\"laser-printing\"<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h3>\n

The Advantages of Laser Printers<\/h3>\n

To showcase the benefits of owning a laser printer, here we list the various advantages of the technology.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Incredibly Fast<\/h4>\n

Whether you buy a high end or affordable laser printer, you\u2019ll be amazed by the speed of the thing. On average, laser printers are capable of tossing out around 30-40 sheets per minute \u2014 more than quick enough to handle all of the demands of a busy workplace.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Crystal Sharp<\/h4>\n

Given the technology they employ in the print process, laser printers are celebrated for their accuracy and clarity \u2014 particularly when producing text documents. Though traditionally not known for producing full colour images, modern laser printers are getting much better at printing photographs and colour graphics.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Extremely Hardwearing<\/h4>\n

While other printer types may tire and develop faults over time as a result of heavy use, laser printers are built to last, and rarely ever break down. Sure, you might pay more for the technology than other printers, but you\u2019ll be rewarded with years of hassle-free service.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Cost Effective<\/h4>\n

While replacement toner<\/a> cartridges are more expensive to buy than inkjet cartridges, they tend to offer a greater page yield,<\/a> with the average toner cartridge delivering over 1,000 sheets in some cases. This makes them really cost effective, particularly for those who print often and a lot.<\/p>\n

The Disadvantages of Laser Printers<\/h3>\n

As with all types of printer<\/a>, laser machines do have their disadvantages and downsides, which you should be aware of before choosing to make a purchase.<\/p>\n

They Don\u2019t Offer Great Paper Variety<\/h4>\n

Unlike inkjet printers, which can seemingly print on all and sundry, laser printers are limited to a small number of paper options, mostly just standard printer and copier style papers. If you wanted to print on thick card or glossy photo paper, this would be ill-advised due to the heat and pressure involved in the laser printing process.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Expensive to Buy<\/h4>\n

Or should we say they\u2019re more expensive than inkjets. Although it is possible to buy a decent laser printer for under \u00a3200, they aren\u2019t as ludicrously affordable as some inkjet machines, which may take them beyond the budget of some buyers.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Still Not Great for Photos<\/h4>\n

Although laser printers have come a long way since they first entered the market, and have greatly improved in terms of full colour production, they still fall short of inkjets when printing photographs. While inkjets can layer and blend colour using liquid ink dots, lasers are limited to a single layer of coloured toner<\/a> \u2014 somewhat diminishing the depth and tone of the final result.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re Big<\/h4>\n

Sure, laser printers have shrunk from the room-stealing monsters they once were, but they\u2019re still bigger than inkjets due to the amount of mechanical components they house. For offices and other workspaces this isn\u2019t likely to be an issue, but domestic users with limited space may want to consider alternatives.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve considered all other options and decided that a laser printer is the machine for you, click here<\/a> to view our extensive selection of laser printers and affordable toners and consumables.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Favoured by businesses and organisations across the globe thanks to their impressive all-round performance, laser printers have only recently entered maturity, having been developed and released much later than other printer types, including the inkjet. Upon their arrival in the printing stratosphere, laser machines were only capable of printing in black and white, limiting their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":15788,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[150],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16441","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-how-to-tips"],"yoast_head":"\nLaser Printer Buying Guide - Toner Giant<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Help and advice on what Laser Printer you should buy.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Laser Printer Buying Guide - Toner Giant\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Help and advice on what Laser Printer you should buy.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Toner Giant\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tonergiant\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-02-28T13:34:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1694\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1122\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@TonerGiant\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/\",\"name\":\"Laser Printer Buying Guide - Toner Giant\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-03-24T17:42:47+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-02-28T13:34:31+00:00\",\"description\":\"Help and advice on what Laser Printer you should buy.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Buying-Guide\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Buying Guide: Types of Printer\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Laser Printer Buying Guide\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Toner Giant\",\"description\":\"Toner Cartridges | Cheap Toner Cartridge | Printer Cartridges\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"TonerGiant\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/320x195.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/320x195.png\",\"width\":320,\"height\":195,\"caption\":\"TonerGiant\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tonergiant\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/TonerGiant\"]}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Laser Printer Buying Guide - Toner Giant","description":"Help and advice on what Laser Printer you should buy.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Laser Printer Buying Guide - Toner Giant","og_description":"Help and advice on what Laser Printer you should buy.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/","og_site_name":"Toner Giant","article_publisher":"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tonergiant","article_modified_time":"2025-02-28T13:34:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1694,"height":1122,"url":"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@TonerGiant","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/","url":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/","name":"Laser Printer Buying Guide - Toner Giant","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg","datePublished":"2016-03-24T17:42:47+00:00","dateModified":"2025-02-28T13:34:31+00:00","description":"Help and advice on what Laser Printer you should buy.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/toner.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/laser-printing-guide\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Buying-Guide","item":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Buying Guide: Types of Printer","item":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/buying-guide\/buying-guide-types-of-printer\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Laser Printer Buying Guide"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/","name":"Toner Giant","description":"Toner Cartridges | Cheap Toner Cartridge | Printer Cartridges","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#organization","name":"TonerGiant","url":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/320x195.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/blog.tonergiant.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/320x195.png","width":320,"height":195,"caption":"TonerGiant"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/tonergiant","https:\/\/x.com\/TonerGiant"]}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16441"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":240886,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16441\/revisions\/240886"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tonergiant.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}