You would be surprised at how good laser printers can produce photos if used with proper photographic paper. Laser printers are color-accurate to an inferior degree and generally cannot print photo papers because of mixing a powder-based toner into a laser applicative.
Laser printers have special coatings to resist high temperatures associated with the laser print process. Traditionally, papers could be divided into two categories: Inkjet printer paper, which is coated for absorption of liquid droplets, and laser photo paper, which is designed to resist high temperatures used for melting and bonding the toner particles.
Laser and inkjet printers both print very differently, making each one a better choice for specific tasks. Inkjet printers are typically cheaper, smaller, and can be used for printing both text documents and high-quality full-color images, particularly photos.
If you have a larger budget, expect to print very little, or are concerned with the quality of photos, then an inkjet is probably the best choice. In short, if you need to print vibrant, exhibition-quality photos, find a good, professional-grade inkjet printer for photography that produces high-resolution images.
Those looking to print documents or client-facing proofs should look at a laser photo printer since it is cheaper long-term and is usually faster. Posters, which also utilize color, are also a good fit for a laser printer since printing items at a higher volume with an inkjet will cost more money and may lead to problems with the machine.
Printing black-and-white photos with a laser printer are even cheaper since you are using just a single cartridge of toner, though print quality in that instance is never going to be anywhere near that of dedicated inkjet photo printers.
If you are looking to do lots of photo printing, either on normal photo paper or >heavy card stock, laser printers are still the best option, and you can rest assured you will not be suffering annoying problems such as the printhead getting jammed, which is something you would see with inkjet photo printers.
Even those laser printers that can handle the highest-quality colors for photo printing need special photo paper prepared by laser printers in order to make this happen, making this far less convenient than using regular photo paper on an inkjet.
This article looks at the best color laser printers for photos, gives you a sense of the key features to look out for, and includes a few options for affordable laser printers that can get you the quality for photo printing that is about as close to inkjets.
While inkjets are still winning over lasers when it comes to high-resolution photos boasting amazing colour tones and depth, color laser printers are now an option worth considering for those looking to print mid-quality colour images, enjoying the reliability, longevity, and cost advantages of a laser printer.
The latest in color laser and LED printers are capable of producing quality photos today, as well as offering speed, efficiency, volume, lower power consumption, and more cost-effective print-per-page.
If you are looking to print full-color images in volumes on regular paper or cards, this is where the best choice would be a laser/LED printer. This is not, nor should it be, a powerful selling point for the occasional printer, but the higher-volume users will notice a massive difference.
Again, it is just not feasible for the photographer looking to print photos, but if you want a printer to do documents, it is an excellent pick-up. With most quality laser paper, you will be able to tap your photos right after they leave the printer, allowing for a quicker workflow.
The reason for that is simply because each printing method works better with each paper type. If you are using a graphics printer that uses lustrous toner output, and has either a Postscript driver or a special RIP (Raster Image Processor), you can quickly and cheaply print quality images far lower than you can inkjet.
Laser printers, like Brothers range of multi-color, monochrome, all-in-one products, which won an awards ceremony, are usually considered best for text-heavy documents. Inkjets were usually considered to be better at producing high-quality photos and images.
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