You probably hear the term Ink Jet vs. Laser thrown around a lot when it comes to digital printing, but what does that actually mean? This week, we’re here to help clarify, so the next you hear those terms you’ll know exactly what they mean.
INK JET
An ink jet printer sprays ink on to paper in a series of tiny dots. The ink absorbs into the paper and “bleeds” a little. Ink jet printers are ideal for printing photos or artwork as the bleeding brings out the nuances of gradients and slight color details better than laser. Inkjet printers can also have more color options as some come with more color cartridges than your standard CMYK, allowing for greater range of color.
LASER PRINTERS
Laser printers use toner to produce an image. Toner is an electrically charged particle that is fused to paper using heat. This heating process is advantageous because the ink will not smudge and does not need time to dry. A laser printer can produce a very crisp image because the printing process does not bleed into paper. These printers are the best for printing files that are text heavy or for jobs that are large as laser printers can print very quickly without sacrificing quality.
