How Does an InkJet and LazerJet Printer Work?

 

You have probably heard of laser and inkjet printers before. These are the two different types of printers available on the market today. You can still find the old dot matrix printers with the holes on the side from the 1900s, but they are not made for the typical house or office tasks. Both the laser and inkjet printers have their advantages and disadvantages which should be considered thoroughly when shopping. In this article, we look at how does an inkjet and lazerjet printer work?

 

Today we uncover how these two types of printers work

 

The LaserJet printer

 

These printers use an actual laser to create prints. Laser printers also use a rotating cylinder coated with a photosensitive electrically charged material and a series of mirrors.

When you pass a paper through a laser printer the laser is reflected by these mirrors onto the cylinder which neutralizes the electrical charge in all those specific areas. Because of the rotation of both the cylinder and the mirrors as well as the laser turning on and off at the correct times, the areas hit by the laser correspond to the pattern printed on the printer. When toner particles hit the cylinder, they only stick to the areas exposed to the laser light. This is because the toner particles themselves have an electrical charge as well. After this, a sheet of paper is pressed against the cylinder, and the toner is transferred to the paper by the pressure and then heat. This is why pages coming out of a laser printer are always warm. Due to the precision of a laser printer, these printers are good to use if you want to print crisp and clear sheets of text.

 

The inkjet printer

 

This is a very different type of printer.

As the name suggests these printers use liquid ink instead of dry toner.

Ink inside of the cartridges gets heated with an electrical charge causing a small amount to vaporize and form a bubble on the nozzle. This bubble then collapses and the pressure difference pulls a droplet of ink out of the cartridge and onto the paper. Because their internal mechanisms are much more simple than those of laser printers, they tend to be significantly cheaper. Although they can’t print as fast, they print much better quality photos and images.

Unfortunately, inkjet printers have a reputation for being somewhat unreliable. This is partly due to the many small moving parts that can break or wear out, not to mention the small nozzles that can get clogged easily. Another and possibly the biggest factor that contributes to the unpopularity of these printers is the price of ink refills. Many of these inkjet printers are sold at a minimum profit margin and funds are made up again by selling expensive ink cartridges. Luckily there are alternative inkjet printers that have larger ink containers that have proven more economical, especially for those that print a lot.

We hope this article was of value to you and that you now understand the differences between these two types of printers and how they work. You might also be interested in our SME funding options and copier rentals.

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