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Color Laser Printers: The Pros and ConsColor laser printers use yellow, cyan, magenta, and black toner cartridges.
© Luke Arnott 2010–2011
Color laser printers combine the speed of black and white laser printers with the ability to print in full color, as inkjet printers can. They share many of the advantages and disadvantages of these main types of consumer printers. Since they compromise, color lasers don't excel in all areas. But until new printer technologies come along, they have a distinct and useful niche to fill. The Advantages of Color Laser Printers Color laser printers try to bridge the gap between black and white laser printers (which are very fast) and inkjet printers (which print color, especially photos, very well). At this they mostly succeed. Color laser printers match the speed of monochrome lasers, at least when printing in black and white. Printing documents in color takes longer, though it is often faster than inkjets and less expensive. For example, color laser printing can cost a few cents per page, while inkjet color printing can be twenty cents per page, or more. While color laser printers can print photos, that is one task at which they fall behind inkjets. Like mono lasers, color laser printers have a difficult time reproducing the smooth gradients necessary for photo-realistic image production. The Disadvantages of Color Laser Printers Of the major kinds of consumer printers, color lasers are the most expensive. Even low-end models will cost at least a few hundred dollars, whereas $200 will buy a very good monochrome laser or inkjet photo printer. Also, since color laser printers require a lot of toner – typically one cartridge each of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black. The consumables costs can get very high. With the amount of toner come other downsides. Color laser printers are also very large, and can get extremely heavy – fifty pounds or more. As such, they are not suitable for desktops, and moving them around isn't a one-person job. Color laser printers that print very fast (in excess of 30 pages per minute) often don't have very good output quality in black or color. Conversely, those that produce good-looking prints can be slow. But such trade-offs are common to other types of printers as well. Who Should Buy a Color Laser Printer? Because of their size and cost, color laser printers are best for offices and other professional settings. Color lasers are well suited for printing graphics on items like brochures. Good-quality color lasers can be used for photos, but since they can't match inkjets, laser-printed documents may only be appropriate for internal uses, such as company newsletters. Though color laser printers aren't the best choice for many home uses, that doesn't rule out graphic designers with home offices or hobbyists who want to print their own comics or band posters, for instance. Anyone who wants fast, cheap color printing and can compromise on space and photo quality can use a color laser printer. |