Color Laser Printers: A Wise Investment

By Mark Toft
Staples Editor

It's not surprising to learn that color can add a greater impact to business communications. But did you know that printing brochures, presentations, newsletters, multimedia transparencies, and other key documents in color can improve reading comprehension by 75 percent, and increase readership by 40 percent?¹

If you don't already have a color inkjet printer, in other words, then you should go out and buy one, right? Not necessarily.

Color laser printers can be a smart investment for anyone who frequently prints in color, especially if a lot of that printing is outsourced to the local copy center.

Affordable and cheaper over time

Color Laser Printers

It costs approximately $114 in toner to print 6,000 pages on a color laser printer. Printing the same number of pages on a color inkjet costs between $1200 and $4500.² What's more, color laser printers reduce the toner costs of printing in black–and–white to less than a penny per page.³

Smudgeproof 

Color laser printers fuse ink onto a page and produce smudge–proof documents. Color inkjets spray tiny droplets onto a page that can streak or smudge before drying.

Double-sided printing

Because they produce smudge–proof prints, some color laser printers allow for double–sided printing. Double–sided printing makes presentations look more professional — and saves money on paper.

Faster

Color laser printers have more powerful processors than their color inkjet counterparts. This means that they can process jobs more quickly, and in most cases print more pages per minute. It also means that they can also be networked in an office.

Durable

Color laser printers are generally more durable than inkjet printers. They can print as many as 60,000 or even 85,000 pages per month without suffering wear. The monthly duty cycle of inkjet printers typically tops out at around 10,000 or 12,000 pages. This difference is especially notable considering this piece of advice from C/Net: "To avoid breakdowns, buy a printer with a monthly duty cycle approximately four times the number of pages you think you'll actually print per month."⁴

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¹Pantone Institute Retail Systems. April 17, 2000.

²According to "Color Laser Printers" by Cyber Ink Design. ®2001.

³According to Lexmark Co, 2002.

⁴C/Net, "What to Look for in Printers". ®1995–2002.

The information contained in this article is only an overview of the subject matter made for general guidance to the reader, and is subject in all cases to limitations and disclaimers set forth in Staples' Legal Terms and Conditions.