What Is a Laser Printer?

These printers are generally fast, produce crisp text, and have low maintenance costs.

How Do Laser Printers Work?

Laser printers use a process called electrostatic printing thats similar to the technology that powers photocopiers.

When printer paper is rolled against the drum, the toner powder transfers to the paper.

Finally, the paper passes through the heated rollers.

LED printers use a very similar process, but with LEDs instead of lasers.

Laser printers are faster, more accurate, and more capable of handling large print volumes than inkjet printers.

There are edge cases where high-end inkjets outperform lower-end laser printers, however.

While there are speedy inkjets, laser printers are typically faster.

Monochrome laser printers are especially fast, andthey produce exceptionally crisp text.

The main drawbacks of laser printers are related to price.

Laser printers tend to be more expensive than similarly equippedinkjet printers.

The other area where laser printers fail to excel is photo printing.

Here are some features to look out for:

Laser printers are good for home use.

Theyre also great in very low-volume households because the toner cant dry out during long periods of disuse.

For personal use, you might stay at the lower end of the range and get a good printer.

Businesses may need to spend more for increased speed and volume, however.

While each model will vary, laser printers typically use more power than inkjet printers.