Laser vs Inkjet printers?

Hi everyone,
I was wondering if anyone one could advise me on whether a Laser printer would be cheaper to run than an Inkjet?
I have recently started designing kits which I plan on making into albums/books etc to sell at my local craft market and need a printer that is good quality plus yields a good number of pages per cartridge...I understand Laser printers are much cheaper than the used to be,but the ink is pretty costly...does anyone have an idea how many pages [with laser] I would be able to print an A4 template in full colour?

Thanks

Moneeza

It's hard to determine what the yeild will be but I love HP lasers. I bought a B&W 5 yrs ago and before that we used to go through $300 in ink a year. DH was in school so this was for his papers but that was it (we were sparing with the ink and my DD was a baby). With the laser it took 3.5 yrs to go through the first cartridge and that was with my daughter printing 100's of coloring pages. We have a color now (watch for sales) and haven't replaced a cartridge yet but we don't use it much. We are on our 2nd cartridge with the B&W and who knows how long it will last. My kids print tons of coloring pages. I have gone through over 8 inchs of scrap paper from work and its only the second cartridge. I only use OEM cartridges, we have had problems with the recycled ones at work and switched (the tech that serviced our work machine recomended it and he was right). Costco has a good price but there are places online to get good deals. They last a long time.

Hi there,

Thanks for your response.

I currently have a HP wireless printer which really plays up A LOT! I tend to be able to print around 10/15 full A4 colour pages before I have to replace the cartridge,but at £26 for a set of colour and B/W it is working out to be a very expensive hobby!

I will be printing full colour pages mainly so if a set of laser printer cartridges cost £120 cartridge and lasts even a year then that would be amazing!

I live in the UK so everything here is a lot more expensive than the USA

What I wanted to know mostly about laser printers is if they are worth it in the long run...
I have recently opened up a little Etsy shop where I sell my handmade wedding guest books and journals.I print a lot of full colour tags between 4x6 and 5x7 to insert in the books and current only get enough tags for around 2.5 books out of one colour deskjet cartride...to give you an idea as to the types of graphics i'm speaking of please take a look at my blog http://www.lotusblu.co.uk/ AND Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/AsuitcaseOfmemories?section_id=12070778

I am also working on some digital kits which I want to print in full colour [I know with my current deskjet printer I would end up using most of the cartridge if not all for one book of 12 pages!]

I'm hoping a laser printer will give me more for my money.

I have a canon inkjet and love it. I buy my ink on ebay and pay about $10.00 for a full set of ink vs $60 at the office stores for a full set.

I was gonna go with the kodak since they claim to have such inexpensive ink but the reviews for the printer it's self were horrible.

I reccommend reading lots of reviews and checking out in prices for those printers and inks on the office web sites and on ebay.

Laser printers are definitely more economical if you are going to be printing tons. If you need to print pictures though, inkjet printers do a better job. I looked at your shop and it does seem that a laser printer would be beneficial with the type of printing you are doing. You need to look for sales though as they can be expensive. I have a B&W laser that I love and have had for years and the toner generally lasts me about a year. Have you ever printed your work with a laser printer before? If you haven't I would say go to store and have them print a few of your things for you before you leap into buying one. This way you can ensure that you are happy with the quality of a laser printer.

Thanks Beth for the advise.I'll some printed and see how they look before buying one.
Seen a HP laser printer online for £85,which is pretty cheap ,think that's around $135 plus a set of CMYK and BW cartridges cost around £126 which is $190 ...

I have a laser color hp (given to us from the office for free)) we use it for everyday printing and the cartridges last forever. hubby refills it himself, messy but cheap. BUT! not for photos, unfortunately. I've printed some on a regular paper and they look just like that - photos printed on a regular paper. I've also searched and searched for photo paper for laser, finally found some at staples - one brand, one pack! - semi glossy. let me tell you, it's not good, not good at all. it's better than on plain paper, but still a far cry from your regular photo prints. it might be a paper issue, but there's not much paper to choose from, and too expensive to test at home. sooo... I'm saving for an ink jet))

we just got a laser printer ... it says the 1/2 full cartriage of black should be replaced, but it's printing fine still ... I can not print on photo paper, the ink doesn't set and it gums up the roller things on the inside and its messy, ink ends up everywhere for a few pages after your messed up original. It prints the photos on CS just fine, but they're matte finish and there is no coating on the paper so the ink sinks in ... not "photo" like, but i like it still the same. It's just another look, seeing as photos aren't made with silver any more.

the printer it's self (hp version) wasn't all the much. but the cartriges are like $80 a piece for the color, and a little less for the black. but the info on the printer says a black cartrage can do 2,000 prints and the toner wheel thing (also $$ to replace). runs like 10,000 prints) before it gets replaced. it seems cheaper because of volume but I don't know for sure ... i wanna try printing out coloring pages for my kids but we got the printer for wireless features and school printing so he's kinda stingy about the ink still.
i'd say try out some prints of your stuff and see how you like the quality of what you get.....

Hi everyone,sorry only getting back to your replies.
I actually will not be using the laser printer for any photograph printing,I will only be using it for printing graphic layouts I make on photoshop [some will be full colour]
Maybe I should have mentioned that from the start! sorreee
So considering I will not be using it for photos,what's the verdict on quantity per cartridge ,inkjet Vs colour Laser ??

Moneeza