Ink Versus Toner Cartridges
Many people use the words “ink” and “toner” interchangeably, but they are not the same thing at all. Ink and toner are usually employed for entirely different printing requirements. Toner-based printing technology is designed for higher-volume, lower-quality print applications, whereas ink-based technologies such as inkjet printing are targeted at low-volume, high-quality environments.
Where the majority of a business’s print output is intended for internal communication only, toner cartridge-based laser print technology offers the best solution. Where high-quality, graphics-heavy output is required, ink-based printers are usually superior.
An in-depth comparison of toner cartridge-based printing and ink-based printing will inform any decision on which technology will provide the best solution for a specific business. An examination of cartridge prices and how this relates to the cost per page and print quality are the primary factors that need consideration. They are not, however, the only factors. Product longevity and the environmental impact of the technology also need consideration.
What is Inside Toner Cartridges?
Inside these cartridges is an ultrafine, plastic-based powder composed of organic compounds and polymers. Laser printers use a photosensitive drum unit to create an image composed of toner powder, which is then fused to the surface of a sheet of paper with heat and pressure. The plastic in the powder is melted, making it stick to the paper. Without the application of heat, the powder could be dusted off the page.
Toner-based laser print technology is typically aimed at commercial users. This type of printer is often more durable and capable of higher numbers of prints between maintenance than ink-based machines.
What is Ink?
Ink is a liquid used in inkjet print technology, which consists of water, chemicals, and pigments or colourants. Inkjet printers work by forcing ink through holes or nozzles in a print head to spray micro-droplets of the ink onto the paper. The droplets are so small that they are not visible to the naked eye. This technology is capable of producing extremely high-quality, photorealistic prints. Most people are familiar with ink-based printers because they are popular for home use and are often less costly to purchase than laser printers.
Toner Cartridges or Ink?
Laser and inkjet printers come in a vast range of shapes and sizes for a myriad of applications. Some inkjet printers are capable of printing billboard-size prints while some laser printers can produce over 140 A4 black-and-white prints a minute. To simplify, the comparison desktop versions of the technologies capable of printing A4 size sheets will provide a more “like for like” comparison. When it comes to cost, many businesses, across a broad spectrum of industries, choose ink-based printer technology because inkjet hardware usually comes with lower upfront capital cost.
This approach does not take the long-term running cost of the technology into account. Toner cartridges are typically more expensive than ink cartridges but are usually capable of printing far more prints, reducing the frequency of replacement for toner cartridges. The only sensible method of making a meaningful cost comparison is to reduce the cost of the ink or toner to a cost per print where a print is taken as a one-sided print on a standard A4 sized sheet of paper. A double-sided print is considered to be two prints.
This calculation involves a simple division of the cost of the relevant cartridge by the number of prints it produces. If cartridges cost R100 each and produce 1000 images, the cost per image would be 10 cents per print. Typically, the higher the print volume, the more cost-effective per print cartridges will be. 1000 A4 colour prints per month would be roughly 35% more expensive to produce using ink than toner.
Environmental Considerations
It is a little-known fact that both ink and toner cartridges contain chemicals that are potentially harmful to humans and the environment. These chemicals include: Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), Ethoxylated acetylenic diols, which modify the surface tension of water, and Cyclohexanone, which helps ink adhere to polymers.
The environmental cost to produce toner cartridges is substantially higher than that of their ink counterparts. On the other hand, the cost of an ink cartridge relative to the price of the printer itself is extremely high. The ink can often be more expensive to buy than the printer is to purchase new. The practice of dumping an inkjet printer when the ink cartridge it was supplied with runs out and purchasing a new one is far from good for the environment.