Laser printers have been a staple technology in homes and offices for decades. Known for their speed, quality, and low cost-per-page, laser printers became the default choice for most printing needs during the 1990s and 2000s. However, with the rise of high-quality and affordable inkjet printers in recent years, many people wonder if laser printers are being phased out in favor of newer technologies.
The history and benefits of laser printers
Laser printers were first invented in the 1970s and became commercially available in the mid-1980s. They quickly overtook dot matrix printers as the top printing technology due to their superior print quality and speed. Some key benefits of laser printers include:
- High print quality – Laser printers produce sharp, professional-looking text and graphics.
- Fast print speeds – Pages print rapidly, often over 20 pages per minute for monochrome lasers.
- Low cost-per-page – Laser toner is relatively inexpensive, allowing more prints per dollar spent on supplies.
- Reliability – Laser printers are robust workhorses designed for high duty cycles.
- Ideal for text – Crisp, black text output makes laser printers preferable for documents.
For several decades, laser printers dominated the market in offices and were the default choice for most home printing needs. Even with the rise of affordable inkjets, laser printers remain popular for black and white text-heavy printing.
The rise of inkjet printers
Inkjet printers emerged in the late 1980s as a lower-cost alternative to lasers. Early inkjets had slow print speeds, expensive ink cartridges, and mediocre print quality compared to lasers. However, inkjet technology improved dramatically in the late 1990s and 2000s. Some developments included:
- Faster print speeds
- Higher resolution output – often 4800 x 1200 dpi vs. 600 x 600 for lasers
- Smaller ink droplets for sharper detail
- Pigment-based inks for increased durability
- Larger color gamut and photo-optimized prints
- Lower cost per page than lasers for color prints
By the mid-2000s, inkjets overtook lasers in market share for home use. Today, fast and high-quality inkjets like the HP Envy, Canon Pixma, and Epson EcoTank offer strong competition to lasers for both home and office use.
Advantages of inkjet vs. laser
For most users today, inkjet printers have some key advantages compared to lasers:
| Inkjet Printers | Laser Printers |
|---|---|
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The lower upfront cost of inkjets makes them appealing for students and home users looking for an affordable but high-quality color printer. Features like borderless printing, photo inks, and the ability to print on CDs/DVDs also give inkjets an edge for photos and creative projects.
However, laser printers retain advantages in print speed and cost efficiency for high-volume monochrome printing. Their speed and low cost-per-page make them popular with offices that print hundreds of black and white documents per month.
Laser market share trends
Despite innovations in inkjet technology, laser printers dominated the global printer market in terms of unit sales through the early 2000s. The chart below shows laser market share from 2003 to 2018:
| Year | Total Printers Sold | Laser Printers Sold | Laser Market Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 39 million | 33 million | 84% |
| 2008 | 48 million | 38 million | 79% |
| 2013 | 49 million | 28 million | 57% |
| 2018 | 44 million | 19 million | 43% |
Source: International Data Corporation
Laser market share peaked in 2003 at 84% of printers sold globally. As inkjets improved in speed, quality and cost, lasers declined to just 43% of the market by 2018. While still popular for black and white office printing, lasers have clearly lost ground to inkjets for most home and small office users.
The case for phasing out lasers
Given the advancements and market trajectory of inkjet technology, some tech analysts argue that lasers are headed towards obsolescence for most users. Reasons why lasers may fade away include:
- Inkjet print quality matches lasers – Modern inkjets can match or exceed the text and image quality of low-to-mid range lasers.
- Falling inkjet costs – Ink costs per page keep decreasing while laser toner prices remain static.
- Speed improvements – Inkjet speeds now rival lower-end lasers for everyday printing.
- Energy efficiency – Inkjets use less energy than laser printers.
- Fewer moving parts – The minimal mechanism of inkjets lowers maintenance needs.
For homes and small offices that print less than 500 pages a month, inkjets can be cheaper to buy and operate while offering equivalent quality. As print speed and monthly capacity of inkjets improve, lasers lose additional advantages.
The case for continued laser viability
While inkjets now dominate the low-end printer market, laser enthusiasts argue that lasers still excel for high-volume and specialty printing needs:
- Fast speed for high print volumes – Lasers print text faster than inkjets – important for largescale document printing.
- Superb paper handling – Laser printers have robust paper trays and document feeders to handle large projects.
- Toner advantages – Laser toner avoids issues like ink drying out and is easier to recycle.
- Rugged durability – Lasers are built for print runs of thousands of pages per month.
- Commercial printing capabilities – Options like envelope feeders, high capacity trays, and stapling can be added to lasers.
For high duty cycle office use, specialty printing applications, and commercial print shops, lasers retain significant advantages over inkjet printers. Even with desktop lasers declining, high-end lasers remain indispensable for some business printing needs.
The future of laser and inkjet printers
Rather than lasers disappearing, a more likely scenario is that printers will continue diversifying into specialized niches and capabilities. Some predictions for the future of both technologies include:
- Inkjets improve to fully replace cheap, low-volume lasers for homes and micro offices.
- Mid-range monochrome lasers retain a niche for cost-efficient medium-duty office printing.
- High-end color lasers gain advanced features like Pantone color matching, high resolution, and robust paper handling.
- Inkjet speeds and monthly capacity improve to compete with lasers for small business use.
- Inkjet photo printing quality continues improving through additional ink colors and higher DPI resolution.
- Laser and inkjet technology innovations allow multifunction devices to improve cost efficiency and capabilities.
Rather than one technology disappearing, users benefit from improved options and specialization for both laser and inkjet printers. Lasers retain roles for high-volume, durable, speed-focused monochrome printing. Inkjets keep evolving strengths in graphics, photos, efficiency, and diverse media printing. With continued innovations, both technologies will co-exist for the foreseeable future in complementary printer niches.
Conclusion
While inkjet printers have overtaken lasers in the low-end consumer market, mid-to-high end lasers continue serving critical business printing needs. But with inkjets matching or exceeding lasers in speed, quality, and cost-efficiency, the days of lasers dominating the printer market appear to be ending. Still, laser printers retain advantages for specialty printing applications and high-volume office use.
Rather than disappearing, laser printers are more likely to consolidate around niche capabilities where they excel over inkjets. Diversification and specialization into high-end professional roles seems the most probable future for laser printer technology. Lasers still serve critical purposes, but for most everyday users and small offices, inkjet printers have become the superior choice.