Printer Ink vs Toner: Which is better?

What’s the difference between printer ink and printer toner? Is toner or ink cheaper? And do you really need to use the right toner or ink for your printer?

Ink cartridge vs toner

Whether you use a laser printer or an inkjet, your printer will need either ink or toner to work correctly. Laser printers use toner cartridges — or ‘drums’ — and inkjet printers use ink cartridges. These are not interchangeable and high-quality toner or ink will produce high-quality results.

As the name suggests, ink cartridges use liquid ink to create images and text on printed pages. Whereas toner cartridges use powder, which is heated to create printed documents.

Much like the quality of petrol you put in your car, the ink and toner you use in your printer will help it run better for longer.

What is printer ink?

What types of printers use ink?

If you are using an inkjet printer, you will need ink cartridges. When you print from an inkjet printer, it uses nozzles to dispense ink droplets onto the page.

Inkjet printers are budget-friendly, space-efficient and better suited to low-volume printing, making them the perfect home office companion.

Inkjet printers blend four colour inks to create vibrant images. This is referred to as CMYK colours and is made up of:

• Cyan
• Magenta
• Yellow
• Black or the “key” colour

The benefits of using printer ink

Ink cartridges are often cheaper than toner cartridges, but may need refilling or replacing more often.

A good quality ink cartridge will vastly improve the print quality of your printer. They are less likely to smudge and can take less time to dry compared to laser toner cartridges. Using high-quality ink will also help reduce long-term defects with your machine.

Additionally, ink cartridges can be recycled, with many office supply outlets providing drop-off points to recycle your empty cartridges.

What is printer toner?

What types of printers use toner?

Unlike inkjet printers, laser printers use toner cartridges to heat powder and fuse it to the paper to create a printer image. Laser printers are ideal for printing high-volume documents and are a popular choice for the office.

Not sure if you need a laser printer or an inkjet? We’ve created a comprehensive guide to help you make the right decision.

The benefits of using printer toner

Toner cartridges are notably faster than ink cartridges, using laser technology to produce accurate, sharp print quality. The accuracy of the heated powder means it also dries faster and is less likely to smudge while the page is still fresh.

While laser toner cartridges may cost more than ink cartridges, they last longer. You won’t need to replace it as often if you owned an inkjet printer, and toner cartridges won’t dry up like ink cartridges if stored away.

What’s the difference between printer toner and ink?

Cost differences

The Office Choice team is often asked ‘Is printer toner or ink cheaper?’ There’s no simple answer. Each has its cost benefits and depends entirely on the printer you use and your printing needs.

At face value, printer ink appears to be the most affordable option. Inkjet printers typically run at a lower price point than laser printers, and printer ink is cheaper than toner. However, laser printers and toner have a longer lifespan despite their high cost. Meaning laser toner cartridges have a lower cost per printed page than printer ink.

Evaluate the printing you will need to do. Are you printing images occasionally? Or printing a high volume of text-heavy documents? For occasional printing requirements, ink printers and cartridges may be the most affordable option. However, if you print lots of documents often, laser printers and toner will save you money in the long term.

Print quality

An ink cartridge’s ability to seamlessly blend all shades of colour means it can produce high quality, vibrant images. While toner technology has come a long way and it too produces quality images, toner remains the leader in producing grey-scale or black and white documents.

But not all ink (or toner) cartridges are created equal. Ink and toner cartridges both range from budget-friendly to the top of the price range. High-quality printer ink or toner will undoubtedly create better images and text.

Which lasts longer?

We know toner can be cheaper in the long term because it lasts longer than printer ink cartridges. But why?

It all comes down to the materials in the actual cartridges. Printer ink is a liquid that can leak, smudge and dry up. Toner cartridges use tightly packed powder that is heated within the printer so it sticks to the paper. As long as a toner cartridge doesn’t come in contact with any moisture, it will outlast any ink cartridge.

Which is better for the environment?

The low cost of ink printers makes them a popular choice. As ink cartridges need replacing more often, they have a larger environmental impact. Similarly, laser printers are power-intensive and use a lot of energy.

Whether you use printer ink or toner, there are options available to help you reduce your carbon footprint. Many large office supply stores, including participating Officeworks and Australia Posts, have options available to recycle your used ink and toner cartridges.