When it's time to buy a printer, you need to choose between ink or toner. Printer cartridges are an expense you need to keep in mind, but with so much variety available, the choice can feel a bit overwhelming.
FullOffice Learning created this article to answer any questions you might have about the different types of ink and toner cartridges.
First, let's define the difference between ink and toner: in short, ink is used in inkjet printers and toner is used in laser printers.
The main difference between the two is the material they're made of — ink is a liquid and toner is a powder. Both are used to print documents and photos, but the methods they use to do so are different.
In inkjet printing, an ink cartridge is the replaceable unit that contains the ink used to transfer images and text onto paper.
For it to work, the ink cartridge is loaded into the print head. The liquid ink is stored inside an airtight aluminum compartment covered with tiny ink nozzles. The print head moves back and forth across the paper as the nozzles release ink onto the page to create an image.
A laser toner cartridge transfers toner powder — a fine, dry mixture — onto the paper using electrical charges.
These charges are used to place images and text at certain points on the page. The charged particles are then fused onto the paper by hot rollers — the print is the result of heating and melting the toner.
Just as with ink cartridges, a toner cartridge's page yield measures its consumption level before the cartridge runs out. Every toner cartridge is subject to the ISO 19752 Standard test, which defines how many pages that cartridge can print.
Carefully analyze what you need before buying a printer, and make sure you choose the model that matches your needs — that will keep you from wasting money on a printer.
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