Choosing Between Laser, Inkjet, and Supertank Printers: A Practical Guide for Business Owners

For today’s business owner, a printer isn’t just another piece of office equipment, it’s an investment in efficiency, productivity, and cost management. With so many printer options on the market, making an informed choice dramatically impacts both workflow and budget. In the Canadian business landscape, three core printer types dominate the conversation for cost-conscious decision-makers: laser, inkjet, and supertank printers. Understanding their differences is the key to finding the best fit for each organization’s unique needs.

Understanding the Printer Types

What Are Laser Printers?

Laser printers create images and text on paper using a laser beam and powdered toner. A laser beam builds a digital image on a drum, which is then electrically charged so toner sticks to it. The image is transferred to paper and fused with heat, resulting in crisp, smudge-resistant prints that last.

What Are Inkjet Printers?

Inkjet printers use liquid ink sprayed through microscopic nozzles in the printhead. The ink forms images and text by blending colors directly on the page. These printers are favored for vibrant photo prints and marketing collateral, but their operating costs can be steep when print volumes are high.

What Are Supertank Printers?

Supertank printers are a specialized evolution of the inkjet. Rather than using small, disposable cartridges, they have large, refillable ink tanks. These tanks can be filled with bottled ink—reducing the cost per page drastically, especially for color prints.

Comparing Core Criteria

1. Print Quality

Laser Printers: Renowned for sharp, professional black-and-white text perfect for contracts, reports, and business correspondence. Colour laser printers exist, but their color accuracy and vibrancy are rarely sufficient for photo-heavy applications.
Inkjet Printers: Shine when it comes to color accuracy and photo quality. They’re best for offices needing to print graphics, images, detailed marketing materials, or presentations.
Supertank Printers: As advanced inkjets, they produce similar photo and color output to standard inkjets, but with far lower ink costs.

2. Print Speed and Volume

Laser Printers: Superior in print speed (20-40 ppm), quick first-page-out times, and stamina for high-volume jobs. Ideal for busy offices printing hundreds or thousands of pages weekly.
Inkjet Printers: Averaging 5-15 pages per minute, inkjets are typically slower, making them better for low to medium office print needs. Frequent color users, however, may face cartridge depletion quickly.
Supertank Printers: Their speed is usually similar to regular inkjets. While not as fast as lasers, they capably serve moderate workloads—often the case in small offices or remote teams.

3. Cost of Ownership

When evaluating business printers, always look beyond the sticker price. Total cost of ownership (TCO) includes the purchase price as well as ongoing costs for ink or toner, routine maintenance, and the potential need for repairs or replacements.

Upfront Cost

Laser printers (monochrome): Moderate to high initial price.
Inkjet printers: Typically cheapest upfront.
Supertank printers: Higher than inkjets, but lower than most color lasers or multifunction laser printers.

Cost Per Page

Laser printers: Win for plain text, with monochrome cost per page often at just a few cents. Toner cartridges last much longer than ink cartridges.
Inkjet printers: Lowest upfront, but ink cartridge replacements make per-page costs notably higher, especially for color.
Supertank printers: Industry-leading low cost per page, color or black, making them unbeatable for businesses printing frequent, high-volume color documents. Typical per-page cost can be under one cent for black and just a few cents for color—roughly 2–10% of a color laser’s cost per page.

Maintenance

Laser printers: Require little day-to-day maintenance, and toner never dries out. Occasional cleaning and toner drum replacement may be needed.
Inkjet and Supertank printers: Need occasional printhead cleaning (built-in with most models) to avoid clogging, especially if infrequently used. Supertanks minimize the waste of changing cartridges, but unused ink can dry if not regularly used.

4. Suitability for Different Business Needs

Laser Printers

Best for: Offices that produce large quantities of text documents, invoices, and forms.
Not ideal for: Businesses relying on vibrant photo printing or detailed color graphics.

Inkjet Printers

Best for: Lower-volume users who need the ability to print occasional color graphics, or basic marketing assets.
Not ideal for: High-volume document production or offices seeking the lowest total cost.

Supertank Printers

Best for: Offices needing frequent, high-volume color or photo printing, as well as cost effectiveness over time. Excellent option for home-based businesses or smaller teams producing newsletters, flyers, or visual reports.
Not ideal for: Businesses printing only a few documents each month, or those who rarely produce color output.

Environmental Considerations

Business owners are increasingly concerned about environmental impact and sustainability. How do each of these printers stack up?

Inkjet and Supertank: Typically use less energy at idle, and supertank bottles and refill systems drastically cut plastic waste compared to traditional cartridges.
Laser printers: Their high-yield toner and energy efficiency during operations can reduce energy and waste for high-volume users. Some manufacturers offer recycling programs for spent toner cartridges and parts.

Feature Comparison Table

Feature	Laser Printer	Inkjet Printer	Supertank Printer
Upfront Cost	Moderate-High	Low	Moderate
Cost per Page	Low (text)	High	Lowest (color/text)
Print Speed	Fast	Moderate	Moderate
Colour Quality	Good (not photos)	Excellent	Excellent
B&W Quality	Excellent	Good	Good
Volume Suitability	High	Low-Medium	Medium-High
Maintenance	Low	Moderate	Moderate
Ideal Use	High-volume docs	Low-volume, occasional color	High-frequency color

How to Choose for Your Business

Ask these key questions:

What do you print most? If it’s mostly contracts, invoices, or reports in black and white, a monochrome laser offers the best blend of speed, cost, and reliability.
Do you need high-quality color printing? For flyers, presentations, or marketing collateral, inkjets or supertank printers excel.
How much do you print each month? Moderate to high print volumes favor laser or supertank models for their lower per-page costs.
Do you want the lowest total cost? Supertank printers generally win for businesses generating a lot of color prints.
Is space or noise a concern? Compact inkjets or smaller supertank models fit best in tight spaces, while laser printers can be bulkier but are efficient for busy offices.

Final Thoughts

For Canadian business owners, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. The best printer is a function of an organization’s actual print habits, volume, and the types of documents needed. Laser printers remain kings for rapid, high-volume text. Inkjets fill the gap for occasional color needs at a low cost. And for those aiming to keep long-term costs down while printing lots of color, supertank printers deliver unmatched value.

By understanding the strengths and trade-offs of each technology, business owners can confidently invest in a printer solution that supports both productivity and the bottom line.

To speak with an expert, or get the latest, best pricing on our comprehensive line of printers and presses, simply use our contact page form: https://pro-print.ca/contact-us/