[SHENGTON]

Why laser printer expensive?

What makes it so expensive if we compare it to inkjet printer?

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You have to look at the bigger picture. True, an inkjet can be bought for as little as £50 here in the UK, whereas even the cheapest laser is much more than that. But a printer is no good without ink, and that ink isn't cheap by any standards. By comparison, the running costs for a laser printer are much, much lower since the toner they use lasts a lot longer than any ink cartridge. When you do the maths, over the period of a year, a laser printer actually saves you money compared to an inkjet, until you get to a point where you've saved that much money over two or three years that the laser printer has actually "paid for itself".

But why does the laser cost more to buy? Well, the main factor is to do with economies of scale. There's less demand for lasers compared to inkjets. Less demand means fewer units are sold over a given period. The only way the makers can get a decent profit from fewer units sold is to make them more expensive. IF demand was higher the price would eventually drop.

Edited by pip22, 11 November 2007 - 05:46 AM.

[pip22]

You have to look at the bigger picture. True, an inkjet can be bought for as little as £50 here in the UK, whereas even the cheapest laser is much more than that. But a printer is no good without ink, and that ink isn't cheap by any standards. By comparison, the running costs for a laser printer are much, much lower since the toner they use lasts a lot longer than any ink cartridge. When you do the maths, over the period of a year, a laser printer actually saves you money compared to an inkjet, until you get to a point where you've saved that much money over two or three years that the laser printer has actually "paid for itself".

But why does the laser cost more to buy? Well, the main factor is to do with economies of scale. There's less demand for lasers compared to inkjets. Less demand means fewer units are sold over a given period. The only way the makers can get a decent profit from fewer units sold is to make them more expensive. IF demand was higher the price would eventually drop.

Edited by pip22, 11 November 2007 - 05:46 AM.

[jackflash1991]

That may be true but I think the true reason behind it is that the big companies can make more money. They can make ink printers so cheep because if you have their printer then you have to buy their way overpriced ink. Ink is where they make the money.

[SHENGTON]

Thanks guys! Big help for me!

[vally]

That may be true but I think the true reason behind it is that the big companies can make more money. They can make ink printers so cheep because if you have their printer then you have to buy their way overpriced ink. Ink is where they make the money.

It is true that the ink is the big money but most people I think use compatible ink as appose to genuine ink. Over the past 3 yr. the price of small laser printers has gone down.
The thing is that for color printing at the moment the laser ones are very expensive so you need ink but for black printing what pip22 posted is correct.