LED vs laser printers: What should your business choose?

When it comes time to purchase a printer, all IT leaders want to make the right decision. Much like refreshing user devices, this is a purchase that only comes around every few years – or longer, depending on organizational strategy – and one that must be based on careful consideration of costs, longevity, and print quality.

Two of the most popular printer types for business are LED and laser printers. Both use toner instead of ink, unlike inkjet printers.

Overall, LED and laser printers tend to remain a more common feature in your office setting

Of course, there’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all hardware and whether LED or laser printers are perfect for your business will largely depend on your unique organizational needs. To get a better idea of which could be best, we’ve listed the key differences between the two printing technologies.

Are laser printers best?

Laser printers have become the go-to choice for enterprise printing for a few, key reasons.

First and foremost, laser printers reproduce graphics and the printed word with incredibly sharp detail. Businesses looking for the top quality in printing could do worse than investing in a range of new laser printers.

Laser printers also come with a lower price tag than some alternatives, such as inkjet printers, as they use powdered toner which is cheaper in bulk. Laser printers work by beaming patterns onto a positively-charged drum, leaving behind a negative charge in the shape of what is being printed. This attracts the toner, which sticks to the drum that is then rolled over the paper itself.

Crucially, the laser is directed by a moving mirror, which spins to direct the laser onto different sections of the moving drum to control where on the page toner is placed.

However, leaders should note that the initial cost of laser printers can be higher than LED printers, even though the cost disparity is narrowing. If you’re comparing LED printers to inkjet printers in an environment where hundreds of sheets of paper are printed per week, the up-front investment could be outweighed by savings in the long run. But in comparison to LED, the math is harder to figure.

With our best practice guide on reducing print costs, a laser printer can still be a very shrewd investment.

It’s worth noting that size can be an issue with laser printers, largely due to the drum and laser setup, unlike LED printers which have fewer moving parts and are therefore comparatively compact. If you’re short on space in your office, you’re best advised to seek out a more compact printer.

Are LED printers best?

LED printers also use a drum and mirror to transfer toner to a page using electrophotography. The key difference is they use an array of LEDs instead of a laser, which strobe an image onto a positively-charged drum – creating a focused, negative charge that attracts toner in a specific shape to reproduce the user’s words and images.

Because LED printers don’t use a laser, they don’t require a spinning mirror. Instead, the LED array spans the full width of the drum, with individual LEDs activating when required to determine where toner is placed on the page. This makes them more compact, quieter, and easier to maintain as they contain fewer moving parts. This means there are also fewer printer problems to troubleshoot with LED printers.

All of this is to say that LED printers come with some significant benefits over laser printers.

But be in no doubt: there are some downsides to LED printers. Because they also rely on internally producing intense light to attract toner to the paper, they draw a significant amount of energy. Businesses looking to roll out many LED printers will see their bills rise as a result. That said, LED printers are still more energy efficient than laser printers.

What LED printers struggle to compete with laser printers on is quality. Indeed, they can be less dependable overall for detail and consistent print results, as the quality of LEDs varies slightly within the array producing uneven light distribution across the drum. Laser printers produce sharper text and graphics overall.

Which produces higher quality prints?

Enterprises that print a lot of client-facing materials may be particularly concerned about the quality of work produced by their printers.

Top of the range laser and LED printers are both capable of rendering images at up to 1,200 dots per inch (DPI).

This is what makes it a very difficult decision when choosing between an LED or laser printer: there’s no clear winner in terms of image quality. From a customization and flexibility perspective, however, LEDs use a fixed drum, meaning they cannot vary in resolution.

Conversely, laser printers have resolutions that can be changed based on your individual needs. If it’s flexibility that you’re seeking, even on a minute level, then our recommendation is to choose a laser printer on this occasion.

Paper quality is also a consideration here. Ultimately, the quality of paper you’re using has a tangible impact on the quality of prints. Both of these devices work best with heat-resistant paper and there are a range of options here for businesses.

Similarly, paper also comes in a range of grams per square meter (GSM) and so anything above a certain thickness is likely incompatible with either.

Is an LED printer better than a laser printer?

Both LED printers and laser printers have their clear pros and cons. As we’ve covered throughout this article, both kinds of printer can deliver at the enterprise level.

What’s clear is that for enterprises looking to complete regular, large print jobs to a high standard, these are the kinds of printer to go for, certainly compared to inkjet devices.

Over the long term, LED printers have a slightly longer shelf life. This is purely because they have fewer moving parts – so if you’re looking to cut down on replacement costs, LED printers may be right for you. On the other hand, if you want the best detail possible, laser printers are the ideal choice.