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Color Laser Printers at Bargain Prices

07:00 - Wednesday 17 August 2005 by Vincent Verhaeghe

So what is new in the respective inkjet and laser printer camps? Inkjet printers have gotten faster and offer more and more features (A3 format, eight colors, etc.), which accounts for their heightened appeal among business users as of late. Meanwhile, color laser printer prices have dropped dramatically since last year and the general public is beginning to show interest in the new possibilities they offer.

As far as quality goes, there is no debate. Only inkjet printers are capable of rivaling prints made in a lab where photos are concerned. The target manufacturers of color lasers are aiming at includes professionals, small and home businesses or non-profit associations that need to publish brochures or newsletters, etc. The applications are manifold. And adaptability is these printers' strong point. They print very fast in monochrome and so are ideal for printing text. The addition of color, though it reduces performance, increases the possibilities for use.

But the most amazing thing is the prices entry-level laser printers are selling for these days. The average is around $500, and costs per page are well below those for inkjets - especially since additional functions aren't necessarily sacrificed, with certain color lasers having Ethernet interfaces and duplex modules. All this could well tip the balance in their favor.