Book a Demo
Contact Us

What are the best types of colour printers for my business?

Looking to purchase a new business printer?

There are myriad printers available in today’s market but which ones are right for your business? What is the best type of printer for a small business, for instance? In this article we will answer that question. We know that sharp colour images are important in today’s business environment so the main consideration in this article is to examine issues that non inkjet printers have when printing colour.

The types of printer available

We will consider the following:

Laser and LED

Laser and LED machines work in a similar way to inkjet in that the image is made up of lots of tiny dots, which, when viewed as a whole, appear to be a solid image. However, the method in which the tiny dots make their way onto the paper is vastly different. Where an inkjet uses liquid dots, a laser machine uses dots made up of toner – a fine powder of solid particles. When compared with an inkjet machine, lasers are much more complex. These machines rely on many more stages during the process than inkjet. In simple terms, the basic process uses a light source (laser / LED), drum (for mono) or multiple drums (for colour) and toner.

In order to create an image on the page, the drum is first charged and then the laser or LED is shone onto the drum in the outline of the intended image. The toner itself is attracted to areas of the drum that have the charge knocked off and a series of rollers transfer the powder from the toner cartridge and presents it at the drum. The areas that are charged repel the toner and the area that is not attracts the toner particles which are pulled onto the drum and stick to the parts that make up the image. At the same time, the paper is also transported to meet the drum, which, in turn, transfers the image across to the page itself. The paper is then passed through a fuser unit (a hot roller) which applies heat and pressure to melt the toner particles so that they stick to the page and create a finished image.

Solid Ink

Unlike cartridges for inkjets and laser printers, solid ink sticks are heated to melt a print onto the page. As they are thermal based, solid ink printers can take a good number of minutes to heat up before the first print and also need to pause and reheat in between prints. This can be very frustrating if you are in a hurry. Also, solid ink printers need to complete a ‘cool down’ cycle after use. This means that the printer cannot be moved until this cycle is finished. You can’t print on photo paper / specialty papers. Lastly, not all of the sticks are used in the printing process and are left to waste, in a separate tray.

Inkjet

Inkjet printers each feature a print head containing thousands of tiny holes, and these tiny openings drop microscopic droplets of ink onto the paper. Inkjet machines use a liquid ink produced either by either a coloured dye or a liquid that contains solid pigments in suspension. As the print head moves horizontally in the machine, the paper passes through perpendicular to it. As the page passes through, the individual holes in the print head are activated (usually by heat or electrical current depending on the manufacturer) and a small drop of ink is pushed out onto the page. This process is performed at high speed with thousands of droplets forming together to recreate the digital text or image that is being transferred onto the paper. To the naked eye, the overall image looks to be solid because the dots are so tiny.

Printer highlight points

Laser

  • Expensive to buy
  • High Energy use
  • Issues over toner contamination and health
  • Heat can be a problem in a small office
  • Require regular maintenance
  • Colour vibrancy and accuracy is an issue
  • Laser printers were not initially designed to be colour printers

Solid Ink

  • High price
  • Warm up time, the ink is solid wax and has to be melted
  • Limited media compatibility, can’t print on glossy paper
  • Can’t be easily moved
  • Heat problems in a small area/office
  • Print can be scratched off
  • Print can be smudged or distorted in high ambient temperatures
  • Not suitable for black and white printing
  • Waxy feel to the finished print

LED

  • Similar to the Laser printers problems
  • Fixed resolution
  • Limited manufacturer base causing parts and servicing issues

RISO Inkjet

  • Low cost
  • Fast
  • Environmentally friendly
  • High quality output
  • Reliable with less moving parts
  • Vivid colour, excellent at printing pictures
  • Easy to use
  • Low energy costs, typically 91% energy reduction
  • Smaller footprint

Why RISO?

With over 30 years experience in the UK RISO is here to be your business printer partner. We are the World’s fastest inkjet printer manufacturer. How come? We use less moving parts than our competition. Not only that but we are healthier for the environment, our printers are proven to produce energy savings of 91% on similar equipment. We win Awards for our reliability. Our service and technical support ensures that you have reduced downtime, cost savings, and solutions that are tailored to you.

Our business inkjet printer range

The FT5230 boasts ultra high productivity helping make busy work environments more efficient, in addition the range of available accessories for the RISO FT Series ensure all MFP requirements are met.

The model’s extremely low power consumption provides for considerable energy savings further reducing overall costs. Book your demonstration today!Download the FT5230 brochure

RISO Inkjet printers achieve exceptional levels of power saving as they benefit from a cold printing process, which unlike laser or toner based printers, requires no heat when printing.

The FT5430 helps make busy work environments even more efficient with a wide range of accessories, from feeders to finishers, ensuring all your Multi Function Printer (MFP) requirements are met. Combining proven reliability with low running costs, the FT5430 is the perfect solution for today’s challenging workplace. Book today!

In conclusion

If you are printing colour documents the choice is clear. At RISO we know your business. We are here to help and support you. RISO is the partner of choice for reliable business inkjet printers. Take a few minutes to contact us and arrange a demonstration of the power and speed of our comprehensive range of full colour and enhanced colour inkjet printers we come to you. Worry free days are but a telephone call away!