Colour Printers vs. Monochrome Laser Printers: What’s the Difference?

Colour Printers vs. Monochrome Laser Printers: What’s the Difference?

In the simplest terms, colour printers are able to produce colourful print jobs with the use of at least 4 printer ink cartridge colours: CMYK, or cyan, magenta, yellow, and key (or black). Some photo printers actually use more than 4 cartridge colours. For instance, some Canon photo printers like the ImagePrograf Pro-1000 Inkjet Printer use a whopping total of 12 different ink cartridge colours for superior colour accuracy, making it a powerhouse printer for high definition photo printing (across A4, A3, and even A2 printing jobs).

Contrastingly, monochrome laser printers typically only have 1 printer cartridge colour: black. The key benefit of this is that monochrome laser printers can operate with minimal cost investment and across a higher than average page yield when compared to similar colour printers. This is because there are reduced risks of printer ink shortages preventing jobs in your print queue. Despite the advancements with colour printing depth and technology, mono printers have certainly not stagnated in their offering and can even actually produce crisp photo printing to the same speed and quality as their colour counterpart; albeit in black and white. 

Not surprisingly, most of the world’s leading printer manufacturers have a range of colour printers and mono printers available. You can buy mono printers directly on our website, and here you will find your preferred printing brands and a range of printer sizes. With one of the main considerations of choosing between mono printers and colour printers being the overall price, it comes as no surprise that this is a hot topic across the industry.

Now, let’s look at what the main differences are between colour printers vs mono printers.

1. Mono printers are cheaper to buy.

Colour printers typically come at a higher price point due to a few key factors:

• the additional vibrant colour offerings they provide
• the additional printer hardware (i.e. printer cartridge slots, nozzles, etc.) and software required to facilitate colour printing
• the costs for additional printer cartridges in the box

Despite these higher operating costs, colour printers are still highly sought after by professionals from all industries. One of the most commonly sought after types of colour printers is photo printers. Photo printers for photographers and designers will naturally gravitate a large number of operations towards a colour printer and usually the top tier models which are going to best represent their work. 

That said, while colour printers are more expensive to buy, finding colour printers with cost-efficient printing technology can help you reduce your printing costs significantly. For instance, if you absolutely must print with colour but are still looking to save some money, we always recommend exploring our range of continuous ink printers. There are many key benefits of using continuous printers, but the primary advantages for most consumers comes down to two: quality and cost. Not only do ink tank printers still produce high-quality photos, but they are also renowned for significantly reducing your operational costs too. With these primary benefits in mind, getting your hands on one of the best ink tank printers on the market can provide quality prints in spades, and all while saving a pretty dollar in the long term too.

For individuals and companies operating in a corporate environment that is less committed to printing in colour, however, the price point of mono printers may still be more attractive even when compared to continuous ink colour printers. Establishing how to reduce your cost per printed page will massively help in deciding on the right printer to purchase. 

And if you are actually looking at monochrome printers and are unsure which printer unit is right for you, take a look at our guide to the best black and white printers available throughout Australia today. Our printing experts regularly update this article with new printers that we have tested as we round off the best monochrome printers. 

Another quick tip would be to also instil policies surrounding what constitutes colour print outs and what is best left with black and white ink. While an official policy may seem severe, many organisations do this to ensure that each staff member is trained on best practice printing. Not only will you save hundreds of dollars over time, but you will also benefit the environment too.

Pro tip: not sure what your printing costs add up to each month? Learn how to calculate your printing costs with support from our team at CartridgesDirect.

2. Mono printers are cheaper to operate.

Budgeting for a colour printer is one thing, but the on-going operational costs are quite another. Alongside boasting higher retail costs, the operating costs of colour printers are naturally also higher, namely because you’re using more ink per print, and the costs of topping up ink are also higher due to the higher rate of cartridge purchases per top-up. 

Mono ink cartridges are also more affordable than colour ink cartridges, not to mention more convenient as you are only buying and stocking the office with one single cartridge as opposed to seeking individual colours. One way to mitigate your on-going printing costs is to limit the colour usage at your office or home, replacing colour ink cartridges at planned intervals and not ad hoc when they are depleted.

Another consideration as to why monochrome printers are cheaper to operate than colour printers is that monochrome printers typically have higher page yields. Because the printing unit only has to cater for a single type of ink cartridge, the ink cartridges you buy for monochrome printers contain much more ink. In turn, when you compound that each monochrome ink cartridge is cheaper, as well as coming with more ink, your printing costs are massively reduced. This might encourage users to print in mono for basic jobs and only colour when it is necessary.

3. Mono printers can still scan like most colour printers

There are some savvy printer shoppers out there who are quite happy to purchase an affordable mono printer with the knowledge that they can scan a colour page and have the colour transfer sent on via email. In this regard, monochrome laser printers can still be used for easy file-sharing, even for colour documents. So if you’re looking to invest in a monochrome laser printer to potentially reduce your print capacity and limit your printing practices to just black and white document printing, you won’t need to sacrifice other great printer features! 

Get clear on how you intend to use your printer and whether you can suffice with a colour scanner and forfeit colour printing capability. This might suit a department like HR who print reports and payroll in black and white but need to scan forms of identification in colour and send them on as such. Through this, you are making use of both technologies to the absolute maximum, whilst still being able to enjoy the lower operating costs and other streamlined benefits of working with a monochrome laser printer over a colour printer.

4. You can find inkjet printers or laser printers across both categories

It’s a myth that there’s less variety in monochrome printing technology. Yes, most office printers that are mono typically are laser printers – but you can still find inkjet printers with monochrome print capabilities. 

In fact, you can find colour printers and mono printers in both inkjet or laser printer variations – and as we know this detail will impact offering and price. Given that inkjet printers are generally considered to be more affordable than laser printers, you may be able to opt for a colour inkjet printer and see some savings compared to buying a laser colour printer. 

Once again, your printer usage needs are going to govern this decision as inkjet printing ink can be more expensive and a laser printer is actually a better option for high volume printing. So, establishing how often you print will help you decide which printer is right for your needs.

5. Mono printers are available in a wide range of sizes as well

On a less technical level, the size of your printer and its ease of use might be what influences your decision between a colour printer vs. a monochrome laser printer. A comprehensive colour printer may just be a bigger printing unit than you are expecting, but if you are ready to actually work with this model size then that may not be so important. Ease of use shouldn’t be too much of a problem as most printing brands have worked hard to establish a user-friendly interface - but this will depend on who is using the printer and their prior skill level.

For example, photographers can use a number of different papers to print that correlate with different colour formats, so more options will not always serve those not in a specialised field. Then there are engineering fields and other technical industries that work with A2+ sized printing jobs (i.e. some enterprise printers). If you’re printing blueprints, for instance, you’re unlikely to invest in an enterprise printer with colour printing capabilities, as a monochrome printer at that price point may be thousands of dollars cheaper rather than just hundreds of dollars. 

Find your Ideal Colour or Monochrome Laser Printer at CartridgesDirect

Whatever your printing needs, there is one thing that is constant; the need for a quality printer and printer ink. So if you are in the market for colour printers or monochrome printers and want to stay on top of your ink supply, you know where to shop. With our wide range of home and office printers as well as compatible ink cartridges for all printer models, CartridgesDirect is your one-stop shop for all things printers and printer consumables. 

Our friendly staff can point you in the right direction when you’re shopping for colour printers or even monochrome laser printers and inkjet printers at all price points. And if you have particular specifications or features in mind, we can help you find the perfect printing solution for your home or office space.

Browse through our full range of printer essentials here at CartridgesDirect or simply get in touch with a friendly member of our team for tailored advice and support today.