 to paper. Laser printers use a laser to create an electrostatic charge on the paper which attracts toner and creates images on the page. Generally speaking, inkjet printers are better all-rounders, because they can be used to print both text and images. Laser printers are more suited to printing black ink on documents, which they'll manage faster than your average inkjet printer. Inkjet printers can be very cheap upfront, but the need to replace their ink cartridges means the costs rack up quickly if you use them regularly (although this issue is being tackled by printers with built-in ink tanks.) Laser printers tend to be more expensive than inkjet printers upfront, but you get more bang for your buck when replacing toner when compared to ink cartridges. Best cheap printers at a glance READ MORE: 1. Inkjet printer: Canon PIXMA MG2550S Canon PIXMA MG2550S, £34.99 at Canon – buy here This Canon PIXMA gets you a lot for a little. For roughly £70 you get a decent colour printer that's got a built-in scanner. You don't get Wi-Fi connectivity in a unit this cheap, and if you're planning on printing off pictures at home you might want to invest a little more. But this should take care of most basic tasks when you hook it up with a USB. 2. Inkjet printer: Epson Expression Home XP-215){kind=link}
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YOU may think that because everything is done electronically nowadays, you no longer need a printer.
However, it is still an incredibly useful piece of tech to have around for when you need hard copies of important document, physical tickets for an event or need to print a returns label for a package.
Printers can seem expensive, but it is possible to get a good value one by shopping around. We’ve rounded up a list of 11 great value printers that have impressive features such as double-sided printing, voice activation and wireless printing from your phone.
Inkjet printers work using ink to transfer images from your PC (or another device) to paper. Laser printers use a laser to create an electrostatic charge on the paper which attracts toner and creates images on the page.