Inkjet vs Laser Printer: Which Should You Buy in 2026?

Inkjet or laser? It’s one of the first questions anyone shopping for a home office printer runs into, and the honest answer is “it depends on what you print.” Inkjets handle photos and mixed color documents better and now come in low-running-cost tank versions; lasers are faster on plain text and cheaper per page for black-and-white volume. Here’s an honest side-by-side using real, currently sold models.

Epson EcoTank ET-2800 (Inkjet)

The ET-2800 is Epson’s entry-level tank printer — you refill ink from bottles instead of buying cartridges, which keeps long-term ink costs low even though the upfront price is higher than a basic cartridge inkjet. It’s a solid pick for mixed photo-and-document home use on a tighter budget.

• Pros: No cartridges to replace, low cost-per-page once filled, handles photos well
• Cons: Slower than laser for text-heavy print jobs, larger footprint than a basic inkjet

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Epson EcoTank ET-3950 (Inkjet)

A step up from the ET-2800, the ET-3950 adds automatic duplex printing and a 250-sheet paper tray, making it a genuine all-in-one for a home office that prints a mix of documents, forms, and the occasional photo without wanting to babysit paper trays.

• Pros: Auto duplex, larger paper capacity, still runs on refillable tank ink
• Cons: Higher upfront cost than basic tank or cartridge inkjets

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Brother HL-L2350DW (Laser)

A compact monochrome laser printer frequently recommended for lowest cost-per-page in home office use. It’s print-only (no scan/copy), so it suits anyone who mainly needs to print text documents, forms, and shipping labels quickly without touching ink or color at all.

• Pros: Very low cost-per-page for black text, fast first-page-out time, compact
• Cons: No scanning or copying, black-and-white only — not for photos or color documents

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Canon imageCLASS MF656Cdw (Color Laser)

A compact 4-in-1 color laser — print, scan, copy, fax — aimed at home offices that need laser speed and durability but can’t give up color output entirely. It costs noticeably more than a mono laser but still beats most inkjets on page-per-minute speed for text.

• Pros: Color laser speed and durability, full 4-in-1 functionality, quieter than many lasers
• Cons: Higher upfront cost, color laser toner costs more to replace than mono toner

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Brother MFC-L2710DW (Laser)

A monochrome laser alternative to the HL-L2350DW that adds the full all-in-one feature set — scan, copy, and fax alongside printing — plus an automatic document feeder, for a home office that wants laser’s low cost-per-page but doesn’t want to give up basic scanning and copying functionality the way a print-only laser requires.

• Pros: Full scan/copy/fax functionality unlike the print-only HL-L2350DW, ADF included, still low mono cost-per-page
• Cons: No color output at all, same as any monochrome laser

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So Which Should You Buy?

If most of what you print is plain black-and-white text — invoices, forms, shipping labels, school assignments — a monochrome laser like the HL-L2350DW or MFC-L2710DW will cost less per page and print faster, with zero risk of ink drying out between uses (a real inkjet failure mode if a printer sits idle for weeks). If you regularly print photos, colored charts, or mixed documents and don’t want to think about cartridges, a tank-based inkjet like the EcoTank line keeps running costs low without laser’s color-toner premium. If you need color and laser speed/durability, expect to pay a real premium for something like the MF656Cdw — that combination isn’t cheap in either category.

One more factor: inkjets that sit unused for long stretches (vacation homes, seasonal offices) can clog print heads. If your home office printer goes quiet for weeks at a time, that alone is a point in laser’s favor.

Scanning and copying needs also split the laser decision in half. A print-only mono laser like the HL-L2350DW is the cheapest way into laser printing, but it forces you to handle scanning separately — either through a dedicated scanner or a phone app. If an all-in-one is non-negotiable, the MFC-L2710DW keeps laser’s cost-per-page advantage while covering scan/copy/fax, at a modest premium over the print-only model.

FAQ

Is laser cheaper than inkjet long-term?
For black-and-white text volume, yes — toner lasts far longer per page than ink, especially compared to standard (non-tank) inkjet cartridges. Tank inkjets like EcoTank close much of that gap but still can’t match mono laser’s per-page cost for pure text.

Can laser printers print photos?
Color laser can print photos, but inkjet (especially dedicated photo inkjets) generally produces better photo quality and smoother color gradients. For serious photo printing, inkjet remains the better technology.

Do inkjet printers dry out if not used often?
Yes — print heads can clog if left idle for extended periods, which can mean wasted ink on cleaning cycles or, in bad cases, a damaged print head. Printing a test page every week or two helps prevent this.

Is a print-only laser worth the savings over an all-in-one laser?
It depends on how often you actually scan or copy. If that’s rare, a print-only model like the HL-L2350DW saves money upfront and keeps the unit smaller; if you scan or copy regularly, the modest premium for an all-in-one like the MFC-L2710DW is usually worth avoiding a second device.

How much does a tank inkjet actually save over a cartridge inkjet?
It varies by brand and ink prices, but tank systems like EcoTank commonly cut cost-per-page to a fraction of standard cartridge pricing — often enough that the higher upfront cost of the printer pays for itself within the first one or two cartridge-equivalent refills for a moderately active household.