5 Things You Should Consider When Choosing Between Inkjet and Toner

Inkjet and toner presses offer unique benefits for print shops – but how do you choose between the two with so many factors to consider? Deciding which print technology is best for your shop depends on a number of things, including:

Volume

The uptime or utilisation rate of an inkjet press is generally more productive and cost effective compared to a toner-based machine; however, they require greater volumes of work in order to be economical.

Economics

Inkjet can lower your cost per page and help you maintain the right level of IQ due to lower ink coverage. It’s also a future-proof technology — the scalability of inkjet allows it to grow with your operation. Toner is generally a fixed cost regardless of ink coverage. The initial investment of a toner press may be low, but the high cost per page adds up over time. Factors such as area coverage need to be taken into account. The cost of toner is generally fixed. Inkjet is more economical for low area coverage — the more ink on the page, the higher the cost.

Personalisation

You can achieve revenue-driving personalisation across applications with both inkjet and toner. Inkjet is capable of full-colour, industrial-level hyper-personalisation whereas toner is unable to produce the same full colour volume economically.

Applications

Inkjet is ideal for producing high-volume, variable data applications such as transactional pieces, direct mail or catalogues that standardize in paper requirements. Inkjet is also a great option for mid runs that are too costly and time consuming for toner, such as newsletters, books, publications, manuals and marketing collateral — even when coated stocks are desired. Short-run applications such as marketing collateral, high-end direct mail, or other applications that require specialty media, heavier stock and critical IQ are best suited for toner.

Size

Although inkjet and toner presses are relatively the same size, Xerox^® inkjet machines have the highest productivity per square inch, allowing you to right-size your workflow and print more jobs on one press.

Why choose when you can have the best of both worlds?

Unlock new levels of flexibility with a hybrid approach – Xerox^® inkjet can supplement the effectiveness of your existing fleet to deliver higher-value applications that position your operation for long-term success.

Upgrade your agility and realise your workflow’s full potential by combining other print technologies with Xerox^® inkjet, the ideal balance of versatility and productivity.