Another battle of the labels takes place, two more challengers step up to the ring, Laser vs Inkjet. Let battle commence.

Laser label printing uses sheets of laser paper or polyester labels and toner cartridges. The image is produced by the scanning of a laser across the printer's photoreceptor. Laser label printing is currently only available using a standard black and white or colour office printer with sheets of A4 laser labels. Inkjet label printing uses inkjet paper or polyester die cut labels and ink cartridges. The print head propels drops of ink onto the label material to create the image. Inkjet label printing offers two choices; a standard office printer with A4 sheets or a dedicated inkjet label printer. The advantages and disadvantages of the two methods of printing are as follows:

Laser Label Printing

Advantages of Laser Label Printing:
  • Faster printing than inkjet printing (colour up to 100 pages per minute).
  • Photo quality colour print (colour laser printer).
  • Low cost consumables.
  • DPI (Up to 4800).
  • More material choices available - paper, polyester, polyethylene, fluorescent and metallic papers.
  • Images do not fade when subjected to UV (sunlight).
  • The ink is smudge and water resistant.
Disadvantages of Laser Label Printing:
  • Printers more prone to jamming (due to adhesive bleed).
  • No solution for die cut, roll fed labels.

Inkjet Label Printing

Advantages of Inkjet Label Printing:
  • Dedicated label printers available.
  • Wider scope for label formats (e.g. labels with special cuts).
  • DPI (Up to 4800).
  • Lower setup cost (for colour printing).
  • Photo quality colour print.
  • Smudge and water resistant using approved gloss paper materials.
Disadvantages of Inkjet Label Printing:
  • The print can fade in time if subject to UV (sunlight).
  • Prints at a slower speed than laser (A4 - up to 120 pages per minute or dedicated - up to 4 inches per second).
  • Consumables can be more expensive, in particular gloss paper.
To enquire about laser or inkjet printing, call our sales office on 01536 414222 or visit our website www.amlabels.co.uk