When you’re looking for the best printer for your home office, you’ve got a lot of choices between brands, types of printer, and individual models. However, the core of your decision is going to come down to what type of printer you need. Inkjet and Deskjet are two of the most common home printers.
Both are built for the scale and needs of a home office, homeschooling, or personal use. Compared with laser printers or more specialist devices, these are much more suited for personal use. This does leave you with a major decision though, do you choose an Inkjet or Deskjet printer?
And both of these printers have their pros and cons, but depending on your needs you should be able to easily figure out if you need an Inkjet or Deskjet printer. By looking at what each printer does well and what each does worse than others, you can easily figure out which of the two to choose for you.
The first thing you really need to know is just what the difference is between an inkjet and a desktop jet printer. Both types are mainly used in home offices rather than large scale commercial settings. A deskjet is actually a subset of inkjet printers, so the difference is important to understand.
What’s the Difference Between an Inkjet and a Deskjet Printer?
The difference between an Inkjet and Deskjet printer is actually quite minor. They’re nearly the same thing. The term ‘Deskjet’ is essentially just HP’s branding of their printers. It is just the name that HP give to their inkjet line of printers.
So, all Deskjet printers are actually inkjet printers too. Deskjet is just a brand name for a smaller subset of these printers. However, they do have some distinguishing characteristics that can help you to tell them apart.
While they are quite similar to an Inkjet, there are some reasons why you should consider a desktop printer and some reasons why you might not need anything more than the standard Inkjet printer.
Inkjet Printers
Inkjet printers are the main form of desktop printer out there. They operate by firing link through nozzles onto the page. The ink is injected in this way, rather than printed in a different fashion. All that inkjet printers have in common is this type of printing.
However, your standard Inkjet printer has a few other characteristics. As they’re a common form of printer, these tend to be the most affordable options. Printing or injecting out of a small nozzle is actually quite a simple way to print, which helps the costs stay down on these types of printers.
Inkjet printers can be really cheap and functional, or expensive with a lot of features. Since this term applies to this entire way of printing things out, the variety available is quite large. If you’re looking for a simple printer to run off a few documents and you don’t particularly want much else, you can probably go for a standard inkjet printer.
There are some available with more elaborate features like cloud connecting, scanning, or more print options. However, Inkjet printers are typically those that go for value over added features. These are the main pros and cons.
Pros
Cons
Deskjet Printers
A Deskjet printer is a subset of inkjet printers, but they have some defining characteristics. While they print using the same method as an inkjet, how this is actually done is pretty different. Deskjet printers are more expensive than inkjets.
These are printers specifically made by HP. They tend to produce high-quality products. You can be sure you’re getting something built to last with a Deskjet. This is why as an average, a deskjet printer will end up costing you more than an inkjet printer.
A Deskjet printer uses nozzles to print like another Inkjet. This brand of printer is above the quality you’ll find with most basic Inkjet printers, although below the Officejet range of printers also made by HP.
While they may be more expensive than a standard inkjet, they do tend to have greater durability. A Deskjet printer lasts longer, and for the most part prints in a higher quality. There are downsides too though. These are the pros or cons of a Deskjet printer;
HP also have another range of printers worth checking out which is their laserjet range. The name is a bit of a giveaway that this is their range of laser printers.
Pros
Cons
Should You Get an Inkjet or Deskjet Printer?
The choice of which printer you should get for your home office is really going to come down to one thing; your budget. Deskjet printers are more expensive than most inkjet printers.
If you’re looking to spend a little more for the guarantee of quality, then a Deskjet is a good choice. HP are generally quite reliable as a brand, but no more so than Epson, Canon or Brother.
However, you should be aware that you’ll be paying more for ink in the long run too. On top of this, in terms of physically printing a page, the process is the same as it is for inkjet printers.
So the reality is that it will come down to your budget for a new printer. It’s much better to look at the model as opposed to the brand.
Conclusion
An inkjet printer is the better choice for you if you only need something cheap and functional. A high-end printer is nice, but if you’re essentially just running it for the occasional printing of a document then it is unnecessary.
If you’re mainly paperless, don’t do much photo or vibrant colour printing, then an inkjet printer is going to be the better choice. However, a Deskjet printer is a great choice if you have higher printing needs.
If you have a home office that needs a quality printer, then they’re a great choice. But if cost is the most important thing to you, then you could also think about looking at a laser printer instead.
