An inkjet printer usually has a one-time buying cost of $50-300, which is substantially lower than that of a median-cost laser printer priced at $350 (IDC 2023). According to Gartner, 62% of smes prefer using inkjet technology while choosing a printing device as it costs between $0.03 and $0.08 per page whereas laser equipment comes with a price of $0.05 to $0.12. For example, HP DeskJet 4155e costs $25 for a printer cartridge that yields 480 black-and-white print pages ($0.052 per page), but the comparable laser printer cartridges cost $80 for 2,000 print pages ($0.04 per page), although the total cost after depreciation on the combined device remains 34% higher.
Efficiency in consumables matters: Epson EcoTank series boasts a huge ink reservoir capacity (140ml black ink) that prints 7,500 pages in one set with a cost as low as $0.001 per page (industry average of $0.05). A consulting firm case study indicates that utilizing the Epson WorkForce ET-5800 reduced annual consumables costs from $1,200 to $150, an 88% reduction. Its PrecisionCore technology doubles nozzle density to 400 / inch (industry standard 180) and reduces ink wastage by 63% (regulated by drop volume to 3 cul ±0.5).
Energy consumption advantages are significant: inkjet printers standby power consumption of 1-3W, operating power consumption of 10-15W, while laser equipment standby power consumption of 5-15W, operating peak 500-1,000W. Brother MFC-J4535DW saves electrical bill payments by $85 each year (subject to $0.15/kWh) owing to the Energy saving mode (0.5W sleep power consumption). EU Energy label ranking demonstrates that it consumes 25kWh each year, and this is a minimal 21% of the rate of laser equipment (120kWh).
Reduced maintenance cost: Modular design of inkjet printer reduces the rate of failure to 0.7 times/year (1.8 times/year for laser devices), and the median repair cost is $35 / time ($80 / time for laser devices). The Canon MAXIFY GX7021 features a dedicated ink system that costs $18 to replace one color component (versus $55 for a regular cartridge) and reduces repair time from 1 hour to 20 minutes. According to the Office Equipment Maintenance White Paper, the overall life cycle cost of inkjet equipment (5 years) is $1,500, 46% lower than laser equipment ($2,800).
Both environmentally friendly and economical: inkjet technology reduces waste ink production by 90% (Epson cold printing technology), and the ink bottle recovery rate is 98% (plastic toner cartridges are merely 35%). When a manufacturing company switched to HP Smart Tank 580, it reduced its annual carbon emissions by 1.5 tons per unit and met ISO 14064 standards, and its operating costs dropped by 41 percent. Market data reflect that the global penetration rate of inkjet printers among small and medium enterprises has climbed to 57% by the end of 2023, while its cost-effective model (220% ROI) continues to drive technology innovation and market development.