Deciding on a printer for home use can be a very difficult choice. Many people recommend laser printers, even though they cost more, but I think an Inkjet Printer is a much more economical choice if you know what you are doing. Lasers are winning the popularity war but there are some solid advantages to an inkjet. Plus (most important) you can save some serious money. Here is how.
First off it is important to understand the difference in inkjet and laser printers. Both are great, high tech modern devices and both are capable of very high quality printing. Laser printers use heat to put dry, powdered toner on the page, whereas inkjet printers use tiny nozzles to spray liquid ink on the page. This is why inkjet printers are cheaper: the most important parts of them are simple analog nozzles, without all the complicated expensive electronic components of a laser unit.
This is where a common misconception comes in. A lot of people think a laser unit gives a higher print quality and that is how they justify the higher cost of laser printers. However, out of the box an inkjet gives almost identical results. It is only because of improper maintenance that inkjet will show any printing mistakes over time. To properly care for an inkjet printer, you simply take out the nozzles twice a year and soak them in some warm water. This makes sure the ink does not start to clog and affect printing quality.
It is funny how a simple step like this, that takes only a few minutes a year, can make such a dramatic difference. If you read your manual you can get great results from an inkjet and save a lot of money.