You may have noticed on our website that nearly all materials contain the word 'inkjet' or 'laser' in their description. Certain materials are designed to be compatible with certain printers. This is down to how the consumables interact with the material in the print process.
Inkjet printers often use water or solvent-based ink to produce the print. The liquid colour pigment is fantastic for photo or heavy image-based designs due to the ability to mix and blend colours. Ink cartridges are considered to be eco-friendly as some cartridges can be refilled. Usually, compact inkjet printers are perfect for small-run jobs for home or office uses. However, please note that our inkjet-compatible material has to be primed. Although this may cause a slight price difference between the laser-compatible version of the same material, opting for the wrong material will not work.
Laser printers use toner cartridges. Toner is a powder-based pigment fused to the outside of the material during the laser print process. When comparing the final print finish, toner from a laser printer often appears to produce a solid colour for simple graphics and text. Unlike ink, which soaks into the top layer of a material, the toner will be fused to the outer layer, creating a vibrant print.
We hope this has helped to understand the main differences between inkjet and laser printers. It is essential to order a free material sample if you are ordering from us for the first time or want to try a different material.
