Comparing Printer Types — Input and Output Devices | IGCSE Computer Science

Exam Frequency Analysis

Past paper frequency (2018 to 2024)

This topic accounts for approximately 3% of your exam marks.

stable

Rare

Stable3%

Typically tested as 'give one use of…' or 'describe how this sensor works' questions.

Three kinds of printer often appear in comparison questions: inkjet, laser and 3D.

Feature	Inkjet	Laser	3D printer
How it works	Sprays liquid ink in tiny droplets through nozzles onto paper	Uses a laser to draw the page on a charged drum; toner sticks to the charged areas and is fused onto the paper by a hot roller	Deposits successive thin layers of melted plastic (or similar material) that stack up into a 3D shape
Output	2D page (text or image)	2D page (text or image)	3D solid object
Material	Liquid ink in colour cartridges	Powdered toner (typically black plus 3 colours)	Filament of thermoplastic (PLA, ABS) or resin
Speed	Slow	Fast	Very slow (objects take hours)
Print quality	High-quality colour photos	Sharp text; colour quality depends on model	Layered surface; not as smooth as injection moulded
Cost per page / item	Higher (ink is expensive)	Lower for high volume	High for each object
Cost of the printer	Cheap	Mid-to-high	Mid-to-high for desktop models
Typical use	Home printing, photo printing, low-volume colour	Offices, schools, anywhere with high-volume monochrome printing	Prototyping, custom parts, education, medicine

Inkjet is cheap to buy but expensive to run because of the ink. Best for low-volume colour at home.
Laser is more expensive to buy but cheaper per page because toner lasts longer. Best for offices that print thousands of pages a month.
3D printers do something completely different: they output three-dimensional objects rather than printed paper. The internal mechanism is unrelated to inkjet or laser.