Inkjet Vs. Laser Fax Machines
Whether it's laser or inkjet, the fax machine, a more or less ubiquitous office accessory, is used by businesses, stay-at-home entrepreneurs, job seekers and many others for a variety of purposes. It can be used to communicate important business information, make dinner reservations or place take-out lunch orders. The fax machine provides many uses for countless people.
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Benefits of Inkjet Fax Machines
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The inkjet fax machine is a low-cost piece of equipment that is more suited for light duty--30 or so faxes a day. This makes it a well-suited and affordable option for small companies or home-based businesses. An inkjet toner cartridge can average about 400 pages of faxed information. In addition, for the comparatively lower price, an inkjet fax machine produces fairly acceptable printouts of faxed information.
Benefits of Laser Fax Machines
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For heavy-duty applications, the laser fax machine is a wise choice. Laser fax machines can handle a huge number of incoming faxes and can average 5,000 pages per cartridge. For large corporations or fax service providers, the laser fax machine is worth a higher price tag. Laser fax machines also produce the highest quality printout of all models of fax machines.
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Considerations for Inkjet Fax Machines
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Inkjet fax machines have historically been less reliable than laser models when it comes to long-term use. Once a gear or belt has worn to a certain degree it will be all downhill from that point. When this happens it is almost always wise to replace the unit because it will be less expensive in the long run than repeated repair costs.
Considerations for Laser Fax Machines
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The ability of a laser fax machine to print faster, scan and store pages in memory or send and receive color images makes it measurably more complicated both mechanically and electronically than inkjet fax machines. This means that some malfunctions are not as user-fixable as inkjet models. If a business does not have in-house technicians who can effectively troubleshoot and make repairs, it may require billable service calls to restore the unit to proper operation. This may mean downtime and missed communications.
Other Considerations
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When considering which type of fax machine to purchase, it's prudent to consider the recurring costs, such as paper and toner, in addition to the initial purchase price of the device. The majority of fax machines in 2010 are actually combination units that print and copy, meaning that replacement cartridges may cost more.
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