It is common knowledge that laser printers print fast but gobble up a lot of energy, even when the power saving mode is activated. Most inkjet printers on the other hand, operate with slower print speeds but consume far less energy. Consequently, the fastest office laser printers have published print times of over 40 ppm for the large chunk of energy used while speedy multifunction Inkjets can only shell out a few pages for the same duration. So how does one quantify a printer’s energy conservation efficiency? This can be determined based on the rate of energy consumption per printed page.
Energy Consumption: Laser Printer versus Inkjet
The Energy Star Green Seal certified color laser printer Dell 5130cdn, utilizes 600 watts of energy to print around 46 monochrome pages per minute. That is equivalent to an average kilowatt consumption of 0.60 per hour or 0.22 watts per page.
Compare said figures to the rate of consumption for the inkjet HP PhotoSmart eStation, another Energy Star compliant printer. The published maximum power draw is 28 watts and rated print speed is 33 monochrome pages per minute. At this rate, kilowatt consumption is at 0.28 per hour or 0.014 watts per page. For whatever disparity there is in the rate of energy consumption, users can save on energy costs by observing the basic tips presented below.
Tips to Energy Efficient Printing
- Pick out an Energy Star Green Seal certified printer. Energy Star compliant printers consume around 50% less energy than non Energy Star qualified models. Energy Star compliant printers automatically shift to sleep mode when idle for a certain period. For instance the Canon ImageClass MF4690 laser printer switches to sleep mode during periods of inactivity; to therefore reduce energy consumption to only 3 watts.
- Switch printer off when not in use. Printers in sleep mode still consume a considerable amount of energy if left untended to after office hours. A printer unit may utilize only 8 watts in sleep mode but when left overnight, energy consumption can hike up to 80 watts and around 400 watts on weekends.
- Always use the printer’s power saving mode. This will substantially cut energy consumption because the printer will deliver printouts based on the rated capacity. Remember to follow the ISO guidelines based on the unit’s images per minute or IMP rating.
- Use the printer’s duplex feature. Not only does duplex printing reduce energy consumption but also saves paper in the process because it is like printing 2 documents at a time.
All the tips presented are surefire methods of drastically cutting energy consumption levels for a printer, whether it’s a laser printer or an inkjet printer. Just like any other electronic device that relies on electrical energy for its operations, the laser printer or the inkjet printer can also be utilized efficiently by systematically crimping on energy use. Read about our feature on the Top 10 Most Energy Efficient Laser Printers.
