Inkjet Printing VS Toner Printing in Label Printing
The digital packaging printing market continues to grow and is expected to reach nearly US$36 billion over the next few years. Many converters are looking to invest in digital presses to take advantage of the technology’s efficiency, flexibility, and business-management benefits.
Choosing the right press involves many factors. The first step is deciding between the two main digital printing technologies: inkjet and electrophotography (toner).
Here, we take a closer look at both technologies to support informed decision-making and determine which press best fits the needs of different businesses.
Inkjet printing technology
Inkjet printing was invented in the 1950s. It uses software, hardware, and printing inks to reproduce digital images on a substrate. The process breaks artwork down into a dot pattern, which is then recreated by printhead nozzles that place droplets of ink onto the substrate.
Color digital inkjet presses use multiple printheads and nozzles to deliver different ink colors as a single, seamless design. The ink consists of colored pigments suspended in a carrier liquid; when these pigments mix on the substrate, they can reproduce a wide range of colors and tones.
Because droplet size can be controlled precisely, digital inkjet can produce fine details such as smooth gradients, microprinting, and small characters. Ink composition, viscosity, drop velocity, and the substrate’s absorption properties all influence ink laydown and color mixing.
In UV inkjet printing, the ink is partially pinned in place during printing using a curing lamp, and then fully cured to create a durable, high-quality finish.
Toner printing technology
Toner printing (also known as electrophotography) was first developed in 1938. It uses software, hardware, and dry toner or liquid toner to reproduce digital images on a drum and then transfer them onto a substrate. Commercially, it is most commonly used in office copiers and laser printers.
Color toner printing is a digital offset-like process: artwork is converted into separations and reproduced on the imaging drum as electrostatic fields. Charged toner particles are attracted to these areas, forming a single-color image.
Toner formulations, along with the contact printing and fusing process, mean that toner does not penetrate the substrate to maximize adhesion. As a result, toner labels often require varnishing or lamination to ensure durability. Limited bonding between toner and the substrate also means not all substrates are suitable for toner printing. For example, synthetic substrates typically require pretreatment to ensure toner adhesion.
Performance comparison
While both inkjet and toner printing can deliver high-quality results, in print shops that run both technologies, converters often prefer UV digital inkjet printing for several reasons.
1) Color consistency
Color consistency is critical, and OEMs require all labels to meet brand color standards.
As a non-contact printing technology, inkjet offers excellent color consistency and strong tolerance to changing environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity. In contrast, temperature and humidity fluctuations are more likely to affect the reliability of electrostatic charge in toner printing, which can negatively impact color consistency.
2) Durability
Durability is another key factor. A label’s appearance matters to brand owners—not only at the point of sale, but throughout the product lifecycle. Durability is also essential for regulatory compliance when labels include expiry dates, allergens, or safety warning symbols.
UV digital inkjet provides consistent curing and strong adhesion across a wide range of substrates, producing a surface with long-term durability. Once cured, UV inkjet labels resist abrasion and scratching, tolerate environmental factors such as heat, water, and chemicals, and offer high lightfastness.
This durability can often be achieved without additional coatings (such as varnish or lamination), which toner printing typically requires. Therefore, converters that have both technologies can reduce costs for demanding applications by choosing inkjet labels.
3) Productivity and speed
Productivity is one of the main criteria converters consider when comparing digital label presses, and inkjet often wins on speed. Both inkjet and toner systems on today’s market can run at high speeds. However, digital inkjet has an inherent advantage because it does not require physical contact with the substrate to form the image.
For most inkjet presses, printing speed can be increased by lowering resolution. Analysts also predict that with advances in printhead technology, it will become possible to increase speed while maintaining high resolution.
4) Speed limitations in toner
With toner, increasing speed is generally more difficult because speed often depends on toner particle size, coverage, and the number of colors used—factors that affect transfer speed and required fusing time.
5) Cleaning and maintenance
Cleaning and maintenance should also be considered. Regular cleaning of press components ensures consistent print quality and helps prevent unnecessary transfer issues.
Inkjet press maintenance tasks (such as nozzle cleaning and capping, as well as printhead alignment and registration) can be easily automated using onboard tools. By contrast, cleaning and recalibrating toner presses can be more time-consuming and may require skilled operators.
The Packaging Futures to 2026 analysis report notes that converters using toner technology typically have lower uptime than those using inkjet technology, which affects overall productivity and ROI.
6) Total cost of ownership
Total cost of ownership is another key consideration, and consumables account for a large share of ongoing operating costs.
Converters with both technologies often use toner presses for high-coverage labels because the “click charge”—a fixed fee per imaging drum rotation charged as part of a lease to cover maintenance and consumables—remains the same regardless of how much toner is used, making toner more economical for heavy coverage.
However, for medium or low coverage applications, inkjet is often preferred because ink costs are lower for these jobs.
Conclusion
While both technologies have strengths, based on the comparison above, inkjet printing appears to be the better choice for forward-looking label converters. However, before making a final decision, converters should work with their press technology providers to evaluate the specific needs of their customers’ label applications.
An experienced provider can run tailored demonstrations using custom sample files, allowing converters to see the advantages of inkjet, experience the ease of operation, and closely review the excellent print quality of the inkjet label samples produced.