Laser Printer Better Than Inkjet Photo Printer?

[BlasterQ]

I was in a chatroom a while ago and I had a heated discussion with a chatter about the Epson Aculaser C9100 and Inkjet Photo Printers.
Since I have researched the Aculaser, and never was it ever mentioned in any reviews I've read about it being able to match any Inkjet Photo Printers, I made a bold claim that it could not possibly outclass my Canon Pixma IP4000 printer in terms of photo printing.
The chatter was very angry and was really annoyed at me, saying that how could his color laser printer be beaten by any inkjet printer, with his reasoning that he spent a fortune paying for his laser printer.
So we made a bet. The chatter is a friend of mine in the Philippines, and since I'm going home there this thursday, I am looking forward to show him a picture printed from my IP4000 and compare it to the same picture we will print from his laser printer.
What do you think will be the outcome? Did I bit more than I could chew in this bet?

 

[Scrubking]

I would think laser printers are better, but I wouldn't know.

 

[BlasterQ]

Laser Printers are better, because they are more economical, more permanent, and very fast. Text output is unmatched. Overall, it is better, no question about that.
But when it comes to photo printing, it doesn't match an inkjet photo printer. I've read that once in an article, and the fact that color laser printers are never advertised their photo capability as a factor in chosing their printers proves another point. Search the net for color laser printers boasting excellent photo quality prints, and you will find none.
I still think inkjet photo printers are better than any color laser printer when it comes to photo printing, but only in photo printing.

 

[Nifty]

BQ is exactly correct! In high volume you'll almost always be hard pressed to beat a laser printer in COST. This is 100% true with black / white printing and I'm pretty sure it is also true with regard to color printing. Of course, refilling, etc. do effect the price and can make the fight a little bit closer.

I wouldn't use the human eye as my only argument that inkjet is better. I'd just have him search the net for the BEST color laser printer he can find and compare its max resolution with that of the mainstream inkjet printers. The best resolution I could find was 3600-by-1200 on a $3,500 laser printer. The IP 4000 is 4800 x 1200 and the i9900 is up to 4800 x 2400 dpi.

Whatever happens you need to promise to post the results... and if you can a side by side scan of the two images!

 

[BlasterQ]

Definitely I will! I am pretty confident I would win. I've searched all info regarding the Epson AcuLaser C1900 and I still have to read a review about it's photo printing capability. With my understanding that the reviewers never even bother to write something about its photo printing capability, it is safe to assume that this printer is never intended for photo printing at all. Probably the most misleading word in the review is 'graphics' printing, which is totally different from photo printing. I bet that's what my friend is banking on. He probably is angry at me for putting down his printer with regards to photo printing, I just found out he's using it in his business to print photos from customers' digital cameras.

 

[Nifty]

Wow, that thing is pretty expensive, but I can see why... 16 ppm, 35,000 pages a MONTH duty cycle!! Sheesh! http://computing.kelkoo.co.uk/b/a/ps_355401/114901.html