The main choice for consumers looking for a printer is either an inkjet or a laser. If you're in an office environment, where it's more important that you get crisp, black printing quickly, a laser printer is probably the better option.
Laser printers get their name from the way they form images on paper.
A small laser paints a picture across a light sensitive drum. This image is transferred to paper using a technology similar to that found in a photocopier. Colour laser printers are available, but they are expensive, and so still really only have a place in design studios and corporate offices where the cost is justified. In a laser printer the ink is toner, and toner cartridges are often capable of printing 2500 to 5000 pages. Replacements often include both toner and the light sensitive drum mechanism.