It would be wrong to definitively say one technology is an improvement on the other, but there are advantages of inkjet printers over laser printers. Many of these advantages derive from inkjet’s longevity. Simply put, this technology has been available for a long while. It has gone through enough changes and tweaks so that the versions we now have are efficient and comparatively inexpensive.
It is generally more expensive to purchase a laser printer than an inkjet one. However, the costs needed to operate the two machines do complicate this comparison. Inkjet printers use ink to color their documentation, while laser printers are essentially etching the print in the material. Although laser printers don't have much residual cost or consumables, they are still much more expensive than inkjet printers. Overall, cost of ownership depends on how long the given printer is in use for.
Thermal inkjet is the simpler technology of the two, with a technology based on the same printers used in a desktop printers. As a result, one of the advantages of inkjet printers over laser printers is that with inkjet printers, you are less likely to run into maintenance issues. If a laser printer were in an environment where there is dust, moisture, or vibrations, it would be in danger of malfunctioning.
For printing with color, an industrial inkjet printer has many more options compared to laser printers. And with thermal inkjet printers, you can change colors in less than one minute!