The best laser printer will cost more than an inkjet, and not be that great at printing photos. (If that’s your priority, see our roundup of the best photo printers). But when it comes to printing and copying documents, the quality will be much better. And if you’re printing a lot, you’ll find a laser printer much faster, and with lower running costs overall.
Below we’ve listed the best laser printers available today, in a variety of styles and a range of budgets. Choosing between them depends on where your specific needs lie.
Do you need to print in color, or just black and white? Do you want scanning, copying and faxing as well as printing? Do you wish to connect wirelessly, via an Ethernet cable, or by USB? How many sheets of paper will you want to load up at one time? What resolution do you need to print at (this is measured in dots per inch, aka dpi). Answer these questions, and it will soon become clear which is the best laser printer for you.
Best laser printers in 2023
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(Image credit: Lexmark)
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1. Lexmark MB3442adw
The best laser printer for black and white printing
Specifications
Output: Mono
Multifunctional: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Print speed: 40ppm
Paper capacity: 550
Resolution: 600dpi
Dimensions: 41 x 41 x 32.9cm
Weight: 12.8kg
Reasons to buy
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Multifunctional
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Fast printing
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550-sheet capacity
If you’re not interested in colour printing, the Lexmark MB3442adw is our pick as the best laser printer overall.
It offers two-sided printing, copying, faxing and automatic two-sided scanning, via a very nice 7.2cm colour touchscreen. It’s fastest on our list, offering print speeds of up to 40 pages per minute.
You can print via Ethernet, USB 2.0 or Wi-Fi. Its paper capacity of 550 sheets should be enough for most needs. And there’s the option to add an extra tray to bump that up to 900. On top of that, it’s relatively compact and lightweight, making it easy to move around your home office.
(Image credit: Kyocera)
2. Kyocera Ecosys P5026cdw printer
The best laser printer for colour printing
Specifications
Output: Color
Multifunctional: No
Wi-Fi: Yes
Print speed: 26ppm
Paper capacity: 350
Resolution: 1,200dpi
Dimensions: 36.6 x 41.12 x 33.9cm
Weight: 12.8kg
Reasons to buy
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Accurate colour printing
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1,200dpi resolution
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Wi-Fi and USB options
Need to print in color? Then we recommend the Kyocera Ecosys P5026cdw. It does a great job of accurately printing your files, time after time, at a high resolution of 1,200dpi. It offers very respectable speeds of up to 26 pages per minute, and duplex printing comes as standard. You can print via Wi-Fi or by inserting a USB stick (opens in new tab).
Note that this is a one-use printer: there’s no scanning, copying or faxing. And while there is a touchscreen display, it’s pretty small and basic. But that helps keeps the cost down, and so as long as none of these are deal-breakers, this is an excellent value buy.
(Image credit: Brother)
3. Brother HL-L5100DN
The best cheap laser printer
Specifications
Output: Mono
Print speed: 40ppm
Multifunctional: No
Wi-Fi: No
Paper capacity: 300
Resolution: 1,200dpi
Dimensions: 485 x 450 x 377 mm
Weight: 10.7kg
Reasons to buy
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Low price
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Fast print speeds
Reasons to avoid
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No faxing or scanning
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No Wi-Fi
Need a laser printer but watching the pennies? Then we’d suggest the Brother HL-L5100DN. It’s very cheap, but surprisingly capable. This lightweight mono printer offers print speeds up to 40 pages per minute, a resolution of 1,200 x 1,200dpi and automatic two-sided printing. That’s pretty impressive for the price, especially considering it comes with 2,000 pages’ worth of toner.
There’s no Wi-Fi option, although it will support AirPrint if connected to a wireless network. There’s no scanning or faxing. And overall, it lacks some of the sophisticated features of other models on this list. But if you’re just looking for a hardworking, high-volume printer this does offers excellent value.
(Image credit: Xerox)
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4. Xerox WorkCentre 6515dni printer
The best colour laser printer for a small office
Specifications
Output: Color
Multifunctional: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Print speed: 28ppm
Paper capacity: 250
Resolution: 1,200 x 2,400dpi
Dimensions: 42 x 50.6 x 50cm
Weight: 30.7kg
Reasons to buy
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High resolution prints
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Connect up to 7 people
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Scan, copy and fax
Need a laser printer for a small office that offers color and mono printing, along with scanning, copying and fax? The Xerox WorkCentre 6515dni provides all this, plus the ability to connect to up to seven people.
The 6516dni provides a printing resolution of 1,200 x 2,400dpi image quality and copy resolution up to 600 x 600dpi. You can print wirelessly from your laptop, tablet or smartphone via Apple AirPrint or Google Cloud Print. Alternatively, you can print via your computer via Ethernet Cable or high-speed USB 3.0.
With a capacity of 250 sheets, you won’t have to change the paper too often. Duplex printing and booklet printing are both included. Print speeds are impressive at 28 pages per minute. And you can email your scanned documents too, which is a potentially handy feature when you’re out of the office.
(Image credit: Xerox)
5. Xerox VersaLink B600dn
The best mono laser printer for a medium-sized office
Specifications
Output: Mono
Print speed: 55ppm
Multifunctional: No
Wi-Fi: Yes
Paper capacity: 550
Resolution: 1,200dpi
Dimensions: 42.7 x 46.6 x 44.3mm
Weight: 22.3kg
Reasons to buy
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Large capacity
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Very fast
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Low running cost
If you have a medium-sized, busy office and need a printer that’s going to be in use throughout the day, then the Xerox VersaLink B600dn is our top pick. Yes, it’s expensive, but in return for your initial outlay, you get very fast printing speeds, a large paper capacity, and low running costs overall.
The top speed for A4 is 55 pages per minute, by far the fastest on our list. with a first-page-out time of 7.1 seconds. With a 550-sheet main tray paper capacity, you can do a lot of printing without having to reload.
There are lots of cool features too, including automatic duplex printing, scaling, booklet printing, and Secure Print, which holds your document or image in the printer’s memory and waits for you to type your PIN before it releases it.
Overall, then, if you have a team of 10 to 20 people needing to print regularly, you won’t go far wrong. Do note, though, that this prints in black and white only, and isn’t multifunctional, in that it doesn’t include a scanner or copier.
(Image credit: Xerox)
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6. Xerox B215 laser printer
The best value laser printer for a small office
Specifications
Output: Mono
Multifunctional: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Print speed: 30ppm
Paper capacity: 251
Resolution: 1,200dpi
Dimensions: 33.45 x 36.8 x 21.3cm
Weight: 7.56 kg
Reasons to buy
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Affordable price
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Fast printing
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Scan, copy & fax
Xerox is known for high quality and performance, but its printers are generally pretty expensive. Here’s a notable exception. The Xerox B215 offers mono printing, via Ethernet, Wi-Fi or USB, as well as scanning, faxing and copying, at an affordable price. And it’s a very decent performer too.
You get higher than average print speeds of up to 30 pages per minute, and high resolution reproduction at 1,200dpi. Not to mention a generous capacity of 251 sheets plus a tilting, 3.5 inch color touchscreen, which makes this laser printer easy and convenient to use. On the downside, it takes a little time to warm up, but on the whole this is quite the bargain.
(Image credit: HP)
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7. HP Neverstop 1202nw Laser Printer
The best laser printer with refillable toner
Specifications
Output: Mono
Multifunctional: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Print speed: 20ppm
Paper capacity: 150
Resolution: 600dpi
Dimensions: 38 x 38.5 x 52cm
Weight: 8.78kg
Reasons to buy
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5,000 pages of toner included
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Saves money over time
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Multifunctional
This laser printer from HP has the name ‘Neverstop’ because it uses a refillable toner tank instead of disposable cartridges. This isn’t just good for the environment, it also saves you money: up to 60 per cent on toner each time you reload. Not to mention that you’re already getting 5,000 pages of toner right out of the box.
Besides that, this is a very capable multifunctional printer, offering mono printing, scanning and copying (although not faxing). You can print via Ethernet, USB or Wi-Fi. On the negative side, there’s no duplex printing, the paper capacity is limited to 150 sheets, and the small LCD display isn’t the best. But overall, this is a good, solid performer that delivers quality results, time after time.
(Image credit: Brother)
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8. Brother MFC-L3770CDW
The best color laser printer for high-resolution prints
Specifications
Output: Color
Multifunctional: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Print speed: 24ppm
Paper capacity: 250
Resolution: 1,200 x 2,400dpi
Dimensions: 40.72 x 40.28 x 31.14 cm
Weight: 9.38kg
Reasons to buy
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Lovely touchscreen
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High resolution prints
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Duplex printing and scanning
This color laser printer is one the expensive side, but you do get good value for money. The Brother MFC-L3770CDW allows you to print, copy, scan and fax, via Wi-Fi or USB. It has a lovely 9.3cm color touchscreen, that makes it easy to access the printer’s wide range of document handling functions.
Duplex printing and scanning is included, as is in-built toner sufficient to print 1,000 pages. Print quality is high, at resolutions of up to 1,200 x 2,400dpi, and there’s a generous paper capacity of 250 sheets. In short, this is great choice for either a home office or small business.
(Image credit: HP)
9. HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP479fdw
A great value laser printer for a small or home office
Specifications
Output: Color
Multifunctional: Yes
Wi-Fi: Yes
Print speed: 28ppm
Paper capacity: 300 (up to 850 with optional tray)
Resolution: 600dpi
Dimensions: 416 x472 x 400mm
Weight: 23.4kg
Reasons to buy
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Auto duplex printing
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Auto document feed
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Great value
Reasons to avoid
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Photo print quality not amazing
Here’s another great-value laser printer for small studio, or busy home office. Capable of printing at up to 28ppm, the supplied cartridges should last for around 2,400 mono pages and 1,200 color pages.
With has a 50-sheet auto document feeder and auto duplex for copying, scanning and fax, you can do a lot of printing without holdups. For high-volume jobs, an optional 550-sheet supplemental paper input tray is available, taking the overall capacity up to 850 sheets. There’s a nice 4.3-inch color touchscreen, with customisable shortcuts, and you can scan direct to email and PDF.
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