If you value speed and ultra-crisp print quality, consider getting a laser printer. A laser printer’s strength lies with its ability to quickly output the sharpest text possible, at a quality rivalling a professional printer. Whether you need to print stacks of text documents, business reports, marketing materials and more, laser printers are generally up to the task—albeit at a higher total cost as compared with inkjet printers. And remember that the best laser printers can be used in a home office or a small business with multiple users, too.
The best laser printers provide fast print speeds and professional-looking pages in black-and-white … [+]
Brother
A laser printer relies on a laser to heat toner which bonds to the paper, as opposed to the way an inkjet printer sprays liquid ink onto paper in tiny droplets. Laser printers typically produce sharper text and graphics than inkjet printers, but inkjet printers remain the best choice if you want a printer which can also handle printing photos.
Most people need to think about two main considerations when choosing a laser printer. You’ll probably need to choose between a dedicated printer which only prints, and an all-on-one (AIO) printer which also serves as a photocopier, scanner and potentially a fax machine. In addition, you should decide if you want a monochrome or color laser printer. Monochrome printers are less expensive, but of course can’t produce color documents. A color laser adds full-color printing to its arsenal, but they’re more costly to purchase and maintain over their lifetime than their monochrome counterparts.
We’ve rounded up six of the best laser printers you can buy today, with picks spanning all budgets and usage needs—whether you’re running a home office or a small business.
Best All-In-One Color Laser Printer Overall
Add A Splash Of Color
Editor’s Pick
Printer type: Laser (color) | Features: Print/Copy/Scan/Fax | Print speed: 22 ppm | Duty cycle: 40,000 pages per month | Print resolution: 600 x 600 dpi | Scan resolution: 600 x 600 dpi | Paper tray size: 100-sheet, 250-sheet | Two-sided printing: Automatic
Best for: High-quality, high-capacity color printing at a home office or small business.
The HP LaserJet Pro M283fdw has a reasonably fast print speed, outputting both black and color pages at 22 ppm. You’d have to spend another $200 to get a faster color laser model. This model supports wired and wireless networking, including a variety of print protocols for wireless printing, including Apple AirPrint, HP ePrint, HP Smart Apps, Mopria Print Service and Wi-Fi Direct).
The printer has a 50-sheet auto document feeder for scanning and copying stacks of documents. And it serves as a fax machine as well. The 2.7-inch color touchscreen makes it easy to navigate among printer functions. Like most color laser printers, it uses a four-cartridge system—with separate toner cartridges for black, cyan, yellow and magenta. Each is available in a standard or high-capacity version, and start at $66.
Pros:
- Excellent print quality and above-average print speed
- Flexible wireless printing
- 50-sheet document feeder
Cons:
- Expensive toner cartridges
Best All-In-One Monochrome Laser Printer Overall
A Printing Workhorse For Home Or Office
Good Value
Printer type: Laser | Features: Print/Copy/Scan | Print speed: 23 ppm | Duty cycle: 25,000 pages per month | Print resolution: 600 x 600 dpi | Scan resolution: 600 x 1,200 dpi | Paper tray size: 250-sheets | Two-sided printing: Automatic
Best for: A home or office focused on printing in black-and-white at the lowest possible cost.
The HP LaserJet Tank MFP 2604sdw is part of HP’s Tank series designed with economical, refillable toner cartridges. The printer comes pre-loaded with what HP describes as up to two years worth of ink, and it supports toner cartridge refills with enough ink to print up to 2,500 ($17) and 5,000 ($30) pages. Not only is this printer affordable to maintain on a cost-per-page basis , it allows you to produce long documents quickly thanks to its speedy 23ppm print speed.
This all-in-one printer has a 40-page automatic document feeder, and a 250 sheet paper tray. The printer lacks a display; to control its features, you must use your computer or mobile device. Like other HP models, this printer support a variety of wireless printing protocols, including HP Smart App, Apple AirPrint, Mopria and Wi-Fi Direct.
Pros:
- High print yield from low-cost toner cartridges
- Higher than average print speed
Cons:
Best Dedicated Monochrome Laser Printer For Home
Fast, Inexpensive Printing
Printer type: Laser | Features: Print | Print speed: 23 ppm | Duty cycle: 25,000 pages per month | Print resolution: 600 x 600 dpi | Paper tray size: 250-sheets | Two-sided printing: Automatic
Best for: A home or office that needs a low-cost , high-speed laser printer.
The HP LaserJet Tank 2504dw is another of HP’s refillable toner laser printers. This single-purpose laser printer is similar to the HP LaserJet Tank MFP 2604sdw, but sells for $100 less because it lacks the 2604sdw’s all-in-one capabilities.
The 2504dw does just one thing—print—and it does it rather well. This model prints monochrome documents at a relatively high speed. And it does so with an extremely low cost-per-page. Each HP 153X High Yield toner refill has up to a 5,000 page print yield and costs $30 (a 2,500 page yield refill costs $17). The printer has both wired and wireless networking, with the latter handled by HP Smart App, Apple AirPrint, Mopria and Wi-Fi Direct. The printer is fairly compact and can fit well on a desk.
Pros:
- Fast print speed
- Low per-page printing cost
Cons:
- Lacks scan and copy functions
- No color printing
Best Dedicated Color Laser Printer
Color For The Price Of Monochrome
Good Value
Printer type: Laser | Features: Print | Print speed: 19 ppm | Duty cycle: 30,000 pages per month | Print resolution: 2,400 x 600 dpi | Paper tray size: 250-sheets | Two-sided printing: No
Best for: A home or small office that requires higher-quality color printed output.
The Brother HL-L3210CW is a dedicated color laser printer with a reasonably fast 19 ppm print speed in either black or color. It also offers an impressive print resolution (2,400 x 600 dpi) for a printer at this low price point. On the plus side, the printer supports a variety of wireless printing protocols (including AirPint, Google Cloud Print, Mopria and Wi-Fi Direct).
Although the HL-L3210CW was originally released several years ago, it continues to serve well as a general-purpose color laser printer that generates good quality output at a speed that won’t keep you waiting. It uses four separate toner cartridges, which can get a bit costly to maintain. The genuine Brother TN223BK (black) toner cartridge is priced at $60 and generates about 1,400 pages, while each of the three required color toner cartridges (cyan, magenta and yellow) have a print yield of approximately 1,000 pages and cost $76 apiece.
Pros:
- Good print speed (19 ppm)
- First print out in 15.5 seconds
- Deliver professional-quality color output
Cons:
- Toner cartridges are expensive, with low print yield
- Lacks two-sided printing
Best Budget Monochrome Laser Printer
Fast Printing, Low-Cost
Printer type: Laser | Features: Prints | Print speed: 36 ppm | Duty cycle: 15,000 pages per month | Print resolution: 2,400 x 600 dpi | Paper tray size: 250-sheets | Two-sided printing: Yes
Best for: Someone looking for an extremely low cost monochrome laser printer.
The Brother HL-L2370DW’s comparatively low price and small size doesn’t mean you’re sacrificing on performance. Measuring practically 14-inches square, this printer outputs pages at a brisk 36 ppm, comes with an enclosed 250-sheet paper tray. And it does so at 2,400 x 600 dpi, a digitally enhanced resolution for even sharper text and more detailed grayscale images.
While it’s toner isn’t as inexpensive as HP’s refillable models, the HL-L2370DW costs $45 for a cartridge yielding up to 1,200 pages. It works with Amazon Alexa for voice control and automatic two-sided printing, a convenience for saving paper. The printer has ethernet and wireless connectivity, with wireless printing facilitated by the Brother iPrint&Scan app, Wi-Fi direct or Apple AirPrint. If you want the most inexpensive way to start printing on a laser printer, this Brother model is your best bet.
Pros:
- Excellent print resolution
- Above average print speed
Cons:
- Lacks all-in-one functions