When the first laser and inkjet printers meant for PCs became available—at about the same time, in the middle of the 1980s—each was limited to monochrome printing only, and the advantages for each were obvious. Lasers were far faster and delivered much better text quality at a lower cost per page, while inkjets were cheaper to buy. Today, the capabilities for both overlap more, making the advantages for either more nuanced.
Some things remain the same, though. Laser printers still offer some obvious strengths: fast print speeds and reasonable costs per page (especially for text output); crisper edges than inkjets, giving a cleaner, more professional look to text and line graphics; more saturated, vibrant color than most inkjets when both are printing on plain paper; resistance to fading; and smudge-proof output.
We’ve outlined below our top picks among home and office lasers that we’ve tested. Read on for our labs-tested favorites, followed by the buying basics you should know when buying a laser printer. Also note: At the very end of this article is a detailed spec breakout of our top models.
1. HP Neverstop Laser 1001nw Printer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Very low running costs (and aggressive printer price) | – No support for automatic two-sided printing |
| + Small and light | – Below-average graphics output |
| + Good text print quality | |
| + Easy, no mess toner refill kit |
HP Neverstop Laser 1001nw Printer
The first entry-level, cartridge-free mono laser, the HP Neverstop 1001nw prints for a fraction of the cost of its closest competitors, making it a terrific choice for producing up to a couple of thousand pages each month.
د.إ 655.00
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Why We Picked It
HP’s Neverstop Laser 1001nw ($279.99) is the standalone, print-only version of the Editors’ Choice Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w reviewed here a few weeks back. After its all-in-one sibling, the Neverstop 1001nw is the second bulk-toner or cartridge-free laser printer to pass through our labs. Like HP’s bulk-ink Smart Tank Plus inkjets, as well as other discount-ink printers such as Epson’s EcoTank and Canon’s MegaTank models, Neverstop laser printers deliver some of the lowest running costs in the business. That key fact, plus a decent feature set and overall good print quality, make the 1001nw a terrific value for homes, small offices, and workgroups that need to print and copy 500 to 2,500 monochrome pages each month. As the first cartridgeless single-function laser, it also earns our Editors’ Choice nod for an entry-level monochrome laser printer.
2. HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe Printer
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Six months of free toner and 2-year warranty with HP+ | – Lacks ADF |
| + Low purchase price | – Small 150-sheet paper cassette |
| + Low running costs with Instant Ink | – No secondary paper source |
| + Small footprint | |
| + Strong smartphone integration |
HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe Printer
Thanks to an included six-month subscription to HP’s Instant Ink program, the easy-to-use HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe monochrome laser AIO provides excellent value for the price.
د.إ
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Why We Picked It
The HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe ($179.99) is an entry-level all-in-one (AIO) monochrome printer designed for use in small to medium-size offices that need scan, copy, and fax functions but don’t need color printing. The M234dwe faces stiff competition from other small lasers—including two Editors’ Choice winners, the HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w and the Canon ImageClass MF269dw—and a few inkjet laser alternatives, such as Epson’s WorkForce ST-M3000 Monochrome MFP Supertank Printer (also a PCMag favorite). Aside from low paper capacity and the lack of an automatic document feeder (ADF), there’s little to dislike about the M234dwe, which is reasonably priced for low- to medium-volume monochrome printing.
3. Lexmark MC3426adw
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Relatively fast | – Somewhat expensive to use |
| + Terrific print quality | – Overshadowed by more robust MC2535adwe model |
| + High max and recommend print-volume ratings | |
| + Highly expandable | |
| + sSingle-pass duplexing ADF |
The Bottom Line:
The Lexmark MC3426adw is a relatively fast, highly capable color laser AIO, but it’s overshadowed by a significantly more robust sibling priced only $100 higher, limiting its appeal.
Why We Picked It
Lexmark’s MC3426adw ($499) is an entry-level-to-midrange color laser all-in-one printer designed for use in small-to-midsize offices and workgroups. Like its higher-end MC2535adwesibling (a PCMag Best of the Year product for 2019), the MC3426adw prints well and comes loaded with features. But it’s also significantly slower and costs slightly more to use, which, despite its high volume ratings and paper input expansion options, makes it a somewhat less efficient high-volume print and copy solution—especially given the modest $100 difference in list price between these two machines. If your volume requirements are relatively low (say, fewer than 1,000 prints and copies each month), the MC3426adw makes a little more sense. If, however, you print and copy a lot of color pages, that $100 difference becomes insignificant.
4. Brother HL-L3290CDW
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Fast | – No ADF |
| + Excellent print quality | – No Ethernet connectivity |
| + Good mobile support | – Basic control panel |
Brother HL-L3290CDW
The Brother HL-L3290CDW is a fast color LED printer that produces excellent output for low-volume small offices.
د.إ 1,100.00
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Why We Picked It
The Brother HL-L3290CDW ($299.99) is a color laser-class multifunction printer designed for light-duty use in small and home-based offices and work groups. It’s very similar to its sibling, the MFC-L3770CDW, in that it’s fast and produces quality output. But unlike that Editors’ Choice model, it lacks an automatic document feeder (ADF) for scanning multipage documents. If you’re only copying or scanning a couple pages at a time, though, you could save $100 by choosing the HL-L3290CDW over its higher-priced stablemate.
5. Lexmark MS431dw
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Fast and compact | – High running costs |
| + high 80,000-page max and 8,000 page recommended volume ratings | – Archaic control panel |
| + Excellent print qualuity | – No USB flash drive support |
| + Easy to use | |
| + WiFi Direct | |
| + Expandable paper input capacity | |
| + Staunch security |
Lexmark MS431dw
The Lexmark MS431dw single-function monochrome laser prints well and at a decent clip with competitive (for its class) running costs, making it a good value for busy offices and workgroups.
د.إ 3,095.00
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Why We Picked It
Lexmark’s recently released MS431dw ($299) is a midrange to high-volume single-function (print only) monochrome laser printer made for midsize offices and workgroups. A little beefier than last year’s Editors’ Choice (Canon’s similarly priced, entry-level imageClass LBP226dw), the MS431dw churns out great-looking output at comparable speeds. Its paper input capacity and expansion options are also the same. If you shop around for the Lexmark’s toner cartridges, you can easily match or beat the Canon model’s per-page cost of consumables, and the Lexmark’s suggested monthly print volume is twice that of the LBP226dw. These and a few other factors are enough to elevate the Lexmark MS431dw to an Editors’ Choice as our latest favorite midrange monochrome printer for offices that need to print several thousand pages each month.
6. Lexmark MB3442adw
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Fast printing and copying | – Somewhat expensive to use |
| + Excellent print quality | |
| + Small footprint and light weight | |
| + High print volume ratings | |
| – Single-pass ADF | |
| + Expandable paper input capacity | |
| + PCL and PostScript emulation |
Lexmark MB3442adw
The light, compact Lexmark MB3442adw mono laser AIO is relatively fast, prints well, and supports high print volumes for the price, making it a good value for any office south of the enterprise.
د.إ 699.00
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Why We Picked It
Lexmark’s MB3442adw ($429) is a midrange monochrome laser all-in-one printer designed primarily for medium- to high-volume print and copy workloads in small and midsize offices and workgroups. Like the Canon imageClass MF424dw that copped an Editors’ Choice here two years ago, the MB3442adw prints good-looking content at a respectable clip, and at competitive running costs. Overall, these two AIOs are closely matched, both in purchase price and cost per page (CPP), but the Lexmark pulls ahead in a few key areas, including input-tray expansion, volume ratings, and a few other productivity-enhancing subtleties. We wish it cost just a bit less on a per-page basis to print on the MB3442adw, but even so, it earns our Editors’ Choice nod.
7. Canon Color imageClass LBP664Cdw
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Terrific output quality | – High running costs |
| + Copious connectivity options | – Costly for volume and capacity |
| + USB thumb drive support | – Relatively slow for price |
| + Expandable paper input capacity | |
| + Enterprise and fleet ready | |
| + Strong security |
The Bottom Line:
Canon’s Color imageClass LBP664Cdw is loaded with features, including enterprise, fleet, and strong security options, and it prints well, making it a good bet for a low-volume node in a larger organization.
Why We Picked It
Canon’s Color imageClass LBP664Cdw ($1,295) is a single-function (print only) color laser printer designed for enterprise environments and fleet deployment. Aside from the enterprise and fleet compatibility and software enhancements (resulting in a significantly higher price), it’s an entry-level to midrange printer similar in features, capacity, and volume to our small office and workgroup Editors’ Choice, the Brother HL-L8260CDW, and a few others. The LBP664Cdw prints well, but its running costs are a bit high for a printer at this price. Don’t let sticker shock deter you, however, from getting the security, accounting, and other features your organization needs. While researching this review, I found the Canon all over the web for well under half its list price, making it a definite contender for enterprise and fleet deployment on a budget.
8. Brother MFC-L9570CDW
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Large 80-page ADF | – High list price |
| + Good text, graphics and photo quality | – Color cost per page should be lower |
| + Strong mobile device support | – Expansion options are expensive |
| + Potentially massive paper input capacity expansion | |
| + 80,00-page monthly duty cycle | |
| + Enterprise and fleet level security | |
| + 7″ color touch screen |
Brother MFC-L9570CDW
Brother’s MFC-L9570CDW color laser all-in-one cranks out great-looking monochrome text and color business documents, rendering it a good value for medium-sized offices.
د.إ 3,122.00
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Why We Picked It
At the top of Brother’s MFC-L series of all-in-one (print, scan, copy, and fax) printers, the MFC-L9570CDW ($1,899.99) is a medium- to high-volume color laser designed for enterprises, fleets, and busy midsize offices and workgroups. Like our Summer 2019 Editors’ Choice the Lexmark MC2535adwe, this Brother’s paper capacity is expandable, and its maximum and suggested monthly print and copy volume ratings are relatively high. Both machines print well at respectable speed and are loaded with convenience and productivity features. The differences between these two AIOs are significant, though. The MFC-L9570CDW’s potential paper-input capacity, for instance, is nearly twice that of the Lexmark. Its automatic document feeder (ADF) holds close to double the number of pages, and its security features are better suited for enterprise and fleet deployment. This Brother model also has a list price more than triple the MC2535adwe’s, but as I wrote this, I found it all over the web for well under half its MSRP, making it a terrific value for most environments that print and copy thousands of pages each month.
9. Brother HL-L6400DW
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Rapid print speeds | – No USB memory drive support |
| + Excellent text qualuty | |
| + Very low running costs | |
| + Low street price | |
| + Small and light | |
| + High volume ratings | |
| + Generous paper capacity and expansion |
Brother HL-L6400DW
The Brother HL-L6400DW is a fast, high-volume monochrome laser printer with highly competitive running costs, making it an excellent value for busy small and midsize offices and workgroups.
د.إ 2,435.00
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Why We Picked It
If you’re looking for a high-speed, high-volume, expandable single-function monochrome laser printer with a low cost of ownership, look no further than Brother’s HL-L6400DW ($1,029.99). Not only does this workhorse spit out pages in the blink of an eye, it offers great print quality, and capacity and other expansion options abound. A direct competitor to our Editors’ Choice HP LaserJet Pro M501dn and Xerox’s VersaLink B400/DN, the HL-L6400DW delivers low running costs and massive volume ratings. And don’t let the four-figure MSRP worry you—I found the printer all over the net, including at Amazon and Walmart, for about a third of its list price, making it a great value and our latest Editors’ Choice for high-volume monochrome output for small and midsize offices and workgroups.
10. Brother HL-L9310CDW
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Terrific print quality | – Somewhat pricey |
| + Fast print speeds | – Color touch screen is a bit small |
| + Low running costs | |
| + High-yield toner catridges | |
| + Highly expandable paper capacity | |
| + Enterprise and fleet security features | |
| + Ample standard and mobile connectivity |
Brother HL-L9310CDW
A fast color laser printer with low running costs, spectacular expandability, and excellent print quality, the Brother HL-L9310CDW is a first-class value for large and midsize offices and workgroups with high-volume printing requirements.
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Why We Picked It
A step up from our Editors’ Choice Brother HL-L8360CDW, the HL-L9310CDW ($1,499.99) is a high-volume, single-function (print only) color laser printer designed for midsize offices and workgroups, as well as enterprise and fleet environments. Like its slightly less beefy sibling, the HL-L9310CDW prints well at a brisk clip, and it’s loaded with security, productivity, and convenience features, not to mention highly competitive running costs (for a color laser, that is). I also found it at outlets all over the internet for under half its suggested list price, making it an excellent choice across a wide selection of busy offices. That nudges the Brother HL-L9310CDW into our Editors’ Choice catbird seat for high-volume color laser printers.
11. HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| + Robust mobile connectivity | – Somewhat high purchase price |
| + Excellent print quality | |
| + Relatively small footprint | |
| + Expandable | |
| + Competitive running costs |
HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f
HP’s Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f, a mid-volume color laser AIO printer, outclasses the competition with beautifully detailed printing and reasonable running costs.
د.إ 2,999.00
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Why We Picked It
HP’s Neverstop Laser 1001nw ($279.99) is the standalone, print-only version of the Editors’ Choice Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w reviewed here a few weeks back. After its all-in-one sibling, the Neverstop 1001nw is the second bulk-toner or cartridge-free laser printer to pass through our labs. Like HP’s bulk-ink Smart Tank Plus inkjets, as well as other discount-ink printers such as Epson’s EcoTank and Canon’s MegaTank models, Neverstop laser printers deliver some of the lowest running costs in the business. That key fact, plus a decent feature set and overall good print quality, make the 1001nw a terrific value for homes, small offices, and workgroups that need to print and copy 500 to 2,500 monochrome pages each month. As the first cartridgeless single-function laser, it also earns our Editors’ Choice nod for an entry-level monochrome laser printer.
How to Buy a Laser Printer
So, who would find a laser printer preferable to an inkjet? Definitely not a home user looking to print photos, much less a photo enthusiast or professional photographer, and not someone looking for a portable printer. But lasers are a good fit for text and graphic output, particularly in bulk: long research papers, book drafts, contracts in law offices, monthly invoices, and the like. And for printing boardroom-quality reports on plain paper, they do much better than inkjets at producing crisp, professional looking text and eye-catching color business graphics. If you print a lot of large jobs, stick mostly to text and graphics, and don’t need high quality for photos, a laser printer is likely the best match.
Lasers are also a good choice if high-quality, stable text printing matters most. Indeed, certain types of businesses, such as medical and law offices, may mandate laser printing for archival tasks and record keeping. And although inkjet text output is often close to laser quality at point sizes of 10 or 12 points, most lasers produce much more readable text at small sizes than almost any inkjet. If you need to print at 4 or 6 points, lasers are still the way to go. It can also be cheaper to print marketing materials with photos, including tri-fold brochures or one-page handouts, using a color laser that offers business-quality photo output than to pay for small print jobs at a print shop.
Innovations in laser printing in recent years include the refillable toner on the HP Neverstop Laser line.
Also consider how often you print. Conventional wisdom says that inkjets are the best choice for home use. But if you don’t print photos, there’s a strong argument for considering a laser for light-duty home use, as well, particularly if you leave your printer off for long stretches. Unlike ink in inkjets, laser-printer toner doesn’t dry out or clog nozzles. Indeed laser printers have no nozzles to clog. Even if you leave a laser printer idle for months, it will print without problems when you turn it on again. Aside from the added convenience, eliminating the cost of wasted ink on nozzle-cleaning routines might save you more than a laser printer’s extra cost compared with a less expensive inkjet.
What Kind of Laser Do You Need: Print Only, or AIO?
As with any printer technology, lasers can be either single-function or multifunction printers (MFPs), aka all-in-ones (AIOs), which is to say they can be limited to printing only, or they can add scanning at a minimum, usually copying, and often faxing as well. Either type can be a mono-only printer, or can print in color also.
In a lot of scenarios, it makes good sense to pick a single-function laser printer rather than spend more money to get what is sometimes the same printer with a scanner added. Consider whether you need heavier-duty scanning (including scans for copying and faxing) than an AIO can handle. If so, you’ll need a separate scanner, anyway, which will likely make the extra functions of an AIO superfluous. Similarly, if you already have another AIO (or a copier and a fax machine), consider whether getting a second AIO will add any convenience or capability.
At the other extreme, you may scan so little that you can take care of the occasional capture with a scan app on your phone or just take photos. Unless you need to scan files to PDF format or use optical character recognition (OCR) to turn the scans into text files, you’ll probably be scanning to the same JPG format that photos use, anyway.
Printer-only models are available in the entire range from inexpensive monochrome units meant for home-office, micro-office, or student use to floor-standing printers (mono and color) that hold thousands of sheets of paper in multiple paper drawers at once. (The latter are suitable for large workgroups or entire departments.) In between are mono and color models designed for home and micro offices, as well as models for small offices and workgroups.
The added functions in laser AIOs are the same as in inkjet AIOs, with the same potential variations. Almost all print, copy, and scan. Many fax, as well, and scan-to-email features are common. The copying, faxing, and emailing can be limited to standalone capability, through the computer only, or both. And so on. (For more variations see The Best All-in-One Printers for 2022.)
One common misunderstanding about mono laser AIOs is to think that the scanning they can do is also monochrome only. In truth, with a theoretical exception of some oddball model we haven’t seen, the scanners on any AIO today can scan in color.
Compared with inkjet AIOs, the advantages of laser AIOs include higher quality text, most noticeable at small font sizes, and smudge-proof output. Color laser AIOs also offer more vibrant color when printing on plain paper. However, know that although mono laser AIOs can handle schematics and other simple line drawings well, their output quality for graphics otherwise is generally no better than serviceable.
Some color inkjet models have a built-in automatic document feeder for easy scanning.
Whether single-function or multifunction, the range of monochrome lasers runs from small inexpensive models with modest paper handling suitable for personal desktop printing in any size office, all the way up to multi-thousand-dollar models offering speed, durability, and paper handling meant for high-volume printing in a busy large office. Color lasers add vibrant color graphics. And, as already mentioned, in addition to their high-quality text and graphics, many color lasers can print photos well enough for brochures and other marketing materials, allowing many companies to take such printing in-house.
Will a Laser Cost More Than a Comparable Inkjet, or Less?
As surprising as it may seem, a laser printer can be less expensive in the long run than a comparable inkjet. You really have to look at the total cost of ownership to figure that out, though.
A common complaint about lasers is that laser toner cartridges are expensive compared with inkjet cartridges. For inexpensive models, the cost can even exceed the cost of the printer, particularly for color lasers if you need to replace a full set of cartridges (black, cyan, magenta, and yellow toners). But if you compare the cost per page, rather than the price per cartridge, you’ll find the running cost for cartridge-based lasers is actually less than for comparable cartridge-based inkjets. In addition, most lasers are designed to last longer than most inkjets, so you can amortize the initial cost of the printer over more pages as well.
Be aware that tank-based inkjets can beat lasers on running cost, which complicates any broad-brushstroke comparison of costs between the two technologies. The tank-based models cost more than equivalent inkjets that use cartridges, but they let you use far cheaper ink, which you typically pour from bottles into large tanks in the printer. There are also a few lasers, notably the HP Neverstop Laser 1001nw and the HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w, that take a similar approach, selling toner in bulk “injectors” rather than in cartridges.
Ultimately, focusing on initial price only or on running costs only when comparing printers is likely to lead to the wrong conclusion about which will be cheaper. You need to take both into account by estimating the total cost of ownership over the printers’ lifetimes. How to Save Money on Your Next Printer: Weighing the Cost of Tank vs. Cartridge Ink gives a step-by-step example of how to compare tank and cartridge inkjets. The same approach will work with any two printers. And don’t forget to factor in the possible savings from ink subscription plans if any are available for a printer you’re considering.
Understanding Laser Printer Connectivity
Almost any printer will include a USB Type-B connector for a direct wired connection to a single PC. And even if that’s the only connector, Windows will let you share the printer on a network. But the easiest, and most efficient, option for connecting to a network is an Ethernet port, which all but the least-expensive lasers generally include as well. Connecting with Ethernet is usually as simple as plugging in the cable.
Most lasers today also offer Wi-Fi for network connection, either as an alternative to Ethernet or as the only choice. Wi-Fi lets you put the printer anywhere without having to worry about stringing cables, but is sometimes tricky to set up. AIOs with fax functionality will add a phone-line interface (RJ-45), unless they use cloud-based faxing.
Control panels vary widely from one laser printer to the next. Make sure you get one with the walk-up features you need.
Support for Wi-Fi Direct is also common, though sometimes that feature comes under a different name. It lets you establish a direct peer-to-peer connection between the printer and a computer or mobile device. However, you don’t actually need Wi-Fi Direct to print wirelessly. If the printer is attached to a network, using either a wired or wireless connection, and you can connect to the network by Wi-Fi from a computer, phone, or tablet, you can print over the network. Just check to be sure that the manufacturer offers a free downloadable app for printing (as well as for scanning, for an AIO) that your phone or tablet can use. Another option that is less common is support for Near-Field Communication (NFC), which lets you initiate the wireless connection to a mobile device by simply tapping the device on a specific spot on the printer.
Laser Printer Output Speeds: Where Testing Matters
Speed ratings are determined differently for laser printers than for inkjets, which is why an inkjet and laser with the same rating in pages per minute (ppm) can come in at significantly different speeds on performance tests. The vast majority of inkjets print by moving a printhead back and forth across the page. (The best-known exception: HP’s PageWide inkjet printers churn out pages at laser-like speeds by making the inkjet printhead a non-moving array.) And although inkjet ratings are given in ppm, they’re actually based on how fast they can print a page’s worth of individual lines. They’re also often based on a print mode that favors speed over quality.
Lasers are also known as “page printers,” which means they print an entire page at once. The laser draws the image of the page as an electrostatic charge on photosensitive material. The charged areas pick up toner particles to form the image for the entire page, and then the particles are fused to the paper. The process takes essentially as long to print a blank page as a page full of text.
For one- or two-page documents, a given inkjet may beat an otherwise faster laser, because lasers take longer to print the first page than later pages, and the ppm rating is based on the printing speed starting with the second page. Most laser printers’ specs include the much slower first-page-out (FPO) time separately. If you print a lot of longer documents, however, the faster speed starting with page 2 is more important; that is where a laser’s speed makes a difference.
With either kind of printer, graphics and photos add processing time. This extra time isn’t accounted for in ppm ratings. It varies from printer to printer, and it can depend on either your computer or a processer in the printer itself. What this adds up to is that vendor ratings aren’t as useful as comparative reviews for judging speeds. Ours offer cross-model print-speed comparisons with different kinds of real-world documents, using the same documents for each printer. (See how we test printers.)
Text and Color Quality Considerations
Laser printers don’t have the problems with output quality that ink causes for printing on plain paper. Toner particles, often chemically grown to uniform size and shape, are tiny bits of plastic. Unlike ink, they can’t bleed into the paper to soften sharp edges for lines and graphics. Precisely positioned by the electrostatic charge drawn by the laser beam on photosensitive material, they’re then fused in place. The precise positioning ensures professional-looking documents, an advantage that may be subtle for 10- or 12-point text, but makes a big difference in readability at 4 and 6 points. And because the fused toner sits on the surface of the page, rather than being absorbed into it, colors in graphics remain vibrant and saturated, instead of having the faded look that’s typical for inkjet color printing on plain paper.
Even a compact laser such as this Xerox model can turn out some very nice black-and-white prints.
Fusing toner also has an advantage for duplex printing (printing on both sizes of a page). Some inkjets will stop momentarily after printing one side to give the page a chance to dry before running the page through the printer again for the second side. Fused toner doesn’t need drying time. This is an important factor for any business that needs cleanly printed double-sided output at top speed. Even more important is that toner won’t smudge if you spill a few drops of water on it later. Most inks will.
Mind the Stock: Paper Handling and Duty Cycles
You’ll want to assess the paper trays in any laser model (AIO or single-function) that you’re considering: Will the capacity meet your needs? A good rule of thumb is that you probably don’t want to reload paper more than about once a week.
Paper-tray capacities tend to scale up or down with the duty cycle of the printer (more on this shortly). The key things to look for: adequate capacity, multiple trays (in models that offer optional additional trays, the additions are typically added below the printer’s body), and a multipurpose tray, or at least a one-sheet bypass tray, for easy printing on paper you don’t normally keep loaded. The output tray, meanwhile, should be large enough for the biggest document you’ll typically print.
“Duty cycle” is a specification for the monthly page count a printer is rated for. Some printers don’t offer one, which is not an issue if you don’t print much. If you print enough to wonder if you might overtax the printer, however, don’t buy one that doesn’t offer the spec.
The HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w all-in-one saves money and reduces its ecological footprint with refillable toner.
“Maximum duty cycle” is the most you can print in a given month without shortening the printer’s life, as defined by the maximum number of pages it can print in its lifetime. “Recommended duty cycle” is a suggested maximum, sometimes based at least in part on how many pages per month you can conveniently print. For example, a printer limited to a 250-sheet paper tray with no additional tray options wouldn’t merit a 10,000-page recommended duty cycle no matter how rugged it is. In general, you’ll want the recommend duty cycle to at least match your typical monthly needs. The maximum duty cycle should be well above the maximum you actually expect to print in any month. You can also use it to judge ruggedness.
Speak My Language? PCL and PostScript
Do you need PCL and PostScript? Support for one or both of these two page-description languages (PDLs) is critical for those who need it, but otherwise irrelevant. PCL was once standard for business users, and is still required in some cases, but not usually needed. PostScript can be essential for pre-proofing commercial print jobs, particularly in concert with desktop-publishing applications that won’t work without it. It also guarantees that when printing a document, page breaks and line breaks will be the same when printing on any PostScript printer, and also the same as you saw on screen, assuming the program was set to use a PostScript driver. (Converting it to PDF format serves the same purpose.)
Generally speaking, if you’re in a position to buy a printer for your business, you should already know if you need one or the other of these PDLs. If you don’t need them, you can often find an identical or similar model for less from the same manufacturer, minus only the PCL or PostScript support. Don’t pay extra for it if you don’t need it.
Further Features to Look For
Most lasers today have an automatic duplexer for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper, and all but the least-expensive AIO models supplement their flatbed with an automatic document feeder (ADF), which is essential unless you rarely scan, copy, or fax multipage documents.
Machines like this Lexmark model can be expanded with additional paper trays that stack on.
Duplex scanning, the ability to scan both sides of a page, is available in many ADFs, with three variations on the feature. The most common choice is a reversing ADF (RADF), which scans one side of the page, flips the page over, and scans the other side. The most convenient (and most expensive) scans both sides in one pass, using scanning sensors both above and below the page. Assuming the same speed for simplex (one-sided) scanning, an ADF that scans both sides at once is more than twice as fast for duplex scans than an RADF, making it the preferred choice if you need to scan in duplex on a regular basis. The third approach to duplex scanning, which is most suitable if you need the feature only occasionally, is a simplex ADF paired with built-in firmware or with software for your PC that will let you scan one side, wait for you to flip the stack over, scan the other side, and automatically interfile the pages in the right order.
Finally, note that some models of both single- and multi-function printers support office-centric security and convenience features that may or may not be useful for any given office. Among these are support for controlling settings and monitoring status over a network; private printing, which lets you send a file with sensitive information to the printer and hold the print job in memory until you enter a PIN code at the printer’s front panel; and, for those printers that include a built-in hard drive, hard drive encryption and the ability to wipe the drive clean when decommissioning the printer.
The Brother HL-L9310CDW color laser printer has a variety of communication options and even supports tapping ID cards for access.
Also in this category are print-volume tracking and access controls that might, for example, let you to limit who is allowed to print in color (the aim being to lower printing costs). For more of these business-focused features, see our guide to the best business printers, which covers both laser- and inkjet-based models.
LED Versus Laser Print Technology: What’s the Difference, and Does It Matter?
LED printers are lasers printers’ fraternal twins. Both are electrophotographic printers, which means they print by using light to draw images to be printed on photoelectric material, which attracts particles of toner to be transferred to paper. The only difference is the light source: LED or laser. LED models tend to be somewhat smaller than directly comparable laser printers, which makes them particularly suitable where space is at a premium. But for purposes of comparison, they are essentially variations on a theme, a distinction with little to no real-world difference.
Key printer players that offer LED-based models (as well as laser ones) include Brother and Xerox. At this writing, you can also still find OKI Data LED models for sale, but OKI no longer distributes printers in either North or South America.
So, What Is the Best Laser Printer to Buy?
Laser printers have much to offer businesses of all sizes, from sole proprietorships to large corporations, and are worth considering, for some, for home use as well. Take a look below at our list of best lasers we’ve tested, which span a wide range of prices and capabilities.
We update these picks often, but also check out our printer category page for the very latest reviews we’ve posted, including many models that didn’t make the cut here but are also worth considering. And for more printer buying advice and reviews, check out our top printer picks overall, the best inkjet printers, and our picks for best all-in-one printers.
Source: https://me.pcmag.com/en/migrated-20242-printers/9499/the-best-laser-printers-for-2022