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You are probably already aware that laser printing produces professional looking text documents at a lower cost per page than similar inkjet models. (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. 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.
Lexmark's entry-level C3326dw color laser printer produces quality output, is relatively fast, and supports most operating systems and platforms. Aside from the high running costs typical of lower-end laser machines, there's little to complain about. We also tested the flatbed scan quality of each multifunction printer using a glossy test photo printed on our inkjet all-in-one pick, the HP OfficeJet Pro 9015. We scanned at all available resolutions and looked for notable qualitative differences in each machine’s output, in everything from sharpness to color rendition to contrast.
Best budget color laser printer
AIOs with fax functionality will add a phone-line interface (RJ-45), unless they use cloud-based faxing. Almost any printer will include a USB Type-B connector for a direct wired connection to a single PC. (USB connectors supporting the faster USB 3.0 protocol are showing up with increasing regularity.) And even if that's the only connector, Windows will let you share the printer on a network.
Smaller businesses concerned about security issues will be assured with this device’s security system, which only stores documents in short-term memory. Smaller and medium-sized businesses primarily concerned with security should look into the HP Color Laserjet Pro M479fdw. With several safeguards, this wireless four-in-one printer ensures data is protected from hackers who may try to use printers as an entry point into your network. It even stops attacks before they happen by sending notifications when someone attempts to intercept data or if a vulnerability is detected in the firmware. Toner cartridges often have yields of 2,000 pages or more (check the specifications of your printer for your model’s specific yield).
Best Mono Laser for Offices (Print-Only)
The printer should be easy to use, so we took notes on everything from unboxing the printer to setting it up on Wi-Fi. We’ve added a sustainability section to highlight how to responsibly dispose of, donate, or recycle unwanted printers. Removed the Brother MFC-L2710DW as it's a variant of the Brother MFC-L2750DW and replaced the Brother HL-L2390DW with the Brother HL-L2325DW as the best budget pick for consistency. Replaced the Brother HL-L2370DW with the HP LaserJet M209dwe as the 'Best Cheap' pick because it's less expensive. Removed the HP Neverstop MFP 1202w and the 'Best High-Yield' category because it's discontinued and hard to find. The display and buttons are rather small, but it is well armed with security features to prevent private documents from going astray.
We've spent dozens of hours testing all the top models so you can find the right laser printer for your budget. Our in-depth laser printer reviews evaluate everything from printing quality and speed to ease of use and operating costs. This model from Brother is a fast monochrome printer and great at printing out black and white products and it’s capable of color scanning, too.
Average all across the board, except the price
For a small business with more serious productivity needs, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M479fdw is a worthwhile upgrade over our other picks. It prints and scans more quickly and more reliably than inkjet alternatives, produces sharper results, and includes robust admin and security settings designed for situations that may involve sensitive data. All-in-one color lasers like the M479fdw cost more and are more expensive to operate than inkjet printers with comparable features, but they deliver high-quality color prints, copies, and scans at a quicker pace than cheaper models.
Users can set up their printer’s Wi-Fi connection using the HP Smart app, but you also have the option to use an Ethernet cable. The app is helpful because it allows you to monitor your toner levels and order a new one. You can rest assured that the printer won’t waste any energy because it comes with HP Auto-On/Auto-Off technology. The printer has a 2-line LCD with a keypad, and some might feel like it’s outdated compared to its rivals.
Brother MFC-L2750DW
The Xerox Phaser 6510/DNI is a powerful color laser machine, and both owner and editorial reviews report very good print quality. However, they also mention networking issues with some routers, along with parts failures. Scans from the automatic document feeder looked just fine in our tests, though they could come out a bit crooked if you don’t micromanage the paper guides on the ADF tray (a fault shared by many all-in-ones). Flatbed scans, which sidestep this issue, had excellent sharpness in our tests due to the 1,200 dpi maximum resolution .
Additionally, it doesn't cost much to maintain as the toner cartridge yields a large number of prints and is fairly cheap. The main tradeoff is the lack of a scanner, so you need to be sure you won't need to scan anything. Of course, there is quite a range of laser printers now on offer for consumers to choose from. When compiling this review, this meant we had to narrow down the devices by taking into account speed, longevity, print quality - and cost. Another important consideration was what the printer might eventually be used for.
Testing this is easy; I simply used a stopwatch and printed 10 pages of text of varying sizes and type faces. I used Filleramato generate random text from Star Wars and Monty Python and changed the font size randomly across the page. I also used different fonts like Arial and Times New Roman to see how they would print. I even added Comic Sans into the mix, as people still think it's a good idea to use it. The setup was quick and easy and the Wi-Fi connection seems to be solid wherever I put it in my house. Print time was average at 1 minute, 15 seconds, but the text quality more than made up for the speed.
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. Using boiler-plate standard printing paper in its 150-sheet input tray, the HP LaserJet MFP M234dwe is well-equipped for everyday office duties.
Laser printers are not photo printers, per se, but models like the Canon Color imageClass MF644Cdw go a long way to blurring the lines between them, which makes sense coming from a company like Canon, known for its cameras. While we wouldn't recommend it for photographers, the MF644Cdw is hard to beat for the office that needs to make or reproduce documents that contain graphics and photos. We've tested and reviewed the top models for home and small office use from many of the major printer manufacturers including Brother, Canon, Epson and HP.
Your browser is not supported or outdated so some features of the site might not be available. From playing a prototype PlayStation One to meeting a man called Steve about a new kind of phone in 2007, he’s always hunting the next big thing at the bleeding edge of the electronics industry. After editing the tech section of Wired UK magazine, he is currently specialising in IT and voyaging in his VW camper van. Each and every "Best of.." list on TechJunkie is curated by our content-area subject matter experts to provide a well-rounded, unbiased perspective to help and inform you, our reader. Our lists are constantly reviewed and updated, so you can be sure you're reading relevant and up to date information. Enterprises is what the MFC-L9570CDW is all about, specifically ones that need to segment output or document workflows between teams.
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