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Monday, March 22, 2021

Best laser printer 2021: top picks for color and mono printing

If you're after the best laser printers of 2021, then you've come to the right place. We've got the very best color and mono printers on this page, and they all combine excellent print quality with affordable upfront prices and running costs.

So, why should you pick a laser printer over an inkjet? While inkjets are better at printing photos, and are generally cheaper upfront, the best laser printers are much better for printing large volumes of documents quickly and quietly - making the best laser printers ideal for office use.

Laser printers also won’t demand a new ink cartridge every hundred or so pages. In fact they don’t use ink at all. They rely on toner cartridges which are capable of printing thousands of pages before they need replacing. In other words, laser printers are considerably cheaper to run.

And where inkjet nozzles can become blocked or dry up when you leave them for long periods, laser printers don’t care how often you use them. They need less attention in general and they’re always ready to leap into action, which brings us to the other key advantage, speed. We’ve tested a Xerox machine that prints at a rate of 55ppm (pages per minute), which is more than double the speed of the fastest inkjet. And if you’re comparing pages of black and white text, the best laser printers will almost always produce prints that look more crisp and consistent.

Perhaps best of all, the best laser printers are more affordable and flexible than ever before. This means they make great home printers as well as being used in offices. The best laser printers come in every shape and size, and we've listed our top recommendations so that you can find the right laser printer for your home or office.

Xerox VersaLink B600DN

(Image credit: Jim Hill)

Turbo-charged printer for heavy print loads

Category: mono laser printer | Print speed: 55ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 550 | Weight: 22.3kg

Record breaking speed  
High paper capacity 
Expensive
Wi-Fi is extra

With a print speed of 55 pages per minute and room for a whole ream of paper on board, this compact device can keep a large work group printing continuously - more than justifying its place among the best laser printers around. The initial cost for a monochrome print-only device might seem high, but this premium machine is actually very economical to run and its consistent print quality justifies the price tag. The intuitive five-inch touchscreen interface will further cut down your operating time.

Brother HL-L5100DN

(Image credit: Jim Hill)

2. Brother HL-L5100DN laser printer

Compact unit for the very busy SMB

Category: mono laser printer | Print speed: 40ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 300 | Weight: 10.7kg

High print speed 
Compact unit
No inbuilt Wi-Fi 
Tiny display

This little grey box can really churn out the pages and despite the size, it will hold a lot of paper too. This makes it ideal for the small office with a high demand for black and white documents. The quality is consistent and the per page print cost is attractive. It’s light on features with no Wi-Fi or a front USB port, but what it does, it does very well.

Kyocera Ecosys P6230cdn

(Image credit: Jim Hill)

3. Kyocera Ecosys P6230cdn laser printer

Heavy duty printer for heavy workloads

Category: colour laser printer | Print speed: 30ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 500 | Weight: 28.3kg

Paper capacity 
Rapid print speed
Tiny display panel
No inbuilt wi-fi

Kyocera’s hefty print-only device feels well built and it has enough capacity for 500 sheets of paper and large toner cartridges, which makes it suitable for a big workgroup or a busy home office. It prints quickly in duplex mode and runs very quietly too. The display and buttons are rather small, but it is well armed with security features to prevent private documents going astray. 

Xerox B215

(Image credit: Jim Hill)

4. Xerox B215 laser printer

Affordable 4-in-1 laser with touchscreen appeal

Category: Mono laser printer | Print speed: 30ppm | Paper sizes: A4 | Paper capacity: 250 | Weight: 11.5kg

30ppm print speed 
Useful touchscreen 
Limited print resolution   
Slow to wake up

By Xerox’s standards, this compact four-in-one laser printer is a modest affair, offering print, scan, copy and fax functions in a small and relatively affordable package. Despite the low price, however, you still get a large tilting touchscreen for easy operation and a none-too-shabby print speed of 30ppm. You can fit 250 sheets of paper in the main paper tray and it comes with enough toner for 1,500 monochrome pages and has a fairly low per page print cost of around 2.2 pence per page

Canon imageCLASS MF743Cdw

(Image credit: Canon)

5. Canon imageCLASS MF743Cdw laser printer (i-SENSYS MF742Cdw in UK)

Fully laden laser with touchscreen convenience

Category: All-in-one color laser printer | Print speed: 27ppm (mono) | Paper sizes: A4 | Paper capacity: 250 + 50 sheets | Weight: 26.7kg

Great touchscreen
Expandable design
Not the fastest laser
Scanner is not duplex

The Canon imageCLASS MF743Cdw (known as the i-SENSYS MF742Cdw in UK) comes with all of the key features such as auto duplex printing, a fifty-sheet ADF and a front USB port while offering a good enough print speed and print quality for any small to medium-sized business. There’s plenty of room for paper and the ability to add further paper trays if required. It’s fairly economical to run and that prominent touchscreen interface makes it particularly easy to use.

Ricoh P C301W

(Image credit: Ricoh)

6. Ricoh P C301W laser printer

Ricoh keeps it simple and secure

Category: Color laser printer | Print speed: 25ppm (mono) | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 250 sheets | Weight: 26.7kg

NFC connectivity
Security features
Somewhat expensive
Small display

This simple cube of a laser printer can churn out colour or monochrome pages at a steady rate of 25 per minute. It’s simple to use too, and easy to connect with thanks to its inclusion of both Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct. There’s even an NFC chip built in for added wireless convenience. NFC makes it possible for you to pull down individual print jobs by simply tapping your NFC-enabled smartphone so that sensitive documents are never left lying on the printer. The Ricoh P C301W’s high yield toner cartridges also ensure a low running cost. 

Lexmark MB3442adw

(Image credit: Lexmark)

7. Lexmark MB3442adw

Speedy printing

Category: Colour laser multifunction printer | Print speed: 42ppm | Paper sizes: A4 | Paper capacity: 350 | Weight: 13kg

Rapid printing
Duplex scan and print
Clunky design style

It might look a little top-heavy, but this all-in-one laser printer gets the balance between price and specifications just right. It can print, copy scan and fax with the ability to both duplex scan and print. There’s plenty of room for paper inside and high-capacity toner cartridges available to keep you printing at volume. With a print speed of 42ppm, it’s one of the fastest available at this competitive price point. 

Kyocera TASKalfa 4052ci

(Image credit: Kyocera)

8. Kyocera TASKalfa 4052ci

Serious printer with a professional finish

Category: Colour laser multifunction printer | Print speed: 40ppm | Paper sizes: A3 | Paper capacity: 7,150 | Weight: 95kg

High capacity 
High print quality
Bulky and heavy   
Expensive

For very heavy workloads and a professional finish, this uncompromising laser printer will not let you down. The latest TASKalfa device has a huge capacity for any size paper from A6 to SRA3 and beyond. It prints and scans quickly and at very high quality with 1200dpi resolution and advanced colour technology. It can even staple your perfect printed pages together for you.

HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202nw

(Image credit: Future)

9. HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202nw laser printer

First laser with refillable toner tanks

Category: All-in-one mono laser printer | Print speed: 20ppm | Paper sizes: A4 | Paper capacity: 250 sheets | Weight: 8.8kg

Low running cost
Plenty of toner in the box
No auto duplex 
Slow for a laser

The HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202nw is the first to employ a refillable toner tank instead of a disposable cartridge. It’s a win for both the environment and your print budget, which could cost as much as 60% less than regular toner cartridges. This inexpensive all-in-one lacks an auto-duplex mode, but for basic monochrome printing and copying duties, this machine is hard to beat on total cost of ownership. There’s enough black toner in the box for 5,000 pages and refuelling is as simple as injecting the toner from syringe-type canister into the printer.

Ricoh SP C261DNw

(Image credit: Jim Hill)

10. Ricoh SP C261DNw laser printer

Well rounded printer for the small office

Category: colour laser printer | Print speed: 20ppm | Paper sizes: up to A4 | Paper capacity: 250 | Weight: 23.8kg

Vivid colour pages  
Duplex and Wi-Fi
Noisy and slow 
Not user-friendly

Ricoh’s colour printer comes with the essential features, such as Wi-Fi connectivity, duplex mode and secure printing built in. It looks a little dated with those wobbly plastic panels and its print speed is somewhat slow compared to other laser printers, but the print quality is particularly pleasing with both mono and colour pages and the price is competitive. 

  • Check out our list of the best printers, no matter if they are ink jet or laser


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