Best color laser printers for 2024: tested and reviewed

HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw

HP Shade LaserJet Professional 4301fdw

Finest all-in-one shade laser printer

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HP LaserJet Pro MFP M182nw

HP LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw

Finest deal on a shade laser printer

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Canon Color imageCLASS MF733Cdw

Canon imageClass MF753cdw

Finest shade laser printer for small enterprise

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Brother MFC-L3720CDW Color Laser
Brother MFC‐L8905CDW Business Color Laser All‐in‐One Printer

Brother MFC‐L8905CDW

Finest all-in-one scalable laser printer for workplaces

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Canon imageClass MF654cdw
HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f

HP Shade LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f

Finest shade laser printer for medium-sized companies

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The very best shade laser printers are a fantastic funding, saving you fairly a little bit of money and time. Given the excessive value of changing cartridges in inkjet printers, you may discover shade laser printers surprisingly inexpensive. Laser printers use toner, which lasts a very long time, delivering a low value per web page for monochrome paperwork and quick shade prints. The very best shade laser printers supply fast efficiency and reliability to assist maintain your property workplace or small enterprise productive.

If it is advisable to scan paperwork for record-keeping and photograph seize or need the comfort of a shade copier, an all-in-one shade laser printer is a necessary instrument to your small enterprise or private use. For a small added value, you get expanded capabilities. That is why each mannequin on this record is an all-in-one from the perfect printer manufacturers.

Fast Overview

  • HP Shade LaserJet Professional 4301fdw: Finest all-in-one shade laser printer
  • HP LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw: Finest deal on shade laser printer
  • Canon imageClass MF753Cdw: Finest shade laser printer for small enterprise
  • Brother MFC-L3720CDW: Finest Brother laser printer for images
  • Canon imageClass MF654Cdw: Finest price range shade laser printer
  • Brother MFC‐L8905CDW: Finest all-in-one scalable laser printer for workplaces
  • HP Shade LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f: Finest shade laser printer for medium-sized companies

Why you must belief us

Digital Tendencies has been reviewing printers for 20 years and testing them to find out which provide the very best quality and quickest speeds. We examine the long-term worth of every printer, so you may know upfront if a low-cost printer is really inexpensive or if it has outrageous toner prices.

Printers are complicated machines that require understanding of the know-how to make a stable suggestion. Critiques additionally spotlight issues with compatibility and different particulars that may grow to be deal breakers if you rely on explicit options.

Key concerns whereas selecting the right shade laser printer for you

There are a number of key components to think about when selecting a shade laser printer. Buy worth issues, however long-term prices can add up shortly. Assessment all the record to seek out the right printer.

Print high quality and shade constancy

For those who’re selecting shade, you want greater than a tough copy — you need your doc to look nice. You continue to want razor-sharp textual content, but it surely’s important for colours to match what you see on-screen and in images with out banding or streaks.

Velocity and economic system

A laser printer ought to be quick and environment friendly with low working prices. In any other case, you must select a extra versatile and lower-cost inkjet printer.

Particular options

All-in-one printers embrace scan, copy, and typically fax capabilities, filling a number of roles in your workplace. Many printers supply duplex printing (double-sided), an automated doc feeder (ADF), a number of paper trays, Wi-Fi connectivity, and walk-up printing. These particulars might be critically necessary when making a purchase order resolution.

hp color laserjet pro 4301fdw review the is sturdy super fast

Alan Really / Digital Tendencies

HP Shade LaserJet Professional 4301fdw

Finest all-in-one shade laser printer

Professionals

  • Lightning quick print and scan speeds
  • Good print high quality
  • Two paper trays
  • Straightforward setup and use
  • Dependable operation

Cons

  • Shade value per web page is simply OK
  • No borderless printing

Why you can purchase this: It is a fashionable, eco-friendly shade laser printer with nice pace and high quality.

Who’s it for: House workplaces and small companies that want paperwork printed shortly.

Why we picked the HP Shade LaserJet Professional 4301fdw:

With blistering quick print and scan speeds, the HP Shade LaserJet Professional 4301fdw makes brief work of difficult jobs. It prints 35 pages per minute (ppm) for monochrome and shade paperwork and scans with its ADF at 31 ppm.

Shade paperwork look nice and images come out good even on plain paper. A USB port permits walk-up printing through a thumb drive, making the LaserJet Professional 4301fdw a wonderful all-in-one printer for dwelling and workplace.

HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw

HP Shade LaserJet Professional 4301fdw

Finest all-in-one shade laser printer

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M182nw rests beside a stack of printed documents.
HP LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw rests beside a stack of printed paperwork.

HP

HP LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw

Finest deal on a shade laser printer

Professionals

  • Low worth makes this shade laser printer a fantastic worth
  • Twin-band Wi-Fi gives fast connection and good pace
  • Massive, easy-access management panel

Cons

  • Lack an automated doc feeder
  • Small, two-line show

Why you can purchase this: It is a fantastic discount on an HP shade laser printer.

Who it’s for: Anybody upgrading from an inkjet printer for extra pace and sturdiness.

Why we picked the HP LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw:

An HP shade laser printer normally prices much more than this. HP is acknowledged as one of the crucial fashionable manufacturers for rugged and sturdy laser printers, so a LaserJet may have good high quality and long-lasting worth.

The HP LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw outputs the primary web page in 11.6 seconds and has sustained print speeds of as much as 17 ppm. That is not superfast for a laser printer, however doubles or triples the colour doc pace of most inkjets. Mixed with price range pricing, this can be a good introduction to laser printers for anybody who has used solely inkjet printers to this point.

Setup ought to be fast and simple with the HP Sensible cellular app, or you’ll be able to join the LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw on to a Home windows PC or Mac. HP high quality is never this low cost.

With built-in scanning and copying, this can work properly for a house workplace to take the burden off your inkjet printer.

HP LaserJet Pro MFP M182nw

HP LaserJet Professional MFP M182nw

Finest deal on a shade laser printer

Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw all-in-one laser appears on white.

Canon

Canon imageClass MF753cdw

Finest shade laser printer for small enterprise

Professionals

  • Superfast print and scan speeds
  • Good print high quality
  • Two paper trays
  • Straightforward setup and use
  • Dependable operation

Cons

  • Shade value per web page is simply OK
  • No borderless printing

Why you can purchase this: Nice shade print high quality in a multifunctional printer.

Who it’s for: Small companies who must print or copy paperwork and graphics shortly.

Why we picked the Canon imageClass MF753Cdw:

Laser printers are recognized to be quick and rugged, and the Canon imageClass MF753Cdw suits this description properly. This printer is constructed for pace and sturdiness, blasting by way of large jobs at as much as 35 pages-per-minute. Image high quality is surprisingly good for a laser printer, with correct colours and minimal grain. The imageClass MF753Cdw is difficult to beat for an workplace that should make or reproduce shade paperwork that characteristic graphics and images.

Canon’s imageClass MF753Cdw matches the quickest shade lasers and affords full-duplex printing, copying, and one-pass duplex scanning from its 50-sheet doc feeder. If your corporation outgrows the 250-sheet paper tray, you’ll be able to add a 550-sheet cassette to broaden capability.

The one draw back to the imageClass MF753Cdw is the considerably excessive value of shade toner, a typical situation with shade laser printers.

Canon Color imageCLASS MF733Cdw

Canon imageClass MF753cdw

Finest shade laser printer for small enterprise

Brother MFC-L3720CDW product shot on white

Brother

Brother MFC-L3720CDW

Finest Brother laser printer for images

Professionals

  • Strong print high quality for textual content and images
  • Cell and wi-fi printing assist
  • Nice selection for dwelling workplaces

Cons

  • No auto-duplexing capabilities
  • Toner might be costly

Why you can purchase this: You may get full-color laser prints shortly at an inexpensive worth.

Who’s it for: House and small workplace prospects with average print quantity wants.

Why we picked the Brother MFC-L3720CDW:

Shade laser printers aren’t low cost. This inexpensive Brother makes a fantastic addition to a house workplace or small enterprise. It has most of the identical options as dearer fashions, like its 3.7-inch touchscreen for straightforward entry to capabilities and a 250-sheet tray that permits you to print extra with out changing paper.

With a numeric pad for faxing, quick single-sided scanning, and fast copying, this printer is able to assist make your workday simpler. It is a big, heavy printer that is designed to final a very long time.

For those who just like the look of this printer, however want duplex scanning and copying, Brother’s MFC-L3780CDW affords super-fast single-pass scanning of a number of double-sided paperwork in its automated doc feeder for about $100 extra.

Brother MFC-L3720CDW Color Laser

Brother MFC-L3720CDW

Finest Brother laser printer for images

Brother MFC‐L8905CDW appears on a white background.
Brother MFC‐L8905CDW seems on a white background.

Brother

Brother MFC‐L8905CDW

Finest all-in-one scalable laser printer for workplaces

Professionals

  • Quick print speeds
  • Duplexing supported
  • Economical working prices

Cons

  • Massive measurement takes up house

Why you can purchase this: Brother’s MFC‐L8905CDW delivers quick printing speeds and long-lasting provides at inexpensive working prices.

Who it’s for: Small and medium-sized companies.

Why we picked the Brother MFC‐L8905CDW :

The Brother MFC‐L8905CDW options ultra-high yield toner cartridges that offer as much as 9,000 monochrome pages and eight,000 shade pages, so that you hardly ever have to interrupt a busy workday. An optionally available 500 sheet paper tray expands the onboard capability of 250 sheets in the principle tray and 50 sheets within the multi-purpose tray.

Print speeds of as much as 33 ppm make brief work of lengthy paperwork and further copies. This sturdy enterprise printer affords duplex for fax, scan, copy, and print capabilities and may connect with any gadget with Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or USB. A USB port permits walk-up operation with a thumb drive, whereas an NFC reader limits entry to licensed personnel.

The Brother MFC‐L8905CDW has a beneficial obligation cycle of 4,000 pages per 30 days however it might deal with printing as much as 60,000 pages in a month. For such a rugged printer, Brother did not skimp on comfort options. The seven-inch shade touchscreen might be personalized with as much as 64 shortcuts to hurry up frequent operations.

Brother MFC‐L8905CDW Business Color Laser All‐in‐One Printer

Brother MFC‐L8905CDW

Finest all-in-one scalable laser printer for workplaces

Canon imageClass MF654cdw product shot on white background.
Canon imageClass MF654cdw product shot on white background.

Alan Really / Digital Tendencies

Canon imageClass MF654Cdw

Finest price range shade laser printer

Professionals

  • Discount worth
  • Nice print high quality
  • Quick efficiency
  • Good photograph high quality
  • Media tray for straightforward envelope printing

Cons

  • No duplex scanning
  • Excessive shade toner value

Why you can purchase this: It is the perfect budget-friendly possibility for dwelling workplaces

Who it’s for: House workplaces.

Why we picked the Canon imageClass MF654Cdw

If all you want is a printer that is quick, dependable, and has nice high quality at an inexpensive worth, Canon’s imageClass MF654Cdw affords nice worth. On sale, it may be discovered as little as $300, a fantastic discount for a shade laser printer with nice shade graphics high quality. With a slight tweak to settings, you’ll be able to set images to print at 1200 dots-per-inch, leading to good plain paper photos.

At 22 pages-per-minute, it isn’t the quickest shade laser printer, but it surely works properly for standard-size paperwork. The 5-inch shade touchscreen and USB-A port on the entrance makes walk-up printing easy.

Canon imageClass MF654cdw

Canon imageClass MF654Cdw

Finest price range shade laser printer

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f on a white background.

HP

HP Shade LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f

Finest shade laser printer for medium-sized companies

Professionals

  • Compact measurement with loaded options
  • Strong security measures
  • Smartphone app assist

Cons

  • Larger than common cost-per-page print prices

Why you can purchase this: HP’s Shade LaserJet Professional MFP M480f is a speedy all-in-one printer that is designed for printing and digital doc archiving with intuitive assist for cloud storage.

Who it’s for: Small companies that want a speedy shade laser printer.

Why we picked the HP Shade LaserJet Professional MFP M480f:

Workgroups and companies that do not have a lot workplace house to spare to accommodate a big printer will recognize HP’s Shade LaserJet Professional MFP M480f. The MFP M480f provides multifunctional options that may assist together with your workplace’s doc wants, together with a built-in flatbed scanner, automated doc feeder, and duplexing capabilities. The M480f is a well-rounded multifunction printer that may nonetheless output as much as 29 ppm in black and white or shade.

This speedy however compact quantity has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low-Power, and cellular printing is supported throughout quite a lot of units and platforms. The large limiting issue on this printer is its small 250-sheet paper enter tray, although bigger workplaces with greater print jobs can improve to the optionally available 550-sheet tray. Duplexing is supported to assist save paper and the surroundings. A front-facing USB port makes it simple to print from a storage drive. The printer can print from or scan to a wide range of cloud suppliers, making it simple for digital doc archiving. Companies on a restricted print price range can spend money on high-yield toner cartridges for a decrease per-page print value.

HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f

HP Shade LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f

Finest shade laser printer for medium-sized companies

Steadily Requested Questions

Shade laser printers versus inkjet printers: what’s greatest?

Laser printers are higher for textual content paperwork, as they produce crisp textual content even at small font sizes. Over time, they’re additionally cheaper to run than cartridge-based inkjets. Nevertheless, laser printers require a bigger preliminary funding. For those who don’t print fairly often, an affordable inkjet printer may make extra sense and it might take a very long time earlier than its larger operational prices catch as much as the upper preliminary value of a laser printer. For smaller print jobs, the sooner pages-per-minute price of a laser printer additionally received’t be a lot of a bonus.

For those who’re trying to save cash in the long run and have to print photos, try inkjet options that depend on tanks for ink reasonably than cartridges. Because the tanks are refillable with bottled ink, tank printers value a lot lower than shade toner for laser printers. Not solely will tanks be higher for the surroundings by way of much less waste, however they’ll prevent cash for bigger print jobs. That is why tank printers rank extremely on our record of the perfect inkjet printers.

Laser printers are nonetheless extra sturdy, decreasing upkeep prices in case you print at excessive quantity. Lasers typically supply sooner printing speeds, saving time on giant print jobs. That is why companies typically select laser printers. Some inkjet printers, just like the Epson EcoTank Professional ET-5850 are practically as quick as lasers.

Past print high quality, inkjet photograph printers can even deal with a greater diversity of paper sorts and sizes in comparison with laser printers. Some very giant inkjets can be found that may print posters and banners. A shade laser printer will deal with inline images and graphics in paperwork simply effective. Most fashionable shade laser printers, particularly these made for small workplaces, will be capable to deal with commonplace sizes and sorts of print jobs, from commonplace paperwork to labels and card inventory.

Whereas shade laser printers have gotten a lot better at dealing with pictures, in case you’re seeking to make detailed, color-accurate photographic prints to hold in your wall, show in a gallery, or promote to prospects, a high-end inkjet photograph printers remains to be the way in which to go (or just outsource the work to a photograph lab).

Do shade laser printers include Wi-Fi or AirPrint assist?

Sure. As with inkjet printers, wi-fi connectivity has grow to be commonplace on shade laser printers. Which means you should utilize Apple AirPrint to your iPhone and iPad with practically any printer, and Android’s print service is equally adept at connecting. There are extra particulars about cellular use beneath.

You can even use Wi-Fi to print and scan with Home windows and macOS. Nevertheless, in case you use a Linux laptop or need to print from a Chromebook, examine the producer’s web page to verify the printer is suitable together with your system.

How can I print from my iPad, iPhone, or Android gadget?

Shade laser printers assist Apple AirPrint, making it simple to print from an iPad or iPhone to a printer in your Wi-Fi community. Android telephones and tablets can even connect with Wi-Fi printers shortly and simply.

For scanning, upkeep, and different particular options, you will want to put in the producer’s cellular app from Apple’s App Retailer or Google Play. The cellular app will typically present extra choices for high quality, enter tray, and paper measurement and kind.

How typically will I’ve to purchase toner?

This is determined by how a lot you print. Toner cartridges typically have yields of two,000 pages or extra (examine the specs of your printer to your mannequin’s particular yield). For gentle dwelling use, meaning many individuals may simply go a 12 months or extra with out changing toner. For workplace use, the alternative interval shall be shorter, however toner may nonetheless final just a few months.

How can I lower your expenses on toner?

Step one is to print effectively; that’s, double-check your web page structure settings and ensure every thing is right earlier than you hit that print button. You can even lower your expenses by stopping wasted shade toner by setting a black and white printer because the default.

When it’s time to reorder, it can save you cash by shopping for third-party toner cartridges. Nevertheless, shopping for third-party toner probably isn’t beneficial by your printer’s producer, however as long as you make sure that it’s suitable together with your printer, it ought to work simply effective. Nevertheless, some printers, just like the HP mannequin above, search for a toner that makes use of a particular chip figuring out it as authentic tools. HP warns that whereas another cartridges may fit as we speak, they might not sooner or later.

Can I purchase a shade laser printer with built-in fax?

Sure. Many all-in-one laser printers can scan, copy, and fax paperwork. For those who’re doing lots of faxing, copying, or scanning, make sure to select a printer with an automated doc feeder (ADF), and if you wish to do double-sided scans and double-sided prints, a mannequin that has a duplex ADF and duplex printing shall be greatest. Double-sided prints can even assist lower your expenses if value is a priority. Observe that not all all-in-ones — additionally referred to as multifunction printers — have fax modems, so make sure to examine the specs before you purchase. For those who want a multifunction printer, make sure to try our greatest picks for all-in-one printers.

How do you take a look at shade printers?

To search out the perfect shade laser printers, we think about standards similar to pace, worth, upkeep prices, and any distinctive options that assist them one-up the competitors.

Our alternatives are primarily based on our long- and short-term testing; expertise with earlier fashions; familiarity with the corporate’s applied sciences; session with trade specialists, fellow journalists, and customers; on-line boards; lab outcomes; and different third-party opinions. We glance throughout the board — not simply at our personal experiences — to seek out consensus on what we expect are the best-performing printers you’ll be able to presently purchase. We additionally have a look at record pricing to find out if a product is value the fee. We’ll even advocate printers that aren’t new, supplied the options are nonetheless best-in-class.

The printer market evolves always, with producers both introducing higher fashions with new options or fundamental upgrades. So, you’ll be able to count on our picks to vary as properly. However don’t fear — the fashions you see right here shall be with you for a while, and if we anticipate higher fashions on the horizon, we are going to state that upfront that can assist you resolve whether or not you can purchase now or wait.

Which is the perfect shade laser printer for dwelling use?

When looking for a shade laser printer for dwelling use, you most likely do not need a 100-pound beast meant to outlive the pains of a shared work surroundings.

A compact, budget-friendly shade laser may be perfect. Printing images is a typical use for dwelling printers and a few fashions have first rate high quality even on plain paper.

Is a laser printer good for shade?

The primary laser printers have been monochrome, however most producers supply a number of shade laser printers that present nice high quality for shade paperwork.

Nevertheless, some deal with images higher than others. For photographic-quality shade photos, it is arduous to beat an inkjet printer that is optimized for images.

Are laser printers being phased out?

Laser printers will proceed to be manufactured for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, there are some issues about their environmental affect.

Epson, for instance, is phasing out laser printers worldwide by 2026, citing the numerous vitality required to generate sufficient warmth to fuse toner onto paper.

In the meantime, HP has discovered methods to make laser printers extra eco-friendly by altering toner formulations and enhancing effectivity.

What sort of paper can shade laser printers use?

You should use paper labeled as suitable with laser printers, however shade laser printers work properly with multipurpose and even cheap recycled paper. Customary sizes and weights are effective and a few laser printers can deal with heavy card inventory and strange paper sizes. Verify the producer specs if it is advisable to print on paper that’s thicker or bigger than regular.

Since laser toner fuses to the paper, the one different restriction is that the paper can stand up to excessive warmth. Which means inkjet paper won’t be suitable with a laser printer. Whereas most inkjet printers require costly coated paper to get the perfect outcomes, even a low-cost shade laser can print good shade graphics and acceptable images.

Since shade laser printers work with strange paper, that lowers the fee per web page a bit. That stated, yow will discover shiny paper for laser printers, but it surely’s not as frequent.

How can I forestall banding in shade laser photograph prints?

Whereas inkjet printers can mix ink droplets for a variety of colours, the waxy toner of a laser printer affords a restricted palette of colours. The result’s banding in areas of comparable colours with refined gradations.

For instance, images with giant swaths of blue sky are troublesome for shade laser printers. The best approach to forestall banding is to pick a unique photograph. Nevertheless, that is not all the time doable.

In case your coronary heart is ready on a selected image, there is a approach to cut back banding with a bit photograph enhancing. Load the picture into a photograph editor and apply a bit noise with a filter or impact. It’d take some trial and error, but it surely’s normally doable to scale back banding with out making the image too noisy.

For those who discover our prime picks aren’t the appropriate match to your particular wants, there are different shade laser and different printer sorts which are value trying out. If you would like a top-rated printer that may match the standard of the perfect scanners, otherwise you merely simply want a extra inexpensive mannequin, be certain to check out among the all-around greatest printers in the marketplace.

For those who’re on the lookout for extra financial savings, try our guides to the perfect low cost printer offers and greatest laser printer offers accessible now.

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