Laser Printers
You’re thinking of upgrading your old dot-matrix printer that has served you for many years. You’ve thought of upgrading to a laser printer since you’re going to print black & white documents most of the time and you like the printing quality that comes with it compared to an inkjet printer. Since it’s going to cost you quite a bit of money, it is therefore wise to get know some of the best laser printers out there so that it will save you much much more in the long run.
Laser Printer Buying Guide
1) Black & White, Color Or All-in-One?
Monochrome or black & white laser printers are best used if your main objective is to print large volumes of text documents rather than colored documents or photos for that matter. These monochrome laser printers are able to print out black text sharper than any inkjet printers.
If printing color-rich brochures are the norm, then it’s advisable to go for color laser printer that use CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow) toner. The downside is these color laser printers are more expensive than the monochrome type.
All-in-one laser printers usually come with fax, photocopier and scanner in addition to the laser printer. Although they offer added versatility, they do not deliver the high quality printing that comes with either monochrome or color laser printers.
2) Personal or Network?
Personal laser printers are best used in home or small office environment where the typical printing requirements may run into hundreds of pages daily.
Network laser printers are usually connected to the local area network (LAN) and as such everyone in the office will be able to print their own documents individually. They are faster than the personal laser printers and offer higher volume of prints which runs to thousands of pages on a daily basis.
3) Resolution
Just like the inkjet printer, resolution is the quantity of dots of ink per inch a laser printer makes, in terms of horizontally and vertically. It plays a very important consideration in the printing quality of any laser printers. For monochrome laser printers, choose at least 1200 x 600 dpi. Shoot for at least 5760 x 1440 dpi for color laser printers.
4) Printing Speed
Laser printers are known for their high printing speed as they are typically used in an office environment that demands high volume printing almost everyday. Choose one that prints out at least 15-20 pages per minute for black & white printouts.
5) Paper Handling
It would be wise to go for a laser printer that can print on almost any surfaces such as transparencies, labels, papers etc. Do also take note of the paper sizes that they can print to as you may need to use different paper sizes such as A3, A4 and A5 from time to time.
6) Internal Memory
Much like the fax machine, a laser printer’s internal memory serves the purpose of enabling multiple print jobs and it is quite important when you start to print graphics-rich documents so that it will not slow down the computer.
Laser Printer Reviews & Ratings
We found the best laser printer reviews from CNET, Consumer Reports, LaserPrinterReviews, PC World and PCMag. Professional reviewers there tested some of the best laser printer models from well-established and trusted makers such as Canon, Dell, Epson, HP, Kodak and Lexmark and Samsung. Laser printer ratings based on black text and color graphics quality determines the best laser printers in their class.
Best Laser Printer (Black & White or Monochrome)
Laser Printer Reviews #1: Always reliable with outstanding laser printer reviews from users and expert reviewers is the best rated Brother HL-5250DN Network Ready Laser Printer. Add productivity to your home / small office environment with this Brother laser printer that’s designed for robust use. This best laser printer from Brother features 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution for extremely high quality black and white printouts, printing up to 30 pages per minute hence suitable for office environment where speed is critical. With 250 sheet paper capacity and supports multiple paper sizes from A4, A5, letter and legal. Comes with built-in ethernet network interface for simultaneous printing within workgroup. Includes 32 MB (expandable to 544 MB) memory for multitasking capabilities.
Laser Printer Reviews #2: In a world of its own with outstanding laser printer reviews from users and professional reviewers is the best rated HP LaserJet P1505 USB Printer. Increase productivity to your office environment with this HP laser printer that’s a lifeline for effective communications. This best laser printer from HP comes with integrated networking capabilities for small workgroup printing. Features 1200 x 1200 dpi with HP Resolution Enhancement technology (REt) thus ensuring every printout is of high quality. Prints up to 24 pages per minute with first page out in 6.5 seconds due to Instant-on technology hence suitable for home/small office environment. Support multiple paper sizes such as envelopes, labels, postcards etc and types such as LaserJet, plain and photo makes it truly versatile.
Best Laser Printer (Color)
Laser Printer Reviews #3: Making its presence felt with excellent laser printer reviews from owners is the best rated Brother HL-4070CDW Color Laser Printer with Built-In Duplex Printing. For color laser printing fast and cheap, this Brother color laser printer will save you time and money. This best laser printer from Brother prints fast at 21 pages per minute color & monochrome at 2400 x 600 dpi resolution for crisper black & white text and richer color graphics, ideal for brochures, presentations and reports. Comes with built-in duplexing for double-sided printing. Also wireless interface for wireless printing within network. Supports multiple paper sizes such as letter, legal, envelopes etc.
Laser Printer Reviews #4: Adding color to the office environment with impressive laser printer reviews from reviewers and users is the best rated HP Color LaserJet 1600 Printer. Make your business and marketing documents stand out with this HP color laser printer that will add professionalism to your work. This best laser printer from HP features HP Smart Printing technology that aims to optimize print quality and reliability through effective communications between printer and cartridges for consistent color printing every time. Prints reasonably fast at 8 pages per minute color & monochrome with first page out in 20 seconds with Instant-on technology. Supports A4, legal, envelopes etc.
Laser Printer Reviews #5: Racing far ahead with splendid laser printer reviews from reviewers and users is the top rated Konica Minolta Magicolor 2530 DL Network Color Laser Printer. For a color laser printer so advanced yet priced competitively, it’s no wonder it’s the top choice for most small and medium businesses. While 2400 x 600 dpi resolution prints reasonably well in black & white at 20 pages per minute, we feel this top rated laser printer can do better than just 5 pages per minute for color printing.
Resources: Laser Printer (Wikipedia)