These cost-efficient models from Brother and Canon outperform inkjet printers on text quality, speed, and reliability
Black-and-white laser printers tend to be reliable, inexpensive to operate, and adept at quickly printing sharp, clear text documents.
By Courtney Lindwall
Laser printers might seem like a better fit for your office than your home, but in fact, they excel at the nitty-gritty tasks that people perform regularly.
They churn out pages of text faster and with higher quality than inkjets. And, based on our exclusive surveys of CR members, they’re significantly more reliable, too. Black-and-white laser printers are also much cheaper to operate than most inkjet models.
They’re not perfect, though. They tend to be bigger than inkjet models and often cost more up front (though not nearly as much as color lasers). And, in general, they don’t perform as well as inkjets when printing graphics and photos.
The models in the roundup below get high scores in Consumer Reports’ labs. Each works wirelessly, holds a large paper supply, and can print double-sided. Most importantly, all of these laser printers churn out crisp, clean text with reliable speed.
Best Compact Laser Printer
Canon imageCLASS LBP247dw
If you don’t need to copy or scan, and, like most people, you generally print in black and white, the Canon imageClass LBP247dw could be an ideal office mate.
The compact LBP247dw delivers on performance. It earns top marks for text quality and speed. It’s also particularly easy to use, our testers say, and offers a number of handy features. The LBP247dw allows for auto-duplexing, so you can easily print on both sides of a sheet. But like all the black-and-white laser printers in our ratings, this one doesn’t excel at printing graphics.
According to our estimates, you’ll likely spend around $12 per year on toner—significantly less than the $70 or more you’d spend with a traditional inkjet.
The higher-priced Brother HL-L6310DW has a larger paper tray capacity and performs nearly as well in our testing, and Brother single-function black-and-white laser printers earn a significantly higher owner satisfaction score than similar Canon printers, according to CR’s survey data. Both brands score high in this category for predicted reliability.
Best Multifunction Black-and-White Laser Printer
Brother MFC-L5915DW
Our member surveys reveal that most people do the vast majority of their printing in black and white, so if you don’t mind taking a trip to the local office supply store when you need to print in color, this monochrome all-in-one laser printer is a great option.
The Brother MFC-L5915DW produces excellent-quality text and gets top marks for speed, though the graphics aren’t great. Our analysis shows that you’re likely to spend about $11 on toner per year using this model, as opposed to the $100 a year or more commonly spent on cartridges for inkjet printers. And in our survey results, Brother’s all-in-one black-and-white lasers earn excellent marks for owner satisfaction and predicted reliability, meaning the machine is likely to remain problem-free for years.
This Brother model also offers a number of useful features that shine in a home office setting, including an auto-document feeder for copying and scanning, and auto-duplexing to print, scan, or copy on both sides of a sheet of paper.
Best Single-Function Color Laser Printer
Brother HL-L3295CDW
If you often print in color and want a compact unit, consider the Brother HL-L3295CDW. In our tests, the text quality is exemplary, while both the print speed and graphics quality are very good. The model has a 250-sheet paper tray and a second input tray that can hold an additional 30 pages. It can print in black and white if the color is empty. Expect to spend around $89 per year on toner, according to our estimates, which is in line with other color laser printers.
In a survey of CR members, Brother color laser printers earn excellent scores for reliability, which indicates that you’re less likely to face premature replacement or repairs.
Best Do-It-All Color Laser Printer
Brother MFC-L3765CDW
Do you want a printer that’s as versatile as a Swiss Army knife? Copying? Check. Color? Check. Faxing? Check. Scanning? Check. If this sounds good, consider the Brother MFC-L3765CDW.
This Brother all-in-one printer is on the lower end of the price range for color lasers, and the estimated toner cost of $96 a year is about average compared to similar models. Our testers give this model the highest rating for text quality and a strong score for speed. It also does a nice job of scanning and printing graphics. The model has an automatic document feeder, a fax feature, and auto duplexing, which allows you to print and copy on both sides of a sheet.
According to CR’s survey data, Brother all-in-one color laser printers tend to be very reliable, so you’re less likely to face ongoing issues or early replacement. Owners of Brother all-in-one color lasers also report high satisfaction with their purchase.
How CR Tests Printers
We buy all of our test samples through regular retail channels. No freebies for us. We then rigorously test every printer we evaluate on more than 250 data points, churning out hundreds of pages of text and images. We combine those test results from our labs with brand reliability and owner satisfaction ratings from our member surveys to arrive at an Overall Score that lets you compare every model on the same scale.
The printers in this roundup of top models print text with impressive quality and speed. Some models include a document feeder and scan and copy features, and those models get extra credit for that. A few excel at graphics. And the black-and-white printers won’t incur high ongoing toner costs.
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