High-priced laser printers are a thing of the past. Laser printers are more affordable than ever and now represent the speed you'd expect from a laser printer with the print quality you want from an inkjet. This combination of speed and quality make color and monochrome laser printers great for your small business or home office setting.
The cost-effective nature of laser printers will continue to save you money. The best laser printers we reviewed have high toner yields, are ENERGY STAR certified and have high monthly duty cycles, which means that the printer can handle a high print volume before the printer fails. All of these attributes save you and your small business money through low energy costs and fewer toner and part replacements.
Finding the right printer is a smart investment for your small business. By selecting the one that is right for your specific printing needs, you can save your business time and money in the long-run. Three of the highest performing printers that are also cost effective are the Xerox ColorQube 8570, Xerox Phaser 3320 and Brother HL-L8350CDW. These three printers are an impressive mix of high performance and cost effectiveness. If you need more information on this topic, take a look at more articles on laser printers.
Laser Printers: Cost Efficiency Testing
When it comes to your small business, you want to save every penny you can. To evaluate the most cost-effective laser printers, we took the yield of each printer's standard black printer toner and divided it by the toner's cost to show you what the average cost per print is for each printer. This dollar amount is an approximated value and should only be used as such.
Your printer's power consumption can cost you and your small business money, and we want you to be aware of the potential power consumption costs of each printer. To do so, we created an exaggerated scenario where your printer runs at max power consumption for a 24-hour time period. We took the power that each printer consumes and multiplied that by 24 hours, and divided by 1,000 to convert energy to kilowatt-hours. From there, we took the national average for the cost per kilowatt-hours to arrive at the approximate cost of a full day of printing. Although our test only approximates a day's worth of running time, it gives you an idea of the potential savings an energy-efficient printer could provide you.
Laser Printers: What Else Is Important?
One of the first things you'll want to determine is whether or not you need a color laser printer or a monochrome laser printer. If your printing needs include mostly text documents, a monochrome printer might be a better option for you.
You'll also want a printer with a high print resolution. DPI stands for dots per inch, and the higher the dpi, the better your printed images are going to look. If you are printing images for presentations and handouts, you might want to consider a laser printer with a high printing resolution.
Mobile and wireless printing options are becoming more important in the digital age. Being able to print a document straight from your phone or tablet is an asset and saves you going through the trouble of trying to get your document on the right medium before printing. Look for a laser printer that offers compatibility to Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print, as well as Wi-Fi printing.
Another consideration to keep in mind is how well your printer performs. Some printers only take a few seconds to warm up and print, while others can leave you waiting to begin the printing job. Print speeds are measured in pages per minute (ppm). Printers that can print 32 or more pages per minute are considered speedy and efficient.
All printers come with a tray to hold paper. Many of the printers are expandable to hold larger amounts of paper. Upgrading your paper-holding capacity can save you time reloading depleted paper trays.
Space is usually limited when it comes to a home office or small business. You'll want a laser printer that doesn't take up much room. Unfortunately, laser printers are generally heavier than other printers. Once you find the right spot for your printer, it would be within your best interest to let it remain there.
Several companies offer online chat, which can be a helpful resource when you have questions that require immediate attention. Telephone and email support is also nice to have available to you if you need additional assistance with your printer. Most printers come with a standard one-year warranty, but others offer more comprehensive warranties.
Laser Printers: Our Verdict and Recommendations
Our top performing printers – the Xerox ColorQube 8570, Xerox Phaser 3320 and Brother HL-L8350CDW – display all of the printing and cost-saving attributes that encompass an elite laser printer. Keep in mind that the Xerox Phaser is a monochrome printer and doesn't make color prints. The ColorQube 8570 and Brother HL-L8350CDW produce color prints that are high resolution and speedy. All three printers are great printing solutions.
Another printer to consider is the Brother HL-3170CDW. While this printer is one of the least energy-efficient printers that we reviewed, it is half the cost of our top-rated printer. Its standard black toner is also inexpensive comparatively and has a low cost per page. On top off its cost effectiveness, it provides a handful of mobile printing options, more than the majority of the printers we reviewed.