Best Home Laser Printer: Top Picks for Black-and-White, Color and All-in-One

Yes, if you mostly print text. HP says lasers cost more upfront but less per page, and that toner does not dry out the way inkjet ink can. Consumer Reports adds that lasers use no maintenance ink, which inkjets spend on cleaning cycles. If you print color photos often, an inkjet is still the better choice.

Usually, for black-and-white pages. TechRadar says laser cost per page is often 50% or more lower than inkjet, especially in black and white. Ink tank printers such as Epson EcoTank can be cheaper still per page, but they are inkjets, and HP warns inkjet ink can dry out with irregular use.

No. Toner is a dry powder, and Brother UK says it does not dry out and keeps its print quality after extended storage. Inkjet ink is different: HP warns it can dry out if the printer is not used regularly. That makes a laser a good fit for people who print a few pages a month.

A color laser can print pictures on plain or laser-safe paper, but it is not a photo printer. Consumer Reports says lasers do not perform as well as inkjets on graphics and photos, and Brother warns against putting inkjet paper in its lasers. For frequent photo printing, buy an inkjet.

Get a laser if you print mostly text, print irregularly, or want fast, smudge-free pages. Consider an ink tank if you print a lot of color or photos and print often enough to keep the ink flowing. Epson claims its EcoTank ink costs about a third of a cent per ISO page.

Only if you print color regularly. A black-and-white laser is cheaper to buy, uses one cartridge and keeps text pages cheap. A color laser adds three more cartridges, and Digital Trends puts typical color laser pages at around 12 to 20 cents, versus a few cents for black.

Buy print-only if you rarely scan, or are happy scanning with a phone app. Buy an all-in-one if you copy or scan paperwork often: a document feeder handles multi-page stacks, and models such as the Brother MFC-L3780CDW scan both sides of a page in one pass.

Duplex means printing on both sides of the sheet. HP describes manual duplex as flipping and reinserting the paper yourself, and automatic duplex as the printer doing it without help. Automatic duplex saves paper and is standard on most picks here; the Brother HL-L2405W is manual only.

You need one if you scan or copy more than one page at a time. A feeder pulls a stack through for you, while a flatbed needs one page at a time. Check whether it scans both sides in one pass: the Brother MFC-L2820DW’s 50-sheet feeder scans one side only.

For most homes, speed matters less than it sounds. Every pick here is rated at 26 pages per minute or more, and Brother quotes first pages in under 8.5 seconds on its compact mono models. Pay for 40-plus pages per minute only if you print long jobs daily.

Estimates vary by printer and cartridge. Digital Trends puts typical monochrome laser pages at 2 to 3 cents in one article and 3 to 5 cents in another, PCWorld says about 6 cents for cheap mono lasers, and Epson cites 2.5 cents; Digital Trends puts color laser pages at around 12 to 20 cents. Divide a cartridge’s price by its rated yield to compare models.

It is the cartridge that comes in the box, and it may hold less toner than a full one. HP says introductory cartridges may print less than replacements. Brother rates the starter in its compact mono lasers at about 700 pages, against 1,200 for a standard TN830.

It is the number of pages a cartridge is rated to print under a standard test. HP says mono yields use ISO/IEC 19752 and color yields ISO/IEC 19798. Xerox calls yield a comparison figure, not a prediction: pages with more coverage, like graphics, use toner faster.

The drum carries the toner image to the paper. Brother sells it separately from the toner and says one drum lasts through several cartridges; the DR830 is rated at about 15,000 pages. Brother notes the page count varies with paper type and print job size, so replace it when the printer reports the drum is near its end.

Usually, if you print steadily. Brother says its TN830XL gives lower per-page costs than the standard TN830 and rates it at 3,000 pages versus 1,200. If you print only a handful of pages a year, a standard cartridge ties up less money.

No. Brother’s Refresh EZ Print plan is optional, and HP says it no longer enrolls new customers in Instant Ink for toner on its LaserJet 100, 200, 3000 and 4000 series. You can buy cartridges as you need them for every printer on this page.

HP+ printers carry an “e” in the model name and, HP says, require an HP account, an internet connection and original HP supplies for the printer’s life. HP has discontinued its HP+ LaserJets such as the M209dwe. Our HP picks are the standard versions.

It depends on the brand. HP says printers such as the LaserJet M209dw work only with cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip and may block others after firmware updates. Brother recommends its own toner but has said its firmware updates do not block third-party cartridges.

Not by itself, in the US. The FTC says companies generally cannot void a warranty just because you used another company’s part, under the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. They can refuse to cover damage that part causes, and Brother’s warranty excludes damage from non-Brother supplies.

There is no single winner. Brother leads our picks because its home lasers pair low list prices with separate drums and high-yield toner, and Brother says its firmware does not block third-party toner. HP offers polished apps but uses dynamic security on its LaserJets. Canon says several imageCLASS lines carry a three-year limited warranty.

Yes, if it supports AirPrint, as every pick here does. Apple says AirPrint prints from Apple devices without downloading drivers, as long as the device is on the same network. Brother notes that Mac printing on its models works through AirPrint and that it does not supply Mac drivers.

Yes. Mopria says most Android devices already include a Mopria print service, so Mopria-certified printers work without an app. Google says Chromebooks print to network or USB printers, mainly over IPP, and do not support Bluetooth printing.

Use Wi-Fi if the printer serves several devices, Ethernet if it sits near your router and you want a steady connection, and USB for a single computer. Check the specs: the Brother HL-L2405W has Wi-Fi and USB but no Ethernet port.

Usually, through the manual feed slot. Brother’s compact mono models take up to 61 lb bond paper through the slot, and Brother advises feeding one sheet at a time. Use laser-rated labels: Avery says inkjet labels cannot withstand a laser printer’s heat.

More than an inkjet of the same price. Brother lists the HL-L2460DW at about 14 inches wide and deep and 7 inches tall, while its color all-in-one MFC-L3780CDW is about 18 inches wide and nearly 16 inches tall. Leave room to open the front cover and pull the tray.

Studies so far suggest occasional home printing in a ventilated room is unlikely to cause concern, though reviews differ and the human evidence is limited. Studies have measured ultrafine particles while lasers print, and a 2007 study found 17 of 62 office printers were high emitters. A 2020 review in Indoor Air judged the health risk small compared with outdoor air pollution. Use the printer in a ventilated room.

Somewhere with airflow, not right beside where you sit for hours. Researchers at QUT advise good ventilation and moving printers away from workstations, and say occasional printing in a reasonably ventilated home room is unlikely to cause concern.

They draw a lot of power briefly while printing because the fuser heats up. Brother lists about 470 watts printing for the HL-L2460DW but only 3.8 watts in sleep and 0.4 watts in deep sleep. ENERGY STAR advises keeping sleep settings on.

Germany’s Blue Angel label sets emission limits for laser and LED printers, covering volatile organic compounds, ozone, dust and ultrafine particles during printing. In the US, UL’s GREENGUARD program (UL 2819) certifies electronic equipment for chemical and particle emissions.

Gently and with cold water. Canon’s instructions say to wipe up spilled toner with a soft, damp cloth so it is not breathed in, to wash toner off skin or clothes in cold water because warm water sets it, and never to use a vacuum cleaner without safeguards against dust explosions.

Makers do not publish a lifespan in years. Consumer Reports says its member surveys consistently show laser printers are more reliable than inkjets. Makers rate parts in pages instead, such as Brother’s 15,000-page DR830 drum.

It is the maximum number of pages a printer can handle in a month, used to compare durability. Brother says to choose a printer whose duty cycle far exceeds your needs, and to stay within its recommended monthly volume, which is much lower: up to 2,500 pages for its compact mono models.

Keep it sealed until you need it, flat, and out of direct sunlight. Canon advises storing cartridges at 32 to 95°F in their protective bag, in the same orientation as in the printer. Brother says an unpacked cartridge left out for a long time loses toner life.

One cause can be a cartridge near the end of its life, since yield tests run until pages fade. A worn drum, toner-save mode or the wrong paper setting can also do it. Check the toner and drum status on the printer, then try a fresh cartridge.

If you print regularly, it can be worth it. Brother sells the HL-L2460DW and MFC-L2820DW as XL bundles that ship with a standard plus a high-yield cartridge, rated at about 4,200 pages in total, instead of a 700-page starter.