Best Home Laser Printer · Home office

Best Laser Printer for a Home Office

For a home office that prints, scans and shares paperwork every week, the best pick is a color all-in-one with single-pass two-sided scanning: our top choice is the Brother MFC-L3780CDW. At home-office volumes, scanning speed, paper capacity and monthly volume matter more than the box price.

Laser all-in-one with an extra paper drawer on a cabinet in a bright home office

Our top 3

Top picks at a glance

Best home office all-in-one#1
Brother MFC-L3780CDW laser printer

Brother MFC-L3780CDW

Premium price range

Single-pass two-sided scanning, fax, NFC card reader and an optional second paper tray.

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Best black-and-white for the office#2
Canon imageCLASS MF465dw II laser printer

Canon imageCLASS MF465dw II

Mid-range price range

Up to 42 pages per minute, single-pass two-sided scanning, fax and a full-size 3,000-page cartridge in the box.

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Best for high volume#3
Brother HL-L6310DW laser printer

Brother HL-L6310DW

Premium price range

Brother recommends up to 12,000 pages a month and rates TN920UXXL toner at 18,000 pages.

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In detail

Who each one suits

Specifications and toner yields are each manufacturer’s own; fit notes draw on independent reviews and manufacturer guidance. We have not tested or used these printers ourselves.

Best home office all-in-one#1

Brother MFC-L3780CDW

The all-in-one to pick if you want color and you scan a lot. Its 50-sheet document feeder scans both sides of a page in a single pass, it faxes, and it takes Brother’s super-high-yield TN229XXL toner. Forbes Vetted names it its best home office printer.

Why it stands out

  • Brother rates it at up to 31 pages per minute and lists a 3.5-inch touchscreen.
  • Starter toner in the box is rated at about 2,300 pages black and 1,200 per color.
  • Super-high-yield TN229XXL cartridges are rated at 4,500 pages black and 4,000 pages per color.
PrintsColor (LED), auto 2-sided
SpeedUp to 31 ppm
Scan & copySingle-pass 2-sided scan, 50-sheet feeder, fax
Toner (rated)TN229XXL: 4,500 black / 4,000 color
ConnectWi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, USB, NFC · AirPrint, Mopria

Good fit if

  • You scan stacks of two-sided paperwork, receipts or school forms.
  • You print in color every week.
  • You want a USB port on the front and an optional second paper tray.

Skip it if

  • Desk space is tight: Brother lists it at about 48 pounds.
  • You rarely scan; the print-only HL-L3280CDW costs much less.

Like Brother’s other color models here, Brother lists it as a Digital Color LED printer with laser-quality output.

Best black-and-white for the office#2

Canon imageCLASS MF465dw II

A fast black-and-white all-in-one built for heavier paperwork. Canon rates it at up to 42 pages per minute, its 50-sheet feeder scans both sides of a page in one pass, and it comes with a full-size toner cartridge. Canon’s support page and brochure list a three-year limited warranty, though Canon’s online store page mentions one year, so confirm before you buy.

Why it stands out

  • The box includes a standard Canon 070 cartridge rated at about 3,000 pages, not a reduced starter.
  • High-yield 070H toner is rated at about 10,200 pages.
  • A 250-sheet cassette plus a 100-sheet multipurpose tray, expandable to 900 sheets, and a 5-inch touchscreen.
PrintsBlack only, auto 2-sided
SpeedUp to 42 ppm
Scan & copySingle-pass 2-sided scan, 50-sheet feeder, fax
Toner (rated)Canon 070H: 10,200 pages
ConnectWi-Fi, Ethernet, USB · AirPrint, Mopria

Good fit if

  • You scan two-sided documents every week and print only in black.
  • You print several hundred pages a month: Canon recommends 750 to 4,000.

Skip it if

  • You need color.
  • Desk space is tight: Canon lists it at about 34 pounds and nearly 15 inches tall.

Canon’s online store has shown a “Discontinued” label beside “In Stock” on this model, while Canon’s support page lists no successor. Check the product page for current availability before you order.

Best for high volume#3

Brother HL-L6310DW

A business-class black-and-white printer for heavy home printing. Brother rates it at up to 52 pages per minute and ships it with a full 6,000-page cartridge rather than a starter. Consumer Reports picked it as a basic printer for frequent printing, as reported by SlashGear.

Why it stands out

  • A 520-sheet tray plus a 100-sheet multipurpose tray, expandable with optional trays.
  • Takes TN920 toner up to the TN920UXXL, which Brother rates at 18,000 pages.
  • Brother recommends up to 12,000 pages a month, far above home models.
PrintsBlack only, auto 2-sided
SpeedUp to 52 ppm
Scan & copyPrint only
Toner (rated)TN920UXXL: 18,000 pages
ConnectWi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, USB, NFC · AirPrint, Mopria

Good fit if

  • You run a busy home business, print shipping labels and invoices daily, or share one printer across a family.
  • You want to refill paper and toner as rarely as possible.

Skip it if

  • You print a few pages a week — you would be paying for capacity you never use.
  • You need to scan or copy, or need color.
Also worth a look

HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101fdw

HP’s black-and-white all-in-one for a home office: print, scan, copy and fax, a 2.7-inch touchscreen and automatic two-sided printing. HP rates it at up to 35 pages per minute.

Why it stands out

  • HP 138X high-yield toner is rated at about 4,000 pages.
  • A 50-sheet document feeder and flatbed scanner, according to HP’s specifications.
  • Dual-band Wi-Fi, Ethernet and USB, with AirPrint and Mopria.
PrintsBlack only, auto 2-sided
SpeedUp to 35 ppm
Scan & copyFlatbed + 50-sheet feeder, fax
Toner (rated)HP 138X: 4,000 pages
ConnectWi-Fi, Ethernet, USB · AirPrint, Mopria

Good fit if

  • You prefer HP’s app and want fax in the box.
  • You print a few hundred pages a month.

Skip it if

  • You plan to use third-party toner: HP says it is intended to work only with cartridges that have a new or reused HP chip.
  • You need two-sided scanning in one pass.
Also worth a look

HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw

HP’s color all-in-one with fax and a 4.3-inch touchscreen. HP says it scans and copies both sides of a page in one pass.

Why it stands out

  • HP rates it at up to 26 pages per minute in black and color.
  • Uses the same HP 218A and 218X toner as the 3201dw.
  • A USB host port for printing from and scanning to a flash drive.
PrintsColor, auto 2-sided
SpeedUp to 26 ppm
Scan & copySingle-pass 2-sided scan, document feeder, fax
Toner (rated)HP 218X: 3,200 black / 2,500 color
ConnectWi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, USB · AirPrint, Mopria

Good fit if

  • You want an HP color all-in-one that handles two-sided scans quickly.

Skip it if

  • Price matters: it sits in the Premium tier, above Brother’s similar MFC-L3780CDW at list price.
  • You want to use third-party toner.

HP’s answers on its own product page put the in-box toner at roughly 600 black and 500 color pages, so plan on buying cartridges early.

Printing for clients every day?

Size the printer to your recommended monthly volume, not its maximum duty cycle.

What owners say ›

Tips

Three things that make the difference

01

Use recommended volume, not duty cycle

Brother says to pick a printer whose duty cycle far exceeds your needs, and warns that printing above the recommended volume for long periods may affect print quality or life.

02

Scan to the cloud and email

Look for scan-to-email and cloud scanning in the maker’s app or touchscreen; Brother notes its cloud apps need an internet connection and an account with the service.

03

Plan for paper

A 250-sheet tray empties fast in an office. The MFC-L3780CDW takes an optional 250-sheet lower tray, and the HL-L6310DW starts at 520 sheets.

Honest note

Office-class printers are big and heavy. Brother lists the MFC-L3780CDW at about 48 pounds and nearly 16 inches tall, so measure the shelf before you order.

FAQ

Questions people ask

What is the best printer for a home office?

For mixed paperwork, a color all-in-one with single-pass duplex scanning, such as the Brother MFC-L3780CDW. If you print only black-and-white documents in volume, a fast mono laser costs less to run.

How many pages a month can a home office printer handle?

Check the recommended monthly volume. Brother lists up to 4,000 pages for the MFC-L3780CDW and up to 12,000 for the HL-L6310DW, far below their maximum duty cycles.

Is a laser better than an inkjet for a home office?

For text-heavy work, usually. Brother USA points busy, high-volume offices toward laser, and HP says lasers are faster and cheaper per page.

Do I still need fax?

Only if someone you deal with still asks for it. The Brother MFC models and the HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101fdw include fax; the Brother DCP-L2640DW and HP 3101sdw do not.

Can I print securely in a shared home office?

Some models help. Brother lists an integrated NFC card reader on the MFC-L3780CDW and HL-L6310DW. Check the maker’s security features for the model you choose.

What warranty do office lasers come with?

Brother and HP list one-year limited warranties on the models here. Brother offers a free six-month warranty extension on eligible printers connected to its Mobile Connect app.

Paperwork in, done right, back to work

Want the full picture? See our best home laser printer, compared by how you print, and the FAQ on toner, setup and running costs.