The Watchdog Report: The Best Laser Printers for Your Home Office
Let's be honest: owning an inkjet printer is a miserable experience. If you aren't printing every single day, the liquid ink dries up, the nozzles clog, and a set of replacement cartridges can cost as much as the printer itself. (For a deep dive into avoiding printer frustration, check out our guide to the Best Printers for People Who Hate Printers.)
If you are setting up a home office, do yourself a favor and make the switch to a laser printer. According to the latest lab testing from Consumer Reports, laser printers completely outperform inkjets when it comes to text quality, print speed, and most importantly, long-term reliability. Because they use dry toner powder, they never dry out, and they are significantly cheaper to operate over time.
While they do have a larger footprint and struggle with high-resolution photo printing, they are the undisputed kings of the home office. Here are the top CR-Recommended laser printers, broken down by category.
1. Best Compact Laser Printer
Canon imageCLASS LBP247dw
- Overall Score: 82
- Estimated Price: $364.00
- Estimated Toner Cost: $12/year
- The Watchdog Take: If you just need a straightforward machine to churn out black-and-white documents, contracts, and shipping labels, this is your winner. It earns top marks across the board for text speed and text quality. It features auto-duplexing (two-sided printing) and is incredibly easy to use.
- The Alternative: If you want a higher paper capacity, the Brother HL-L6310DW is a solid alternative. It performs nearly as well, and CR surveys show that Brother single-function monochrome printers actually pull slightly higher owner satisfaction scores than Canon.
2. Best Multifunction B&W Laser Printer
Brother MFC-L5915DW
- Overall Score: 81
- Estimated Price: $589.99 - $666.35
- Estimated Toner Cost: $11/year
- The Watchdog Take: Most people do 99% of their printing in black and white. If you don't mind going to an office supply store for that rare color print, this monochrome all-in-one is an absolute powerhouse. It gets top marks for speed and excellent text quality. Best of all, it gives you a built-in scanner, copier, and a highly convenient auto-document feeder. Brother's all-in-one monochrome machines also boast excellent marks for both predicted reliability and owner satisfaction, making this a safe bet for a long-term investment.
3. Best Single-Function Color Laser Printer
Brother HL-L3295CDW
- Overall Score: 79
- Estimated Price: $429.99 - $481.98
- Estimated Toner Cost: $89/year
- The Watchdog Take: Color laser technology has historically been incredibly expensive, but this compact Brother unit brings it down to a highly accessible price point. The text quality is exemplary, and it pulls "very good" ratings for both speed and graphics. We love the practical design: it features a 250-sheet main tray and a 30-sheet secondary input tray, and—crucially—it allows you to keep printing in black and white even if the color toner runs dry.
4. Best Do-It-All Color Laser Printer
Brother MFC-L3765CDW
- Overall Score: 72
- Estimated Price: $390.00
- Estimated Toner Cost: $96/year
- The Watchdog Take: This is the Swiss Army knife of home office printers. It does it all: printing, copying, scanning, and faxing, all in full color. For under $400, it is on the lower end of the pricing spectrum for color lasers, but it still managed to earn CR's highest rating for text quality. Add in an automatic document feeder and auto-duplexing capabilities, and you have a versatile workhorse that will handle anything your business throws at it.
The Bottom Line
When buying a printer, don't just look at the price tag on the box—look at the running costs. An inkjet printer might seem like a bargain at $80, but it can easily saddle you with $70 to $100 in ink costs every single year. A monochrome laser printer like the Canon imageCLASS or Brother MFC-L5915DW will only cost you about $11 or $12 a year in toner, quickly paying for itself while delivering vastly superior reliability.
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