The Watchdog Report: The Best Basic Printers for People Who Hate Printers
We all know the frustrating reality of owning a printer. You desperately need to print out a single Amazon return slip, a financial document, or a permission slip for your kid's school. You fire up the plastic inkjet printer you bought a few years ago, only to find the ink has completely dried out, the printhead is jammed, and a new set of replacement cartridges costs more than the machine itself.
At CR Watchdog, we hear this complaint constantly. You don't want a "multimedia photo lab" or a bulky all-in-one machine with a fax line you will never use. You just want a reliable box that sits in the corner and spits out black-and-white paper on demand.
If this sounds like you, Consumer Reports has a very clear message: Stop buying cheap inkjets.
Here is the data-driven breakdown of why you need to switch to a basic laser printer, and the top models you should look at right now.
The Inkjet Trap: Why "Cheap" Costs You More
Inkjet printers are incredibly complex pieces of machinery designed to deliver the lowest possible upfront price at the retail store. But that cheap inkjet is actually a trap.
According to CR lab data, the money you save up front is rapidly offset by mounting ink costs. A low-priced inkjet can easily saddle you with replacement costs of $70 or more every single year. Worse, if you pop open the hood of a standard inkjet, you will see a chaotic maze of gears, motors, and pulleys required to move the printheads across the paper. Because they are so mechanically complicated, there are simply more components that can break down.
Furthermore, a massive percentage of that expensive liquid ink never even ends up on your pages. It gets sucked down the drain during automated maintenance cycles designed to keep the nozzles from clogging. This combination of mechanical failure and hidden costs is exactly why traditional inkjets consistently earn the lowest owner satisfaction ratings in Consumer Reports' surveys.
The Solution: A Standalone Monochrome Laser Printer
If you only need to print text—like contracts, boarding passes, and school forms—a regular black-and-white (monochrome) laser printer is the smartest investment you can make.
- They Don't Dry Out: Laser printers use toner powder instead of liquid ink. If you don't use the printer for six months, it will still fire up and print perfectly on the first try.
- Pennies to Run: Typical toner costs for a black-and-white laser printer run around $15 a year, which is a fraction of what an inkjet costs.
- Blistering Speed: Laser printers easily outperform inkjets, often cranking out upwards of 25 pages of crisp text per minute.
- High Reliability: Because they are mechanically simpler than inkjets, laser printers consistently earn much higher Predicted Reliability and Owner Satisfaction scores in member surveys.
What About "All-In-One" Machines?
When shopping, you will see a lot of "All-In-One" printers that include built-in scanners, copiers, and fax machines. While they don't cost significantly more upfront or take up too much extra desk space, you need to ask yourself if you actually need those features.
If you just need to occasionally digitize a document to attach to an email, your smartphone camera can handle that. By buying a "Regular" printer that only prints, you save money. However, if you do decide you absolutely need an All-In-One, always look for a model with a flatbed scanner rather than a sheet-feed scanner, as the flatbed will allow you to easily copy books and fragile photos.
The Color Exception: Tank Printers
If you read the data above and realize you must have the ability to print in color for your business or your kids' school projects, do not buy a cheap cartridge inkjet.
Look into Tank Printers instead. These machines ditch the expensive plastic cartridges in favor of large, built-in reservoirs that you manually refill with bottled ink. You will pay a higher price tag upfront (often $250 or more), but your annual ink costs will plummet to roughly $10 a year. Over a five-year period, a tank printer will typically cost you about $300 total to own and operate, whereas a "cheap" $100 cartridge inkjet will end up costing you closer to $450.
Top CR-Recommended Laser Printers
We reviewed the data from nearly 200 models tested by Consumer Reports. Here are the top standout performers that just print black-and-white text without the hassle.
| Model | CR Score | Est. Price | Annual Running Cost | The Watchdog Take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Canon imageCLASS LBP247dw |
** | 82 | $380.00 | $11 | The highest-rated premium workhorse. | | **Brother HL-L6310DW
** | 81 | $469.99 | $8 | A heavy-duty, highly economical option. | | **Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw
** | 75 | $298.00 | $11 | A fantastic mid-range Canon with excellent text. | | **Brother HL-L6217DW
** | 75 | $305.00 | $7 | The absolute king of low running costs. | | Brother HL-L6210DW | 75 | $329.99 | $8 | Fine overall performance with cheap toner. | | **Brother HL-L5210DN
** | 74 | $279.99 | $8 | A solid, smaller-footprint choice. | | **Brother HL-L6210DWT
** | 73 | $499.99 | $8 | Great functionality with standard low Brother costs. | | **Canon imageCLASS LBP172dw
** | 71 | $159.99 | $12 | The budget-friendly "CR Smart Buy." |
The Top Standouts Explained
Canon imageCLASS LBP247dw (The Premium Workhorse) Earning a massive Overall Score of 82, this mid-sized, weighty Canon is the absolute highest-rated regular black-and-white laser printer tested in the lab. It boasts great functionality and produces excellent quality text at high speeds. While it has a slightly higher upfront cost, its estimated running cost is a mere $11 per year, making it an incredibly economical long-term investment. Just note that its graphic printing quality is only rated as mediocre.
Brother HL-L6310DW (The Efficiency Expert) Right on Canon's heels is this heavy-duty Brother model. It requires a larger upfront investment (around $470), but it drops your estimated annual running costs down to just $8. Like the Canon, it delivers excellent text quality alongside great functionality. If you print a high volume of paperwork, this machine will quickly pay for itself in toner savings.
Canon imageCLASS LBP246dw (The Mid-Tier Marvel) If you want the top-tier Canon brand reliability without the $380 price tag, this smaller (but still weighty) model scored a 75 overall. Priced under $300, it also runs at an estimated $11 a year, providing the same excellent text quality and great overall functionality as its more expensive sibling.
Brother HL-L6217DW (The Cost-Cutter) If you absolutely hate buying toner, this is your machine. Earning a solid 75 Overall Score, it boasts an insanely low estimated running cost of just $7 per year. It is a slightly smaller footprint but still delivers the exact same "Excellent" rating for text quality.
Brother HL-L6210DW and Brother HL-L6210DWT Both of these mid-sized machines are fantastic options if you want standard, reliable Brother performance. The DW model runs about $330, while the heavier DWT model jumps up to roughly $500. Both cost a highly efficient $8 a year to operate, output excellent text, but suffer from sub-par graphics capability.
Brother HL-L5210DN A smaller, weighty option from Brother. Priced nicely at $280, it matches the $8 annual running cost of the larger models and continues the trend of excellent text combined with sub-par graphics.
Canon imageCLASS LBP172dw (The Budget Pick) If you do not want to spend over $300 on a printer, this model earned the official "CR Smart Buy" designation. Priced right around $160, it is a small, mid-weight machine that still delivers excellent text quality. The running cost bumps up slightly to $12 a year, but the initial retail savings make it a perfect fit for a home office that only prints occasionally.
Watchdog Tip: As the data consistently shows, laser printers are fantastic at text, but their graphics performance ranges from mediocre to sub-par. If you try to print high-resolution color graphics or family photos on these machines, you will be disappointed. Use them for what they do best: paperwork!
