We also considered consumer reviews, written by people who’ve bought and used the printers, on retail sites like Amazon.

We researched laser printer reviews from six expert sources, including Tech Radar, PC Mag, and Wirecutter, to select these top models. Like inkjets, laser printers are available with all four functionalities. In addition to considering whether you need to print in monochrome or color, you should also consider whether you need an inkjet printer strictly for printing or an all-in-one model that can also scan, copy, and fax documents. The color laser printers will also cost much more, though the investment may be worth it for offices and small business that need to print a lot in bulk. The main downsides to laser printers are that they tend to be a bit bulkier than inkjets, and many only print in black and white. The toner also doesn’t smudge as much as ink or dry out as fast, so you can save money over time. This method makes them better than ink at printing large batches of text. Laser printers use toner cartridges, which have powder that gets transferred onto paper through heat. Read on for some more buying advice, followed by our reviews of the best laser printers you can buy.

Nevertheless, a laser printer can save you a lot of money and frustration in the long term thanks to their toner cartridges, which generally dry out much slower than their ink counterparts. However, many models are monochrome-only machines, and laser printers with color capabilities will cost more. They excel at printing text-based documents faster than many inkjets and with more detail. Though they may be a bit less common than the standard inkjet, laser printers should be on your list of options during your search for the best printer for a home or office.

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