Seeking out the best printer is a necessity for many home offices and if you find yourself regularly printing off lots and lots of documents, then a laser printer will be ideal for you.
Unlike its other half, the inkjet printer, the best laser printers are brilliant for printing off high volumes of documents at an impressive speed. You may find yourself gulping at their expensive price tag, however, laser printers are in fact cheaper to run long-term. Unlike inkjet printers that rely on ink cartridges, laser printers use cost-effective toner cartridges, contributing to a more budget-friendly printing experience over time.
Best laser printers at a glance:
• Best laser printer overall: HP LaserJet Pro M255DW Wireless Colour Printer - View on HP
• Best colour laser printer: HP Colour 150NW Wireless Laser Printer - View on Argos
• Best printer for speedy printing: HP LaserJet Pro M404DN Printer - View at eBay
While a laser printer may boast a larger and bulkier profile, their proficiency in handling black-and-white document printing is unparalleled. We have identified some more affordable colour-printing and compact laser printers in the market. These options offer a fusion of cost-effectiveness, vibrant colour printing capabilities, and space-saving design, challenging the traditional expectations associated with laser printers.
Whether you are aiming for heightened productivity in monochromatic documents or seeking a versatile solution with colour-printing capabilities, our selection of laser printers covers many options to cater to your specific needs. Explore below to discover the laser printer that seamlessly aligns with your printing requirements, providing you with the best of both worlds – efficiency and affordability.
Best laser printers
Best laser printer overall
Amazon/HPDescription
At the expensive end of the scale for our best laser printers, the HP LaserJet Pro M255DW has many features that make it worth the investment. As well as printing speed of 21 pages per minute (in both colour and monochrome), it has strong security, double-sided printing and the freedom to work anyway with Wi-Fi capability.
Customer review: "This is a fabulous printer, straight out of the box, plug it, switch on, connect to WiFi and it's ready to print, simple as that. Print out is fast and with duplex feature saves on paper too."
Pros
- Prints in colour, as well as monochrome
- Scan and copy from the HP Smart app
- Compact and compatible with Mac and Windows
Cons
- No scan, copy or fax built-in printer
Best colour laser printer
www.argos.co.uk
Description
A sound option if you need a colour laser printer and don't want to fork out on expensive ink cartridges. This printer is small and compact, so it will work well for your home office. Speed isn't this printer's strongest point, with a colour printing speed of four pages per minute but, remember, laser printers aren't typically designed for colour printing, so this is pretty good. However, it is a lot speedier if printing in black and white and can produce 19 pages per minute. And as well as printing straight from your smartphone you can also scan documents too, using the HP Smart app. For crisp colour prints, this laser printer is definitely up there.
Customer review: "Perfect printer for home use or even an office. It’s not too big yet has all the necessary functions you may need."
Pros
- Prints in colour and monochrome
- Small and compact, so won't take up much room
- Compatible with Mac and Windows
Cons
- No scan, copy or fax built in printer
- No auto-document feeder or manual double-sided printing
Best printer for speedy printing
www.ebay.co.uk
Description
This monochrome printer is an investment for a small-medium-sized office that prints a lot of documents. It's neat, light and compact so won't take up much room and can hold 350 pages and prints at a super fast speed of 40 pages per minute. It's an affordable price for a printer that gets the job done and quickly, but you have to factor in the cost of the expensive toner it needs to run as it bumps up the overall price. As well as automatic double-sided printing to help save you paper, we really like the auto on/off technology this printer has, to help save energy.
Customer review: "Great printer does the job perfectly with great print quality, handy quiet mode which prints a bit slower, but that's not a concern as we are only taking about an extra couple of seconds."
Pros
- Very fast printing with a compact design
- Strong security features
- Compatible with Mac and Windows
Cons
- No scan, copy or fax built-in printer
- No colour printing
Best printer for format options
www.argos.co.uk
Description
This is a nifty printer that automatically prints double-sided and has one of the fastest printing speeds from our printer selection at 30 pages per minute. The Brother HL-L2400DWE EcoPro Ready Mono Laser Printer also has wireless connectivity for printing away from your computer and is compact and lightweight, making it an ideal size for a home office.
Customer review: "This is fantastic printer. Simple, fast and great quality print for everyday use. You do not really need colour printing in most cases, so this B&W is perfect. And, it does not dry if you do not print for a while."
Pros
- Very speedy printing and double-sided
- Quiet and compact
- Compatible with Mac and Windows
Cons
- Monochrome printing only
- No scan, copy or fax capabilities
Best for print quality
www.cartridgepeople.com
Description
Get printing straight away with the speedy i-SENSYS series from Canon. It is a high-performing laser printer with supremely low running costs, so if you're a small business that prints a high volume of documents it's worth snapping as there are no hidden costs when it comes to toner. It also is one of the best on our list for print quality, so even if you're printing photos and graphics in greyscale the quality is still clear and detailed.
Customer review: "Cannot believe how fast the printer arrived. This printer is perfect for my needs study needs. Easy to set up and easy to use. I love the automatic double sided printing and it's so fast. I am very pleased with my purchase and the service."
Pros
- Low running costs with a high-quality print
- Fast 40PPM and expandable paper capacity
- Two paper sources with a secure print option
Cons
- Monochrome printing
- No memory storage support
Best multifunction laser printer
www.ebay.co.uk
Description
This BROTHER DCP-L3551CDW printer really has it all. Another Brother printer on the list, this time a multifunction version that has colour and monochrome print, scanning, copying and double-sided printing capabilities. Its printing speed is a little slower than some of our other picks at 19 pages per minute. You can even print documents away from your computer with wireless printing via Wi-Fi or Apple AirPrint. The only downfall is it is a little on the larger side, so make sure you have the space needed to set this up if you're using it at home.
Pros
- Multifunction
- Prints in colour, as well as monochrome
- Compatible with Mac and Windows
Cons
- No auto-document feeder
- Larger than alternative laser printers
Best budget printer
Description
Don't want to break the bank? Then this HP laser printer is a good contender, as it's super easy to set up and comes way under budget for your home office needs. This cheap printer has a decent quality print for the cost, with fast printing capability at 20 pages per minute. It doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it does come with built-in wifi, so that you can do wireless printing from your phone or tablet. If you just need a basic entry-level printer, you can rely that this one will do the job.
Customer review: "Installation was easy and trouble-free. The printer operates smoothly. I am very pleased with this printer."
Pros
- Affordable
- Compact, so won't take up a lot of room
- Compatible with Mac and Windows
Cons
- Mono printing - only black and white
- No scan, copy or fax built-in printer
What is the difference between an inkjet and laser printers?
Before deciding on the type of printer you need, it's worth evaluating how you'll need to use it. If you are looking to print pictures you may be better opting for one of the best photo printers. As we’ve started to mention above, laser printers and inkjet printers serve different purposes and depending on the type of printing, frequency of print, and budget you have, one might serve your needs better than the other.
Inkjet printers
Inkjet printers are the standard printers you'll usually find in the home. Quite compact and cheaper to buy, they're the go-to if you don't print that often. However, inkjet printers rely on expensive liquid ink cartridges that can really ramp up the running costs of your printer if you need to print regularly. Although, there are brands, like the Epson’s EcoTank printers, that claim to reduce 90 per cent on ink costs. Inkjets are best for printing images and colour, but the speed of printing can be quite slow, making your job a drag if you have to print multiple documents at once.
Laser printers
Laser printers are more expensive initially, but the cost per page is cheaper in the long run with toner coming at a lower cost. They are usually found in offices and are best for productivity with fast printing speeds and quality black ink printing. For this reason, laser printers are best for printing black-and-white documents and often come with only monochromatic printing. They're also likely to be larger and bulkier. However, we've found some more affordable, colour-printing, and compact laser printers on the market that could be just what you need and give you the best of both worlds.
FAQs
Which is the best laser printer?
Our verdict: HP LaserJet Pro M255DW Wireless Colour Printer
This laser printer has it all; speedy printing, colour, automated two-sided printing and the ability to print on paper and card. While it doesn't include a scanner or copier in the machine itself, you can use the HP Smart app to scan and copy documents using your smartphone's camera.
The only major drawback is the price tag, but for what it can offer with colour printing too, it's worth the extra spend.
If you are on a tighter budget and don't need colour printing, we would recommend the HP LaserJet M110we Printer. This compact little printer carries similar perks with the Smart app scanning and fast printing, just at a more affordable cost.
Which is the best laser printer for crafting?
When crafting, or creating projects on a more professional level, the best laser printer to go for is one that has multifunctions. This is why we've chosen the Brother DCPL3550CDW All-in-One Wireless Laser Colour Printer (the sixth laser printer on our list). As well as being able to print in colour and monochrome, it can do just about everything — print double-sided, scan and copy — so whatever your project, it can accommodate.
Eleanor Weaver is the Deputy Homes & Garden Product Editor for Yours, specialising in home décor, furnishings and appliances. Having worked commercially on Yours magazine and Yours.co.uk for the past six years, she's previously hosted Yours Live events and loves looking for home inspiration online.