Color Laser Printers: Reviews

Updated December 2011

ConsumerSearch conducted thorough research to determine not only the top-rated color laser printers, but also to help readers figure out whether they need a laser printer or an inkjet printer. Experts recommend color lasers for business use - especially for printing text and graphics. Laser printers can be networked and yield long-lasting prints that are water resistant and less prone to smudging. They're also faster than inkjets and laser toner cartridges last longer than their inkjet counterparts.

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Budget color laser printer

Xerox Phaser 6010

*Est. $200 Compare Prices

The Xerox Phaser 6010 is a solid, no-frills color laser printer recommended for personal use or in a home-office environment with light printing needs. Its small size and light weight enables it to fit on a corner of a… expanddesk, and its standard input tray capacity of 150 sheets is adequate for small printing jobs. While the Phaser 6010's black text quality is reasonably high, like many other color laser printers, it falls short in color printing quality for photos. The 6010N version of this printer is network ready through an Ethernet connection. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

TopTenReviews.com: Coming in at number eight in TopTenReviews' 2012 roundup of laser printers, the Xerox Phaser 6010N is the network-ready version of the 6010 model.

PCMag.com: M. David Stone gives the Xerox Phaser 6010N 3 out of 5 stars, stating that it's a good color laser printer if you don't print much.

PC World: The Phaser 6010 receives a solid 3 out of 5 stars rating from PC World's Jon L. Jacobi and Melissa Riofrio, who are impressed with its text and color output.

TrustedReviews.com: Simon Williams awards the Xerox Phaser 6010 a solid 6 out of 10 points for Trusted Reviews, stating that it's a quiet, convenient and well-designed printer.

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Buy from Amazon for $213.89
Adorama for $199.95	PCConnectio- n Express for $179.99	pcRUSH.com for $299.00

Best small office printer

Brother HL-4570CDW

*Est. $350 Compare Prices

The Brother HL-4570CDW has won awards and enthusiastic reviews for its superior printing at a fast speed. Its network and wireless capabilities make it suitable for sharing among workgroups in an office, although it is… expandtoo heavy to move easily as a mobile printer, and it's too large to comfortably perch on a desk. The quality of its black text printing is particularly impressive; color graphics and photos are of lesser quality but still adequate for everyday business needs. Users and professional reviewers alike highlight the 4570CDW's ease of installation and use -- including wireless setup. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

TopTenReviews.com: The Editors of TopTenReviews award the Brother HL-4570CDW first place in their 2012 review of laser printers, giving it full marks in each category of printing, feature set and display.

PC World: PC World editors recommend the Brother HL-4570CDW as a "budget-friendly" workhorse laser printer for small businesses.

PCMag.com: M. David Stone of PCMag.com highlights the Brother HL-4570CDW's combination of speed, output quality and paper handling.

About.com (Canada): Susan Ward identifies fast printing and excellent quality as the strong points of the Brother HL-4570CDW. She also praises its automatic duplexing feature for two-side printing as well as its range of connectivity options.

TrustedReviews.com: Receiving an overall ranking of 8 out of 10 FROM Trusted Reviews, the Brother HL-4570CDW is highly praised for its range of features.

ITReviews.com: Martyn Clayden is impressed with the Brother HL-4570cdw's black print quality and finds little difference between the normal and high resolution print settings.

Amazon.com: Of the more than 40 user reviews at Amazon.com, an impressive 50 percent award the Brother HL-4570CDW a perfect 5 stars.

Macworld: Using the review from sister publication PC World, the editors at MacWorld position the Brother HL-4570CDW in sixth place in their top 10 laser printer list.

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Buy from Amazon for $415.00
TigerDirect- .com for $479.99	PCNation for $375.66	pcRUSH.com for $488.64

Fastest color laser printer

Dell 5130cdn

*Est. $950 Compare Prices

The Dell 5130cdn combines fast printing speeds with good quality output to meet the needs of a business environment with a heavy printing requirement. The 5130cdn's black text output draws enthusiastic reviews, while its… expandcolor printing is on par with that of other color laser printers. The 5130cdn printer is set up for fast, high-volume printing with optional paper trays that hold up to 2,900 sheets of paper, and installed memory that can be expanded to 1,024 MB. This printer is network ready for sharing between workgroups in an office. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

PC World: Jon L. Jacobi awards the Dell 5130cdn 4.5 out of 5 stars and first place in PC World's list of top 10 laser printers.

PCMag.com: Awarding the Dell 5130cdn 4 out of 5 stars, Tony Hoffman recommends this printer for busy workgroups in small to midsize offices.

Macworld: Macworld uses the color laser printer review from PC World, agreeing with their rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars for the Dell 5130cdn laser color printer.

PC Advisor: PC Advisor, a U.K. website, uses the Dell 5130cdn laser color printer review from PC World, agreeing with Jacobi's rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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