Color Laser Printer Information

Many home users don't need the speed or high-volume output of laser printers. Inkjets dominate the home market and traditionally produce smoother continuous tone images and more vibrant color than lasers. Although inkjets are slower, speeds have been improving enough that they might be acceptable for home office users who don't do high-volume printing. The text quality in inkjets has also been improving, and some have crisp text that rivals the output of laser printers. Every reviewer says that a good inkjet printer is a better choice for printing digital photos. See our report on inkjet printers for top-rated models.

Small businesses or home offices may find that they don't have a strong need for color printing because they mostly print black text. Monochrome laser printers are cheaper and faster than their color counterparts, outputting sharper text. And they might be a better choice for an office trying to keep costs down. Consumer Reports recommends them for their speed, print quality and low cost. See our report on monochrome laser printers for top-rated models.

PCMag.com offers a good primer on how to buy a printer, comparing both laser and inkjet printers. Although some information is dated, the review offers solid advice on everything relating to printers and includes a helpful glossary.

Two PCMag.com articles, "The True Cost of Printer Ink" and "The True Cost of Printing," show how to calculate the long-term cost of a printer.

PC World offers some advice for penny pinchers in its feature "Cheap Printing: 5 Ways to Save Bucks on Ink and Paper."

For more information on how laser printers work, Webopedia has a good explanation.

In addition, the following manufacturers' websites offer detailed specifications and model information.

Dell

Epson

Hewlett-Packard

Konica-Minolta

Kyocera Mita

Lexmark

Oki Data

Ricoh

Samsung

Xerox