Laser MFPs

Laser all-in-one printers for better speeds and text printing

Laser printers are generally more expensive than inkjet printers, but they do offer two major advantages: faster speeds than an inkjet printer and much lower costs per page. In the past, laser printers also offered much finer quality for text printing, but that edge seems to be disappearing as inkjet technology improves. Laser printers also can't compete with inkjets when it comes to photo printing, and they tend to be much larger and heavier than inkjet printers. This combination of pros and cons makes inkjets the better choice for most home users. Overall, we found far fewer recommendations for laser MFPs than we did for inkjets.

However, for small offices that need to print out reams of black-and-white text and don't need photo printing, a laser MFP may be the most economical choice. Nearly all laser MFPs include faxing capability, along with the standard print/copy/scan functions. Extra or high-capacity input trays are included or are an add-on option. This is perfect for many small businesses, as well as home offices that require high volume output capability. (For standalone laser printers, see our color laser printer and monochrome laser printer reports.)

Monochrome laser machines, which print and copy only in black, are smaller than color laser printers and much less expensive. In this category, we found the best reviews for the Brother MFC-7460DN (*Est. $195) . This printer offers a variety of handy features for business users: a built-in fax, a 35-page auto document feeder for scanning and copying lengthy documents, a 250-sheet paper tray (which holds letter or legal size paper) and automatic duplexing. It can connect to a network through Ethernet, but not wirelessly. This laser MFP also lacks features for photo printing such as memory card and PictBridge compatibility. Reviewers estimate its toner and paper costs at a mere $2.90 per month.

In one professional test, the Brother MFC-7460DN printer gets excellent scores for its text quality and speed, as well as its scan quality. Its copy quality is also very good, but its graphics printing is rated only so-so. Martin Clayden of IT Reviews, a British publication, agrees that the Brother 7460DN printer's speed is "impressively high": about 24 pages per minute (ppm), and about half that speed on duplex mode, according to his tests. However, he also reports that scanning on this machine is "a pain," and photocopied images tend to come out too dark. Finally, he laments the lack of some basic features, such as Wi-Fi connectivity, memory-card slots and a port for USB keys. The Brother MFC-7460DN printer has a small sampling of reviews at Amazon.com, all of which are 4- or 5-star ratings. Most complaints are about its loud fan, which runs after large print jobs.

Color laser all-in-one printers are great for documents that require color graphics, such as newsletters, circulars and sales materials. However, they cost significantly more than their black-and-white equivalents. The best-rated color laser MFP in our sources, the Dell 2155cn (*Est. $440) , costs more than twice as much as the black-and-white Brother printer. It's also very large: at close to two feet high and nearly as wide, it's definitely too big to sit on a desktop. Fortunately, it doesn't need to, since it can connect to a network through Ethernet -- though it can't connect wirelessly. The 2155cn printer includes an automatic document feeder that holds up to 25 sheets, but duplex printing can only be done manually.

The Dell printer's ink-and-paper costs are much higher than the Brother printer's: one professional source estimates them at $11.90 per month, higher than many inkjets. M. David Stone of PCMag.com clocks the 2155cn's speed at 5.9 ppm for a "business applications suite" that includes charts and graphs, which he describes as above average for a color laser printer. He says the printer's output quality is very good as well, with clear text and graphics and photos that "approach true photo quality." (Other reviewers disagree with this assessment; in another independent test, the Dell gets very good scores for text and graphics quality but only middling scores for photo quality.) Overall, Stone says, the Dell 2155cn's combination of speed, quality and features makes it "a near-perfect fit for micro and small offices in search of a color laser MFP."