Color Laser Printers Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Color Laser Printers. See our ratings criteria

For recommendations of best Color Laser Printers, see our Fast Answers page, which summarizes what these reviews say. A longer summary and analysis appears in our Full Story report for Color Laser Printers. Our Where to Buy page contains information on retailers and Color Laser Printers prices.

Where to Buy

Fast Answers

Full Story

All Reviews

Color Laser Printers Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Color Laser Printers Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Tom’s Hardware Guide	Color Laser Printers: Fast and Affordable! Vincent Verhaeghe Feb. 2, 2007		In this article, Vincent Verhaeghe reviews four one-pass color laser printers. Testing is described and documented. Verhaeghe measures cost per page and speed, and evaluates text quality, graphics quality, features, ergonomics, noise level and value. Comparisons are mostly limited to charted data and the printers aren’t ranked. The HP Color LaserJet 3600 "represents the best compromise between ergonomics, quality, speed, and cost per page." However, it is handily the most expensive printer in the roundup. The particular strength of this review is that it gives readers enough information to pick a model based on their own priorities.
2. PC Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Laser printer reviews M. David Stone As of Oct. 2007		PC Magazine is a prolific reviewer of color laser printers. The reviews are balanced, comparative and thorough. Detailed benchmark results show comparative speeds. Reviews are excellent except that they lack the wonderful print enlargements that PC Magazine uses for all inkjet printers. Readers must rely on David Stone’s visual evaluation without that aid. Each printer is rated, allowing for comparison. The much cheaper HP Color LaserJet 1600 is also honored in an older review.

Color Laser Printers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Color Laser Printers Ratings Comments on Reviews

3. PC World >> Details/Subscribe	Top 10 Color Laser Printers Melissa Riofrio Aug. 10, 2007		This chart ranks color laser printers previously reviewed by PC World. The chart briefly summarizes the review and links to the full reviews and test reports. Individual reviews are not comparative and are largely descriptive. Text and image quality is described, but not shown. However, testing is very good and the test reports provide basis for comparison. Reliability information is also charted, but it applies to brands, not models, and some of the information is dated.
4. PCAdvisor.co.uk	Colour laser printers Contributing editors As of Oct. 2007		British magazine PC Advisor reviews about 20 color laser printers this year. Reviews are written by the same people as those from PC World, a sister publication on this side of the ocean, and the reviews are very similar. Write-ups are short and offer little direct comparison, but each color laser printer is assigned an overall rating and subcategory ratings. Build quality is one of the subcategories; that’s an important buying consideration rarely addressed in reviews from other sources. Two printers earn "recommended" designations. Oddly, one of them is the Xerox Phaser 6180 that receives a middling review and one of the lower overall ratings.

Color Laser Printers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Color Laser Printers Ratings Comments on Reviews

5. Consumer Reports >> Details/Subscribe	Printers: Color Editors of Consumer Reports June 2007		This article helps you evaluate what type of printer is best for your needs. The editors note that lasers are unbeatable for faster, cheaper and clearer text quality than an inkjet. In addition, falling prices on color laser printers makes them affordable, especially for high-volume jobs. Ratings are included for four color laser printers; all are entry-level printers costing less than $400. One model is selected as a Quick Pick, but it is discontinued. Speed is rated as more important than print quality. In general, the laser printers are not rated as well as inkjet printers, especially with respect to photo quality.
6. GCN (Government Computer News)	Battleship gray no more John Breeden II Apr. 24, 2006		The GCN Lab reviews and compares six high-end color laser printers ranging from nearly $1,300 to $14,000. The good news for small businesses is that the $14,000 Sharp printer is no better than the cheapest printers in this roundup. The top-rated Xerox Phaser 6350DP is a speed demon, but too expensive for many small businesses at $1,800. The cheapest printer – the OKI C7350n – has poor color accuracy. The slightly more expensive HP Color LaserJet 4700n is a better value. Except for the lack of visual documentation and marginal relevance, the concise reviews are exceptional; they are balanced and comparative.
7. CNet.com	Laser Printer Reviews Felisa Yang As of Oct. 2007		CNet.com regularly reviews new laser printers. The reviews provide superb, relevant direct comparisons and Felisa Yang does a fine job of positioning each printer relative to its competitors. However, reviews are overly focused on features, and design and speed are evaluated before print quality is even addressed in each review. While the better reviewers attempt to measure cost of use, CNet relies on the manufacturers’ number of pages per cartridge ratings. No printer reviewed in the past year is rated as an Editor's Choice. The Lexmark C530dn earns the highest rating; Yang says it’s better than more expensive color laser printers.
8. PCPro.co.uk	Printers Dave Stevenson, Dave Mitchell As of Oct. 2007		British magazine PC Pro reviews color laser printers with the same frequency as other computer magazines. The reviews are comparative, but less than comprehensive and minimally documented. Reviewers appear to be using the manufacturers’ cartridge ratings to evaluate cost of use. The HP Color LaserJet CP4005n is added to the A List, the publication’s list of top-rated products, and the Konica Minolta magicolor 5570 and Samsung ML-2510 are also recommended.
9. Trusted Reviews	Colour Laser Printer Reviews Simon Williams As of Oct. 2007		UK website TrustedReviews is one of the most prolific reviewers of all types of printers, including about eight color laser printers this year. Testing is shallow, however, and no proof of text or graphics quality is provided. Speed is measured and cost-of-use is reported, but we aren’t certain if Simon Williams attempts to calculate the figures or uses the manufacturers’ claims. The reviews are balanced, occasionally comparative, objective and performance-oriented. The two recommended models are not sold in the U.S. Among laser printers available in the United States, the Lexmark C532dn and HP CP4005n are better than others.
10. Consumer Guide.com	Laser & Ink Jet Printers Editors of ConsumerGuide.com As of Oct. 2007		ConsumerGuide’s reviews are competent and typical. Explanations of text and image quality are more descriptive than what most reviews provide. The reviews are easy to read and well-balanced. ConsumerGuide reviews as many laser printers as anyone, which provides a good frame of reference. However, ratings provide the only method of comparison. Other shortcomings include the absence of documentation or explanation of test methodology.
11. IT Reviews.com	Inkjet and Laser Printer Reviews Editors of IT Reviews.co.uk As of Oct. 2007		UK website IT Reviews provides a steady flow of individual laser printer reviews. The reviews are short and non-comparative, and products aren’t rated or ranked. Yet, this is an exceptional secondary source for information because other reviews neglect to state the true resolution of each printer. IT Reviews always does, and this specification makes a huge difference in fine print quality. Most reviewers either don’t mention resolution or use the manufacturers’ software-enhanced figures. Not all reviewed laser printers are available in the United States.
12. PrinterShowcase.com	Printer Reviews Editors of Printer Showcase As of Sept. 2007		An online retailer, Printer Showcase reviews printers it sells. There's an inherent conflict in that philosophy, which consumers should keep in mind when considering the site's recommendations. Still, the editors seem to make an effort to be objective, rating the printers on setup, print quality, speed, paper handling, supplies and service/reliability. The company claims its reviews are completely unbiased.
13. CRN.com	Hardware Reviews Marc Spiwak As of Oct. 2007		CMP Channel, CRN and related companies produce publications for sellers of technology products. While the intention here is to give dealers an idea of whether to carry a product to sell, the reviews are substantively similar to reviews directly oriented to consumers. Consumers can occasionally find worthwhile information about dealer incentives from manufacturers. Print speed and quality are tested in these reviews, but little information about quality is revealed. Comparisons are general. The Xerox Phaser 6360/DN earns a CRN Test Center "Recommended" honor for its great speed.
14. Personal Computer World	Laser Printers Contributing Editors As of Oct. 2007		U.K. magazine Personal Computer World covers a good selection of modestly priced laser printers. Most are sold in the U.S. The reviews are short and only generally comparative, but substantive. Overall and subcategory ratings provide some distinctions, but none of the subcategories cover any aspect of performance. Conclusions marginally give readers a good idea if they want to buy a particular model. No documentation is provided. Of models reviewed in the past year, only the HP Color LaserJet 2605dn earns a recommended rating. Alan Stevens is impressed with the output and the price, but not with color printing speed.
15. Macworld >> Details/Subscribe	Printers: Reviews James Galbraith, Brian Chen As of Oct. 2007		Macworld has reviewed four color laser printers so far this year. All are rated highly and, except for occasional speed comparisons, reviewers provide no distinctions for readers. The reviews are not Macintosh-centric and are of equal use to anyone shopping for a color laser printer, as testing was done with an Intel-based Macintosh. Note that the magazine does not review anything below about $400. The most recently reviewed printer, the Ricoh Aficio CL3500N, has a slightly higher rating than the other three printers.
16. Computer Shopper	Laser Printer Reviews Denny Atkin, John R. Delaney As of Oct. 2007		Computer Shopper magazine occasionally reviews printers and publishes reviews by sister company CNet.com. Computer Shopper reviews four color laser printers this year, but the reviews are not indexed online. The reviews are not comparative. Speed is tested, and cost of use is referenced, but reviewers give no indication that they aren’t just using the manufacturer’s ratings for cartridge life. The Xerox Phaser 8560/N – the most expensive printer reviewed – is selected as an Editor’s Choice. This model uses solid ink rather than toner.

Color Laser Printers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Color Laser Printers Ratings Comments on Reviews

17. Tom’s Hardware Guide	12 Color Laser Printers Explored Justin Korelc, Ed Tittel July 27, 2007		Tom's Hardware conducts large group reviews of all printing products this year. Each individual review in this article is unduly short, however. Text and image quality are barely addressed. Each printer is evaluated based on specifications and features, more than performance. While the individual reviews are not comparative, the authors select four models as the best of the group in the conclusion.
18. PC World (Australia) >> Details/Subscribe	Colour Laser Printers Multiple reviewers As of Oct. 2007		Australian PC World, and sister publication GoodGearGuide, regularly review color laser printers. The reviews are uneven and some are very short. The PC World reviews by Robin Morris are productively comparative, but other reviews aren’t. In all reviews, features garner the bulk of reviewer attention. With multiple reviewers and a narrow range of ratings, no color laser printers reviewed by these publications stand out against the competition.
19. TechZone.com	Samsung CLP-300 Colour Laser Printer Jason Landals Apr. 18, 2007		The Tech Zone reviews printers so rarely that this non-comparative review is essentially a single-product review of the Samsung CLP-300. The unit is ultra-small and ultra-cheap, Jason Landals notes. He is so impressed by those factors that he says, "you might want to see proof." Landals describes image quality as lacking in contrast. He gives the unit a high rating because of value. Except for the aforementioned criticisms, the review is comprehensive, professional and balanced.
20. Suite 101	HP2600n Color Laser Printer Review Chad Criswell Jul 26, 2007		This short single-product blog review looks authoritative, but doesn’t go much beyond a typical user review at a user review site. Chad Criswell‘s descriptions of output quality seem contradictory and his recommendation that a great price overcomes the printer’s shortcomings is dubious.

Color Laser Printers Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Color Laser Printers Ratings Comments on Reviews

21. Amazon.com	Color Laser Printers Contributors to Amazon.com As of Oct. 2007		Amazon.com users are invited to provide opinions of products they’ve purchased. The "Color Laser Printers" selection on Amazon.com’s website also brings up cartridges, monochrome laser printers and multifunction machines, so navigation is clunky and time-consuming. We only find three models with more than ten user reviews and all have the same average rating. Amazon should be useful for finding common complaints with specific models, but we didn’t find that to be true with these three printers.