The advent of laser printers has significantly improved the productivity of office document systems. IBM is the first company that introduced the laser printer. HP has taken it to the next level with its innovative LaserJet printer series. A laser printer works on non-impact photo copier technology. It means the keys don’t strike the paper. Instead, a laser beam draws the document on a selenium-coated drum with the help of electrical charges. When this drum is rolled in the toner, the document is fused onto the paper using heat and pressure. The electrical charge is removed once the document is printed. Excess ink is recollected as well.
Laser printers are different from inkjet printers in terms of ink, cost, maintenance, print speed and print technology. While the inkjet uses wet ink, laser printer uses dry ink. Printed laser documents will not smear when paper becomes wet. Most offices use monochrome laser printers as color ones are expensive. Businesses verticals such as legal and education can take advantage of the laser technology to quickly print huge volumes of documents at cost-effective prices.
What Others Are Looking For...
Need to have center stapling or stitching for promotional booklets. I am very interested in the new Color Qube technology and how the costs compare for MFD price and cost of Qubes in comparison to laser printing. Would prefer this type of machine if price is reasonable.
-Insurance Company, Salem, NH
Looking for a laser printer lease. Want the machine to be able to scan maintenance manuals into pdf format and then email said manuals to office recipients. Also machine will be used as a main printer/copier for 16 office personnel. Not less than 31ppm.
-Facilities Company, Irving, TX
It would be great if I get the wireless networking, duplex copying/printing, fax, black and white, scanning. Most important thing is cheapest deal; laser printer not inkjet.
-Business Services Company, Chicago, IL
We currently use a Brother all in one laser printer. Being a small custom home builder we need to keep costs down, but also need something that can produce good quality prints and a low daily operating costs (i.e. replacement toner and maintenance).
-Construction Company, Indianapolis, IN
Run 2 sided, cardstock .67lb, enlarge, reduce, hole punch, staple and correlate, In Color, Ink powder, Laser.
-Non-Profit, Fort Worth, TX
Just looking for a laser printer lease that can handle 11X17 and duplex copying. Have limited space so desktop would be preferable.
-Non-Profit Company, Elmsford, NY
Needs to be an HP laser printer lease. Can be Mono or color. Most copies will be black & white so color is not a priority. A stapler is a plus but not a priority. -Business Services, Chelan, WA
It would be great if I get the wireless networking, duplex copying/printing, fax, black and white, scanning is fine it not get in color. Most important thing is cheapest deal, or laser not ink jet.
-Other Business Services, Chicago, IL
We need a black & white laser printer lease, to print about 30ppm, duplex, sorter, collate, staple, email, scan, copy, fax.
-Manufacturing Company, Richmond, VA
I am a small advertising agency. To this point, I have had to sub out small print jobs because I have inkjets and need a high-quality laser printer/copier. I am looking for something I can lease at a low cost but that I can utilize to print newsletters, brochures, flyers, etc. up to 2,000-3,000 in quantity.
-Advertising Firm, Andover, KS
While purchasing a laser printer, check out the following aspects:
Print Speed
The print speed is the number of pages the printer can print in a minute. This value is measured in pages per minute (ppm). For a home office, 5 to 12 ppm is enough. The normal monthly page volume requirement would be below 1,000. These machines are available for below $200. Medium-size work groups would require a print speed of 15 to 30 ppm. The monthly page volume would be around 5,000. These machines fall in the price range of $200-$1,000. For large enterprises where the page volume is 200,000 per month, a high-end printer with a ppm of 50+ is required. Obviously, these machines would be expensive.
Resolution
Today, all laser printers come with a minimum of 600 dpi. This resolution is more than enough for regular documents. If you have to print images and photos, you need a resolution of 1200 dpi or 2400 dpi.
Paper Handling
Letter-size sheets are normally used in most offices. Legal firms normally use legal-size sheets. So, the type of media a printer can handle is important. Normal laser printers can print on adhesive labels, cards and transparent paper. In addition, automatic duplexing, where the document is printed automatically on both sides, is important. And, check the input tray capacity as well.
Warm-up Time
A laser printer takes 5-20 seconds to warm up before it can print the first copy when you turn it on. For large volume print jobs, you would want this value to be minimal. This is even more important for high-volume printers.
Usability
In addition to regular features, check out the control panel. With a color touch screen panel, all functions are at your fingertips. Security options are important too.
Laser Printers Vs Multi-function Vs All-in-One
Laser printers are dedicated machines for printing jobs. They do not offer other functionalities such as scanning or copying. All-in-one printers are designed to combine all of these functions into one. A single machine enables you to print, copy, scan and fax documents while reducing the footprint, operational expenses and time. Multi-function machines do the same job. The only difference is that all-in-one machines mostly use inkjet technology and are suitable for home and small offices. Multi-function machines are designed for large enterprises. They come with a higher print speed, monthly duty cycle and excellent features.
Laser Printers Vs Digital Copiers
| Laser Printers | Digital Copiers |
|---|---|
| Laser printers get a digital version of the document from a PC or other device. | Digital copiers reflect a light ray on the document to scan the content before printing it. In addition, it can print documents sent from a PC. |
| Laser printing is also called “black writing,” as letters are formed in areas where the laser strikes the photosensitive drum. | Digital copying is called “white writing” as letters are formed in areas where the laser did not strike the photosensitive drum. |
| Consumable expenses are more. | Consumable expenses are less. |
| Print quality is excellent. Even complicated drawings such as PCB layouts look crisp and clear. | Print quality is lower than laser printing. |
| Laser printing is more expensive than copiers. | Printing is cheaper than laser ones. |
| Compared with copiers, lasers are designed for lesser duty cycles. | Designed for heavy duty cycles. |
| Less toner yield. | More toner yield. |
| Smaller footprint. | Larger footprint. |
| Does not accommodate different sizes of paper in separate trays. | Accommodates multiple sizes of paper in separate trays. |
Top Brands that Produce Laser Printers
HP
HP is a leader in the laser printing segment. Right from three decades, the company has been producing highly efficient laserjet printers. The company offers laser printers for home and small offices under the HP Laserjet and HP Laserjet Pro series. These machines start at a low price of $129. Higher duty machines are available under the HP Laserjet Enterprise Series. These machines start at $455.
Canon
Canon offers laser printers under the Canon imageRUNNER LBP 3000/5000 series. These machines provide superior quality output and reliable performance. The LBP 5000 series machines offer a print speed of 21-33 ppm, while the LBP 3000 series machines come with a higher print speed of 35-42 ppm.
Brother
Brother offers a large catalog for laser printers. Monochrome laser printers are available under the HL-L2300 series, HL-5400 series and HL-6000 series. Color laser printers are available under the HL-3100 series, HL-L8000 series and HL-L9000 series. While the price of monochrome machines starts at $99, color ones are available from $249.
Toshiba
Toshiba has partnered with HP to offer high quality document management solutions. Toshiba augments HP printers with its world-class Managed Print solutions to reduce costs and enhance productivity levels. For small workgroups, Toshiba offers HP products under the P1000/P2000/P3000 series. All of these machines are monochrome printers. Color laser printers are offered under the CP4000/CP5000/CP6000 series. There are no printers available for large enterprises.
Xerox
Xerox offers a range of products under the laser printing catalog. In the monochrome segment, laser printers are available under the Phaser 3000/4000/5000 series. The print speed ranges from 21 ppm to 65 ppm. Color laser printers are available under the Phaser 6000/7000/8000 series. The price of these machines start at $249 and goes higher as the configuration increases.
Lexmark
Lexmark offers high quality laser printers for color and black and white printing. Monochrome laser printers are available under the MS810 series. Color laser printers are available under the CS510/CS310/CS410/C740 series. The CS310/410 series printers are suited for home and small offices. C740 and CS510 series are geared toward medium-size work groups. The MS810 series are for large enterprises.
Color Laser printers
| Brand | HP | Canon | Brother | Lexmark | Xerox | Toshiba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | HP Color LaserJet M551dn Printer | Color imageRUNNER LBP5480 | HL-3170CDW | Lexmark CX510de | Phaser 7500 | CP4025dn Color Laser Printer |
| Print Speed (color) | 33 ppm | 33 ppm | 23 ppm | 32 ppm | 35 ppm | 35 ppm |
| Print Speed (Black) | 33 ppm | 33 ppm | 23 ppm | 32 ppm | 35 ppm | 35 ppm |
| Monthly Duty Cycle | 75,000 | 60,000 | 30,000 | 85,000 | 150,000 | 100,000 |
| Cost | $749 | $1,350 | $279 | $580 | $2399 | $1,690 |
Monochrome Laser Printers
| Brand | HP | Canon | Brother | Lexmark | Xerox | Toshiba |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | HP LaserJet Pro Printer P1606DN | imageRUNNER LBP3580 | HL-5470DW | Lexmark MS810n | Phaser 3320 |
LASERJET PRO P1606DN PRINTER |
| Print Speed (Black) | 25 ppm | 42 ppm | 40 ppm | 55 ppm | 37 ppm | 26 ppm |
| Monthly Duty Cycle | 8,000 | 15,000 | 50,000 | 250,000 | 80,000 | 8,000 |
| Cost | $209 | $999 | $249 | $699 | $349 | $265 |
Benefits of a laser printer
Precision, economy and speed are three important benefits of a laser printer. With the ability to print quickly, laser printers offer faster speeds to enhance productivity. The unvarying diameter of the laser beam offers more precision.They are more efficient as well. While the cost of a laser printer is more than an inkjet, it reduces operational expenses. Printing with a laser machine is cheaper.
Recommendation for a home office
For a home office, HP LaserJet Pro Printer P1606DN is a good buy. It comes with a print speed of 25 ppm and a warmup time of 8.5 seconds,which is more than enough for a home office. Though the resolution is 600x600 dpi, this machine produces crisp text. The toner yield is 2,100 prints. It means you don’t have to change the toner until 2,100 prints. There is a 250-sheet tray. The best thing about this machine is its wireless capabilities. You can print from any device, anywhere and even access it from the cloud.However, it comes with a low monthly duty cycle of 8,000 pages. The price is $209.
Recommendation for a small office
For a small office, Xerox Phaser 3320 is a good option. This machine can efficiently handle large volume printing jobs and completes them quickly. Moreover, monthly printing costs are effectively reduced. Phaser 3320 offers a print speed of 37 ppm and prints at a resolution of 1200 dpi. It offers duplex printing to save paper. The toner yield is 6,000 pages. With a monthly duty cycle of 80,000 prints, this machine effectively handles heavy workloads. There is a 300-sheet paper capacity with an option of adding a 500-sheet tray. It comes with wireless capabilities so you can connect to this device from anywhere and anytime. The price is $349.
Recommendation for the legal vertical
Legal offices print large volumes of documents on a regular basis. While speed and precision are important, reducing operational costs must be considered as well. The Brother HL-5450DN monochrome laser printer is a good choice for legal organizations. It comes with a print speed of 40 ppm. The print resolution of 1200 dpi delivers crisp and clear text. The first copy comes out quickly in 8.5 seconds. The toner save mode allows you to economically print documents. While the machine provides faster productivity levels, the monthly duty cycle of 50,000 pages allows you to seamlessly work on large projects. It comes with a 250-sheet tray. This machine offers wireless capabilities, which means you can connect to this device from any device, anytime and from anywhere. Cloud printing is supported. The price is $199.
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