If you're looking for the best color laser printer, you've got to do a little homework first. Not only do you need to evaluate possible color laser printers, but you need to define your needs so that you know that you're getting the right machine for you.
The best color laser printer for a home user.
Home users can be simultaneously the least demanding and the most demanding color laser printer users. Choosing the best color laser printers for home users depends entirely on how the home user intends to use it. If you're looking for the best color laser printer for heavy black and white volume and occasional color use, the HP Color LaserJet 2600N is a good choice. The print speed is fairly slow at only 8ppm, but it's affordable and provides wireless connectivity. Color printer toner doesn't dry up as quickly as inkjet toner, so for occasional color prints, this model makes sense. Just don't expect it to print inkjet quality photos.
The best color laser printer for a small business.
Small businesses need a higher monthly print duty cycle and faster print capabilities, so the best color laser printer for small businesses are a step up from the home user class. A good entry point for a small business color laser printer is the Konica Minolta Magicolor 2550 EN. At 20ppm, it's not the fastest color laser printer on the market, but it's an inexpensive entry point for a budget-conscious small business owner. With a monthly duty cycle of 35,000 prints and easy network connectivity, the KM 2550 is an easy choice.
The best color laser printer for an office workgroup.
Large businesses with print-heavy office workgroups require their color laser printers to be true workhorses. The best color laser printer for a large business or office workgroup is the Lexmark C772N. With a print speed of 25ppm, it's still not lightning fast, but with a monthly duty cycle of 120,000 prints per month, it can withstand the high volume of an office workgroup. With support for letter and legal paper, as well as #10 envelopes, it meets with typical business paper needs. With the added bonuses of wireless connectivity in addition to the standard wired network connection and an expansion slot which can be used for additional paper capacity, the Lexmark C772N is the logical choice for a large business workgroup.
The best color laser printer for photos.
Don't assume that a color laser printer prints good photos just because it's color and laser. Many color laser printers are fine for documents that include color elements, but not good for color photos. The best color laser printer for photos is the Konica Minolta. Unfortunately, the high-end versions of these machines can be very expensive. If you're not as demanding with your photo prints and are looking for the best color laser printer for photos under $700, try the HP Color LaserJet printer line.
 | While laser printers create an image and throw powdered ink (toner) to paper that passes over an electrically charged drum, an inkjet printer sprays tiny dots of ink onto the page to create the image. A laser printer is standard equipment in offices around the world. |
 | With all the different types of print technology available, the decision of whether to get an all-in-one color laser printer or some other type of printer could be tough. While inkjet printers are losing ground to all-in-one color laser printers in some respects, they're still a better choice for some applications. |
 | If you're like most people, you follow the instructions to change laser printer toner when it's necessary and then forget about it. However, you might be missing out on opportunities to extend the life of your laser printer toner, and you may not be disposing of it properly. |
Laser printers can still hold their own against ink jets when it comes to speed, text resolution and ownership costs. |
When laser printers first came on the market, they were ridiculously expensive and those who just had to have the latest in technology paid the price. However, now that so much time has elapsed since their debut, the prices have come down to nearly affordable. |
