In terms of resolution, most modern lasers can render graphics at up to 2400 dots per inch . However, for general text printing, resolutions of 300 to 600 dpi are perfectly adequate. Most reputable brands, such as Brother laser printers, render these resolutions. Both their laser and inkjet printers tend to yield many pages before you need to replace their ink or toner cartridges. It’s great if you’re constantly printing off several pages at a time. For our best budget pick, we chose the Brother MFC-J1205W. This color inkjet model is a great option for people who print a little more than the occasional one-off projects.
Backlit LCD makes navigating through the menu options fast and simple. Advanced security features help restrict unauthorized printing and protect your sensitive documents. 520-sheet input tray with 50-sheet multipurpose tray lets you easily print envelopes and alternative media types. Automatic duplex printing allows you to quickly print two-sided documents to reduce paper consumption.
Some people just need a cheap laser printer for occasional black-and-white print jobs. For them, we recommend the Brother HL-L2350DW. Setup is painless, and the machine is compatible with all major platforms, including Windows, macOS, Chrome OS, Linux, iOS, and Android. Its cost per page is a reasonable 3.3¢, it sticks to Wi-Fi like glue, and its price generally hovers around $100.
As with the HL-L2350DW, print quality degrades on this machine when you initiate jobs from Brother’s iPrint&Scan app, so you should use your operating system’s native print dialog instead. Google Cloud Print doesn’t work from the get-go—or didn’t for us, anyway—but you can fix that by disabling IPv6 in the Web control panel’s networking options. You don’t really need to install any extra software for the HL-L2350DW because it has native Windows and Mac drivers. It also works automatically with AirPrint on iOS, and you can add it with the Brother Print Service on Android. It’s perfectly functional, if not as well-designed as HP’s software. Unfortunately, in our testing, printing from iPrint&Scan resulted in horrendous quality, regardless of the quality setting we selected.
Precisely positioned by the electrostatic charge drawn by the laser beam on photosensitive material, they’re then fused in place. The precise positioning ensures professional-looking documents, an advantage that may be subtle for 10- or 12-point text, but makes a big difference in readability at 4 and 6 points. Be aware that tank-based inkjets can beat lasers on running cost, which complicates any broad-brushstroke comparison of costs between the two technologies. The tank-based models cost more than equivalent inkjets that use cartridges, but they let you use far cheaper ink, which you typically pour from bottles into large tanks in the printer. There are also a few lasers, notably the HP Neverstop Laser 1001nw and the HP Neverstop Laser MFP 1202w, that take a similar approach, selling toner in bulk “injectors” rather than in cartridges. Conventional wisdom says that inkjets are the best choice for home use.
These workhorses are ideal for bulk printing black-and-white documents quickly, at a low per-page cost. With laser printers, little maintenance is required beyond replacing cartridges. Moreover, since the toner comes as a powder, epson workforce there’s no waiting for documents to dry. HP’s LaserJet MFP M234dw and LaserJet MFP M234dwe are the same model with the same specs. We didn’t test either because they have flatbed scanners rather than automatic document feeders.