Laser printers come in different forms to serve different purposes and obviously some are more productive than others while some are designed to handle smaller volumes. The first question that comes to our mind while selecting a suitable laser printer is whether to choose a monochrome or color laser printer. So what are the factors that influence the decision? In this blog, I have prepared a list of laser printers based on their budget, productive capacity and different purposes they serve. This will help you understand which printer you should use for home printing needs or small or medium sized business needs.
1. Small business laser printers
— Canon image class LBP6030w Laser printer
— Brother HL-L2300D laser printer
— Samsung xpress M2825DW Laser printer
2. Heavy duty networked laser printer
— HP® LaserJet® Pro M404dn Printer
— Canon’s imageClass MF236n All-in-One Laser AirPrint Printer
3. Budget friendly laser printers
— HP LaserJet Enterprise M553dn Laser Printer
— Xerox® ColorQube® 8580n Laser Printer
This list has been made considering certain factors. If you want to purchase a suitable printer for yourself or your business, knowing few laser printers terms and features will help you choose the right one for your need. Here is the list of features that you must take into account before purchasing a laser printer.
1. Speed(PPM)
The speed of laser printers determines its productive capacity within a particular time frame. Different types of laser printers come with different PPM or print per minute. Usually budget friendly printers’ speed ranges between 25 to 50 pages per minute which is more than sufficient for most businesses. A high end laser printer model like Brother® HL-S7000DN is capable of printing 500 words per second which is suitable for big business houses.
2. Monthly duty cycle
Printers are produced with specific load bearing capacity. If you can match your expected print volume with a printers’ monthly productivity, you can significantly decrease the chances of unexpected breakdowns and repairs. Manufacturers use the term monthly duty cycle as a technical specification.
3. Paper size
Laser printers are popularly used for office settings and most of them are capable of handling legal- size paper. Some models which are designed for personal use may not be able to manage the legal size paper. So make sure you research about the paper size specs before buying a laser printer if legal size printing is essential for you
4. Cost per page
It is one of the most important criteria which should be taken into consideration before purchasing a laser printer. Cost per page determines how much you will spend on toner cartridges in the long run. The price and page yield of toner cartridges vary from toner to toner. For example Brother Toner cartridges are extremely efficient and produce good quality printing. Brother tn760 high yield toner cartridge is mainly used for office purposes due to its high productivity. If you divide a printer’s page yield by the cost of the ink cartridge then you will get the Cost per page of a printer.
Other features include
— Monochrome or color- black and white or colored
— WIFI- it signifies the wireless connection. Most of today’s laser printer come with built in Wifi and Bluetooth capabilities
— Paper handling- it defines the smoothness, efficiency, and consistency with which your printer handle — paper from the loading tray and produces the final print.
— Photo quality-
— Warranty
Doing a little bit of research before purchasing is always helpful no matter what you are buying. Learning about the above mentioned factors before purchasing a printer will always keep you in the right direction in your search for a suitable laser printer. Gaining proper knowledge on the features of laser printers will push you a step closer to the best suited printer for your needs.