The 10 Best Laser Printers of 2026, Ranked

Mono suits most homes. It costs less to buy, uses one toner cartridge and prints text at the lowest cost per page. Pick colour only if you regularly print charts, flyers or school projects, and expect four cartridges to replace (usually black, cyan, magenta and yellow). Colour laser photos still look flat, so an inkjet suits photo printing better.

For text, usually yes. A mono laser with a high-yield cartridge can cost roughly 1.5p to 3p a page, and colour laser pages cost more, often 5p to 10p. Toner does not dry out, so a laser suits people who print once a week or once a month. Check the starter toner, because the cartridge in the box is often smaller than the replacement and runs out early.

Only if you scan or copy paper. An all-in-one adds a scanner and often an automatic document feeder (ADF), which handles multi-page originals. It takes more desk space and costs more than a print-only machine. If you scan occasionally, your phone's camera app may be enough.

Compatible cartridges are cheaper and work in many printers, but quality varies and a few manufacturers' firmware blocks them. HP's HP+ scheme, for example, requires HP cartridges and an internet connection, and Brother's EcoPro subscription ties you to its toner service. Buy the standard model rather than a subscription version if you want to choose your own toner. Original cartridges cost more but are the safest option if you want print quality and reliability guaranteed.

Duplex means the printer prints on both sides of the page automatically. It halves paper use for long documents, and every model here has it. Two-sided pages print slower than one-sided ones, so check the duplex speed if you print a lot. Without duplex you have to turn the pages by hand.

Most laser printers now join your home Wi-Fi network, and AirPrint (iPhone) or Mopria and brand apps (Android) let you print from a phone. Ethernet is worth having if your printer sits near the router, because wired connections are more stable. Setup usually goes through the maker's app, and some brands ask you to create an account. If your router splits 2.4GHz and 5GHz into separate networks, join the printer to the 2.4GHz one.