The Best Color Laser Printer in 2024 – Life is Better in Color

The LaserJet Pro series is HP’s famous printer line, including everything from compact monochrome models to bulky AIO color devices. From these, the HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw is regularly found on many best home-office color laser printer lists. 

It is both a monochrome laser printer and a color printer that offers substantial printing speeds, automatic duplex printing, mobile printing, low per-page costs, an excellent touchscreen interface, and various connection options.

Capabilities

Thanks to its compact build - only 15.4 inches wide and 16.5 inches deep - and stylish design, you will easily find a place for the Color LaserJet Pro M255dw on your desk.

The M225dw is not an all-in-one system: It can only print documents and photos without scanning, faxing, or copying capabilities. The print speeds are decent, though they might seem lackluster compared to other best-value color laser printers: The rate is an underwhelming 22 ppm for both monochrome and color prints. 

This HP LaserJet printer takes 12 seconds on the first black-only page, but it quickly picks up the pace. Printing photos will take 30 seconds per page, on average.

One of Color LaserJet Pro M255dw’s main advantages is its affordable CPP. Monochrome printing will set you back only $0.04 per page, while color printing quadruples the cost to $0.16, which is still significantly lower than almost any color laser printer in 2021. 

These low prices are possible thanks to high-yield toner cartridges, but even those can’t help much when printing out photographs, so the CPP rises to about $0.4. The HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw scores high on color accuracy tests, but photos will inevitably turn out grainy. However, the printer will perform admirably for multicolor documents and graphs.

It contains Ethernet and USB ports, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct, allowing you to print wirelessly. Photo printing can be done directly from camera storage or Apple AirPrint. The sheer amount of connectivity options can put even the best color laser printer to shame. Finally, the input tray capacity is 250 sheets, while the output tray can store 100 sheets.

Pricing

The current price for the HP Color LaserJet Pro M255dw is $329 on the HP website, with similar pricing on Amazon - reasonable, as far as color laser printers go.

Final Thoughts

Compact, quick, and affordable, the Color LaserJet Pro M255dw will be more than enough for home and small office use. However, the low speed and small paper tray make this relatively cheap printer less than ideal for extended use.

Brother printers are among the most capable and robust devices on the market. The Brother HL-L9310CDW is no different, currently presenting one of the best office color laser printer choices on the market. It boasts superb high-volume printing speeds, automatic duplex printing, mobile printing, low CPP, expandable paper trays, and a multitude of connections.

Capabilities

The Brother HL-L9310CDW is a beefy machine: 48.9 lb in a 12.3 x 17.4 x 19.1-inch frame. Both its price and capabilities suggest it’s aimed at medium and large offices, where space shouldn’t be an issue. If you’re looking for something that can handle your office’s large print jobs, this Brother printer has got you covered.

However, if you’re looking for the best color laser printer with all-in-one capabilities, you’ll need to look further, as the Brother HL-L9310CDW is a single-function device and doesn’t come with an automatic document feeder. But it performs its single function more quickly and cheaply than most competitors. Monochrome prints will pop out at 33 papers per minute - enough to satisfy even companies requiring fast print speeds.

The print quality is superb: The text is always clear and crisp, and the colors are bright and accurate. Surprisingly enough, photo-printing is also HL-L9310CDW’s forte, rare as this may be for laser printers.

What makes this possibly the best small-business color laser printer is its high tray capacity. The default is 300 papers total in the input trays, but this can be expanded many times over, up to around 3,400 sheets - impressive by all standards. This Brother laser printer also comes with a duty cycle of 80,000 pages, with 6,000 as the recommended monthly limit.

The interface is contained within a 2.7-inch touchscreen, and unlike some of the printers we reviewed, we found it very responsive and easy to use. Additionally, you can control the printer via its web-based portal. Connectivity is another thing we’d like to mention in our color laser printer reviews: Besides the regular Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections, you can access the printer through Wi-Fi Direct or NFC.

Pricing

The per-page printing costs are relatively low thanks to its huge toner yields. Monochrome pages cost around $0.01, while printing in color costs upward of $0.07. While there are more cost-effective printers out there, this is very cheap for such a high volume. The printer itself will set you back by $649.

Final Thoughts

Companies looking for a device to handle a colossal printing volume at a reasonable CPP look no further than the HL-L9310CDW. The only real downside of this best-rated color laser printer is its single function for a relatively high price - you could get an AIO printer for the same amount.

The Lexmark MC2535adwe is among the best color all-in-one laser printers on the market. Its speed and quality of print make it ideal for use in both home and office environments. However, it does lack connectivity, and the running costs stack up quickly.

Capabilities

The Lexmark MC2535adwe is an all-in-one system. Besides printing, including mobile printing, it can also scan and copy, which is often an invaluable asset for company use. This machine is quite heavy, around 60 pounds, and its dimensions are 18.2 x 17.4 x 23.1 inches, but it’s nowhere near the bulkiest device of its kind.

As with any best multifunction color laser printer primarily suited for company use, you can access settings through its web-based portal. You can also see the status of the printer’s expendables, so you’ll know when the toner cartridge needs replacing. The printer itself has a touchscreen and a number pad for manual use.

Printing speed, tray capacity, duty cycles, and per-page costs are the essential aspects of an office printer. The Lexmark MC2535adwe is definitely quick, rocking a sweet 35 ppm for one-sided documents and dropping to about half that speed for duplex printing. What makes this possibly the best color laser all-in-one printer is the incredible scanning speed of 50 ppm.

The default tray capacity is 250 sheets of paper, but that can be expanded to 1,500 with additional drawers. The maximum duty cycle is 85,000, while the recommended monthly amounts are between 1,500 and 8,500 - well above the competition.

Connectivity is one department where Lexmark MC2535adwe is lacking. It has Gigabit Ethernet, USB-to-PC, Wi-Fi, and Apple AirPrint, but no Wi-Fi Direct and NFC for a direct connection. The best all-in-one laser color printer should have those options, but this isn’t an insurmountable issue.

Pricing

The other major drawback of this printer is its cost: Monochrome printing will cost you around $0.02 per page, while color pages are nearly $0.12 a pop. The printer is priced at $599 - pretty standard for an AIO printer.

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for an ultra-fast versatile color printer for your office, the Lexmark MC2535adwe could be the best all-in-one printer for you. Just be prepared to shell out a bit more for toner cartridges over time.

We’ve already covered one Brother printer in this article, but with the MFC-L8900CDW, Brother Industries has introduced another best color multifunction laser printer contender. The Japanese company is more than capable of producing great AOI machines with fast print speeds, low maintenance costs, and a sizeable Automatic Document Feeder capacity.

Capabilities

Before purchasing the Brother MFC-L8900CDW, be aware that this is one big machine. The printer’s dimensions are 21.6 x 19.5 x 20.7 inches, and it weighs 63 lb. Still, an all-in-one printer is always expected to be bulkier than its single-function counterparts. 

Like some of the other best color laser printer devices we’ve covered, the Brother MFC-L8900CDW comes with an LCD touchscreen and a numerical keypad, and you can fine-tune the settings from its web-based portal.

Let’s start with the capabilities: This all-rounder can print, scan, copy, and fax documents. The Brother MFC-L8900CDW is commendably quick, maintaining a 33 ppm speed for both monochrome and color printing. 

The printer also comes with automatic two-sided printing for the conservation of both paper and toner. The scanning speed of 58 ppm is impressive even for the best office color laser printer.

The standard paper tray capacity is 250 sheets, while the Automatic Document Feeder can host 70 sheets. This capacity is greatly expandable and can hold up to 1,300 sheets. The multipurpose tray can house 50 sheets.

The Brother MFC-L8900CDW is big on security. It ships with ample security software warning you of any malicious threats, allows you to limit certain types of printing for specific users and prevents unauthorized users from accessing the printer via NFC.

This contender for the best all-in-one printer title also includes Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi, and Wi-Fi Direct connections. You can print directly from cloud services through Apple AirPrint and Google Cloud Print. Another great ability lets you automatically send scanned documents to multiple emails.

Pricing

Running costs stay low: Monochrome CPP is $0.02, while color printing is $0.10 per page - pretty cheap for AOI devices. With smart use and duplex printing, these costs can be brought down even further. However, the printer itself is currently $549.99.

Final Thoughts

The Brother MFC-L8900CDW is probably the best MFC color laser printer for offices with medium printing needs. It offers top-class security, quick printing, low running costs, and expandable trays. Its major downside is the sub-par color print quality, particularly for photos.

Another candidate from the LaserJet series, this printer is a single-function device best suited for smaller offices, with high output but potentially high CPP.

Capabilities

The LaserJet Pro M454dw could be the best color laser printer for home office setups, taking up just 11.6 x 16.2 x 18.5 inches and weighing 41.7 lb. HP didn’t skimp in the design department, so this remains a sleek machine, despite its hefty weight. 

You can set up your printer manually via its 2.7-inch touchscreen. If you prefer remote access, this LaserJet model includes an app for every OS as an alternative way to control the printer.

We were pretty happy with its speed, too: On par with any best all-in-one color laser printer from 2021, this LaserJet clocks in at 28 ppm for both monochrome and color printing. There’s a 9.3-second wait for the first black-and-white page, or 11.1 seconds if you’re printing in color. Photographs, on the other hand, will each take around 27 seconds to be printed out.

The printer ships with a 300-sheet tray - 250 for regular paper and 50 in the multi-purpose tray. If you need more, you can purchase another 550-sheet drawer, which should be enough for most small offices.

The best small color laser printer should include versatile connection options, and the LaserJet Pro M454dw certainly does. Besides the standard Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections, it supports printing from external storage via Wi-Fi Direct, Apple AirPrint, and more. No NFC, though.

Pricing

The main drawback of this printer is the CPP. A single monochrome page will set you back $0.03, which is on the cheap side, but color printing costs $0.18 per page, and printing out a photo costs around $0.47. However, the black toner cartridge has a high yield, so you won’t have to replace cartridges often. The current price of this printer on the HP website is $489.

Final Thoughts

While this may not be the best color laser printer for photos, it does provide an impressive monochrome volume for a low CPP. Furthermore, it offers superb connectivity and a compact frame - an excellent choice for small settings that need a printer-only solution. 

With an affordable price mark, you can also invest in a top-performing uninterruptible power supply with a reasonable price mark, which will protect your printer and prolong its expected duty cycle. On the other hand, if you need a printer for a higher printing volume, like in an office space, Brother HL-L9310CDW would be a better option.