We're increasingly encouraged to go digital, whether it's from the energy company sending out electronic statements or insurance shipping off little PDF explanations of benefits. There always seems to be a point in the communications exchange where hard copies are still necessary. Even if you send in your taxes electronically, you almost certainly take home a fat print-out of the forms for your own records, right? Printing is where the rubber meets the road in a number of professions, and we expect printers to remain valuable peripherals for many years to come.
As such, we thought we'd take a group of printers for a spin around the block to determine which one delivers the most value, the best image quality, and the quickest performance.
Enthusiasts sink a lot of time into picking the right motherboard, processor, and graphics card. Similarly, there are a lot of printers to choose from. From the outside, though, the boxes all look pretty much the same. Even after you get them unwrapped, it's hard to tell which one will serve you best. When you're talking about entry-level equipment, there are typically two options: inkjet-based and low-cost laser printers.
Although inkjet technology is older, it still has its uses, particularly when you're talking about color inkjet printers that can reproduce amazing-looking graphics. Most photo printers are inkjets, and the right ones create output rivaling those professionally developed from film. Inkjets are usually less expensive, and when you factor in sales and rebates, it's not uncommon to find solid choices priced under $100. However, that low procurement cost hides substantial expenses down the road. While most printers include a starter inkjet cartridge to get you going, after 100 pages or so, you'll have to buy another one. And that's where inkjet printers get expensive. There's a reason many stores keep their refills locked up behind glass. Black cartridges might cost $50 or more. Color is even more, which could mean doubling the cost of your printer not long after you buy it. Some models force you to use that company's ink by placing little sensors in the cartridge. If you try to load the printer with anything else, it won't work. That's for your own protection, so they say. Print out another couple hundred pages, and it's time to replace the cartridges again.
In contrast, laser printers cost more initially. Some entry-level units sell for $400, though we've seen prices come down significantly. In fact, one of the printers we're reviewing sells for less than $150. Toner cartridges last a lot longer; many are rated for 5000 or even 10,000 pages before they have to be swapped out. And the cartridges aren't obscenely expensive on a per-page basis, ranging anywhere from $50 to $300, often including free recycling.
Do the math. For entry-level printing, business graphics, and putting letters onto paper, laser printers are a better bet for most folks. That's why, for this first piece, we're focusing on entry-level monochrome laser printers. They're the best bet for high quality at an affordable price. They also include certain advanced features like eco-friendly options, automatic duplexing, and even print security.
| Dell B2160dn | Brother HL-6180dw | HP LaserJet Pro M401dne | Xerox WorkCentre 3320/DNI | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Monochrome Laser Printer | Monochrome Laser Printer | Monochrome Laser Printer | Monochrome Laser Printer |
| Dimensions | 13.7" W x 13.31" H x 7.76" D | 14.6" W x 15.1" H x 11.3" D | 14.35" W x 14.49" H x 10.53" D | 14.4" W x 14.5" H x 10.1" D |
| Weight | 15.87 lb. | 25.4 lb. | 23.5 lb. | 21.80 lb. |
| Print Speed | 28 ppm (A4) | 42 ppm | 35 ppm | 37 ppm |
| Resolution | 1200 x 1200 dpi (Max) | 1200 x 1200 dpi (Max) | 1200 x 1200 dpi (Max) | 1200 x 1200 dpi (Max) |
| Max. Duty Cycle (Mo.) | 20,000 pages | 100,000 pages | 50,000 pages | 80,000 pages |
| Paper Input | 250-sheet cassette | 500-sheet input 50-sheet multi-purpose | 250-sheet input 50-sheet multi-purpose | 250 sheets 50-sheet bypass tray |
| Processor | ARM11 (533 MHz) | 400 MHz | 800 MHz | 600 MHz |
| Memory | 64 MB | 128 MB | 256 MB | 128 MB |
| Expansion | None | Optional 500-sheet tray | None | Optional 520-sheet tray |
| Maximum Paper Output | 150 sheets | 500 sheets | 150 sheets | 150 sheets |
| Duplex | Automatic duplexer | Automatic duplexer | Automatic duplexer | Automatic duplexer |
| Interfaces | USB 2.0 10/100 Mb/s Ethernet | USB 2.0 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet 802.11b/g/n | USB 2.0 10/100/1000 Mb/s Ethernet | USB 2.0 10/100/1000 MB/s Ethernet Wi-Fi |
| Language | SPL, PCL6 Host-based XPS | PCL6, BR-Script3 IBM Proprinter, Epson FX | PCL5e, PCL6, Direct PDF HP Postscript Level 3 | PCL5e, PCL6 HP Postscript Level 3 |
| Warranty | One year | One year | One year | One year |
| Price | $140 | $300 | $350 | $400 |
The printers in this review had thousands of pages put through them. At various points in our stress test, pages were examined for artifacts, a reduction in quality compared to the first page, or any other misprint. In addition, the printers were tested and timed to see how quickly they could output a 30-page all-text document and a 30-page graphics-laden file. That latter benchmark employs text placed around, under, and through the pictures in order to gauge how well the printers interpret and display that data. Finally, extra features (like the eco-friendly- and security-oriented stuff) were exampled.
The four units we gathered all fall under $400 and include Dell's B1260dn, Brother's HL-6180, HP's LaserJet Pro M401dne, Xerox's WorkCentre 3320/DNI.
Create a new thread in the Reviews comments forum about this subject
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3 Hideblackmagnum , February 20, 2014 12:13 AMPerfect timing for the office upgrade. These laser printers definitely offer better printout/ price ratio compared to ink jets.
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0 Hidephate1337 , February 20, 2014 12:27 AMHey, I recommend you try and get your hands on a low end Kyocera desktop printer. as an engineer that has worked on many many brands of printers, scanners and photocopiers, the most reliable by far has to be Kyocera for desktop A4 Mono printers.
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1 Hidecypeq , February 20, 2014 12:59 AMFor regular desktop printing (that's their goal) any would do, they all well... print, your only guideline should be prints per month, if you want proper durability of device.
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-1 HideAchoo22 , February 20, 2014 1:15 AMThe Dell sometimes goes on sale - I've seen it drop well below $100 in the past, including free shipping. I've used lots of devices from Brother in the past, and their drivers tend to be among the worst in the business in terms of stability and OS support. When Windows 9/Ubuntu Next/Plan9/whatever comes out, don't be shocked if you're without print services for a while. Being able to hold a whole ream of paper at once is pretty awesome, though, and means an awful lot more in practice than shaving a few seconds off of a print job.
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6 HideSomeone Somewhere , February 20, 2014 1:26 AMWould be nice if you'd posted the toner cartridge sizes and costs, too. Many budget lasers come with cartridges only in the ~700 page range, which is better than an inkjet but still relatively small.
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6 HideXGrabMyY , February 20, 2014 2:18 AMMy favorite entry level laser printer is by far the 2270DW by Brother. I can buy 6000 page yield cartridges for about 12.50USD, and they last for that long. It is unreal how much value you get for a 90-120USD printer (I spent about 90 to a 100 for each of my two) and they duplex and have wireless printing - super easy to setup AND Brother even supports Windows 8/8.1 RT. You really can't ask for anything better!
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4 Hideamk-aka-Phantom , February 20, 2014 4:04 AMAs a sysadmin with dozens of Ubuntu systems under control, the choice is easy. HP, because it's the only thing that's decently supported
(And use 3rd party cartridges to avoid being ripped off by HP) -
2 HideSomeone Somewhere , February 20, 2014 4:13 AMPrinting works fine on both my Brother and HP network printers, on Ubuntu and Windows. Never had driver issues with either.
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1 Hidebloody llama , February 20, 2014 4:22 AMThe article doesn't mention anything about longevity or ease of repair on these printers. I understand that it is somewhat outside the scope of a simple review, but my experience with laser printers has lead me to believe that the brother printers last much longer and are much easier to repair over the long haul. Try letting an office of real estate agents abuse one for a decade and that gets real important.
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0 Hidevaughn2k , February 20, 2014 5:49 AMIn the Philippines, we have this Brother Printer HL-1110 (http://welcome.brother.com/ph-en/products-services/printers/hl-1110.tab1.html), costs U$67.0 and can print 21ppm.
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0 HideSomeone Somewhere , February 20, 2014 5:58 AMNo networking and manual duplexing only. I'd give it a miss.
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1 Hideram1009 , February 20, 2014 7:09 AMTry Samsung.
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1 HideOnus , February 20, 2014 7:14 AMI've had a Brother 2070N for 7-8 years. Although I'm not sure I've printed more than 2K-3K sheets in all that time, I'm still on the original cartridge. It has been trouble-free otherwise. It sleeps peacefully most of the time, but wakes right up when I or my wife print to it over our LAN.
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4 HideThe original Derfman , February 20, 2014 7:44 AMThis article is missing the one thing I would like to know in my budget printing needs. Cost over time. Please, next time you do printer reviews... add this.
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4 HideSername , February 20, 2014 7:46 AMDon't know if you've noticed the Dell and Xerox have identical looking driver graphical interfaces. Most likely both are rebranded Samsungs.
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-1 HideOnus , February 20, 2014 7:58 AMHP has made it to my personal "Do Not Buy" list. They have forgotten that they are first and foremost a printer company. In my managed work environment, the HP Universal [Failure] drivers are constantly being stepped on, and must be manually deleted and reloaded each time. I choose not to contend with that sort of driver nonsense on my own time too.
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1 Hideiknowhowtofixit , February 20, 2014 8:05 AMI love Brother laser printers. I have an MFC series laser printer that is 6 years old and just won't die. It fell about 8 feet on a moving truck and survived that too.
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2 HideThe Black Laser , February 20, 2014 8:08 AMI recently purchased a Brother HL-2280DW, which is a wireless multifunction laser printer and I couldn't be happier. Plus, it was like 100 bucks. Total no brainer.
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1 Hideodoketa , February 20, 2014 8:38 AMI have the Brother 5250DN, which is basically an older version of this printer, with a wired connection. It's been a solid workhorse for five years now.
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-1 Hidegypsydan , February 20, 2014 8:48 AMI finding you did not mention. I understand Brother does not allow you to refill their toner cartridges. Do the other mfg's allow cartridge refills? I HAD used Brother for years, but no longer.
(And use 3rd party cartridges to avoid being ripped off by HP)