12 Monochrome Laser Printers

HP LaserJet 1022

The HP LaserJet 1022 is a low-cost, barebones, no-frills monochrome laser printer. It retails for around $170, in return for which you get middling 18 ppm output speed, 1200x1200 output resolution, a modest 8,000 page monthly duty cycle and basic paper handling capabilities. You get up to 260 sheets of fixed input capacity and up to 150 sheets of fixed output capacity (no optional paper trays here).

The HP 1022 is compact and boxy, but does the job surprisingly well.

With dimensions of 14.56" x 9.65" x 9.5" (37.0cm x 24.5cm x 24.1cm) and a weight of 12.1 lbs (5.5 kg), the HP 1022 is pretty compact and light, well suited for small and home office or personal use. Basic connectivity is either USB 2.0 or parallel port, but HP also sells JetDirect (Ethernet) and wireless print server add-ons, and a Bluetooth wireless adapter that works with this printer.

Consumables for the HP 1022 cost $70 for a black cartridge rated at 2,000 pages. Refilled or aftermarket cartridges are widely available, and usually go for $45-$55. Although the unit has no built-in duplexing capability, HP includes support for double-sided printing in its driver configuration (when selected, it shows users how to turn over and rotate the paper, and reminds them to do so when the first sides have finished printing). Print quality is pretty good, especially for text, and graphics are decent though details can sometimes tend to be a little bit blotchy.

  • Maybe I am reading it wrong but this printer offers a separate image drum compared to its toner drum. They come apart and you can buy toner separately. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but the toner might last 2500 pages, but the drum is good for 10,000, so why replace the drum if it isn't ready? The other personal laser printer I was looking at only had one replaceable part, drum/toner together. This was the main reason I got one, I could control my cost better.
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  • Sorry, previous comment was for the Brother HL-2040.
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  • Brother HL Printers 2040

    Brother HL-2040 is a compact monochrome laser printer designed for both small office and personal use. Brother HL-2040 features a built-in memory of 8MB, 250-sheet paper capacity tray and affordable printing supplies. Compatible Brother HL-2040 toners are known for its quality and inexpensive price tag. As such, Brother HL-2040 toner cartridges are able to generate 2,500 pages of high quality printouts at top 5% coverage.
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