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Technology.

24 June 2021

Top five best laser printers for 2021

Laser printers can produce high-quality prints at lightning speeds, great for people who print a lot. We've rounded up the best laser printers for home use.

Hollie Hennessy

Which? tests all the latest laser printers designed for use at home, ranging from simple models that can only print, to feature-rich all-in-one machines that can copy and scan too.

Laser printers tend to have lower running costs, but typically cost more to buy than inkjets. This makes it even more crucial that you don't waste money on a poor-quality laser model.

Our Best Buy laser printers will turn out top-quality letters and office documents fast. Below, we've picked out five great monochrome laser printers (only able to print in black-and-white).

We've also selected a few laser printers that aren't worth the cash and we'd urge you to avoid.

If you want a laser model that can print in colour for photos or images, head to our best colour laser printer guide.

Only logged-in Which? members can view our recommendations in the table below. If you’re not yet a member, join Which? to get instant access.

Top five mono laser printers
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78%
£199.09
This is a compact laser printer built primarily for printing black-text documents. It has wi-fi and AirPrint for wireless printing. Although it can’t scan or copy, this model is a fantastic and affordable printer for your home.
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76%
£324.99
As a printer, scanner and copier built for being productive, this wireless printer is excellent. It's much more suited to frequent printer users or anyone with a home office, though.
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74%
£89.00
If you don't want your printer to take up too much space on your desk, this big-brand laser model will be right up your street. It can't copy or scan, but is superb at printing black-text documents.
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73%
£129.99
This big-brand laser printer is remarkably compact consider that it can copy and scan, as well as print up to A4 in size. It has wi-fi and wireless printing features such as AirPrint. See if this is the laser printer for you by logging in or joining Which?.
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70%
£227.19
This Neverstop printer lives up to its name. It’s unique re-loadable toner tank means it's super–economical, so you’ll get plenty of prints at a low cost. In fact, this printer is so economical that we can’t do our usual cost calculations. It's also brilliant at printing black text and can scan and copy.
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Some of the models we've selected aren't recent launches, but they're still some of the highest performing printers. You can check our printer reviews page for new reviews monthly. The table above was updated in May 2021.

Not found the laser printer for you? Browse all of our laser printer reviews.

And here are three laser printers to avoid

Our testing has found some laser printers that don't deliver on either print quality or low running costs.

While bad laser printers aren't as costly to run as poor inkjets, they're still less efficient than Best Buy or higher-scoring models. Their print quality is often mediocre, too. Look elsewhere to get good value for money.

Three mono laser printers to avoid

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45%
£102.99
Sometimes it's best to be wary of an attractive price, such as with the case of this big brand laser printer. It may be affordable to buy, but you'll be left feeling short-changed by its mediocre print quality and lack of features.
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45%
£80.00
There's not a lot to like about this HP laser printer, apart from that it prints OK looking black text documents. Considering that it isn't exactly cheap, either, there are much better options available for your money.
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43%
£87.99
It’s not the worst printer we’ve tested, but it's not far off. It’s from a fringe brand, it lacks even basic features and, realistically, there’s no reason why you should consider it over higher-scoring alternatives.
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Laser vs inkjet: which is better?

If you want sharp, text-heavy prints that come through quickly, a laser printer is the way to go. While the printers themselves are generally more expensive than inkjets, the printing cost tend to be lower.

A laser printer’s toner cartridges are pricier to replace than an inkjet’s ink cartridges, but each one can print a lot more pages, so you’ll easily get your money’s worth.

What’s more, few inkjets can match a laser for speed or high-quality text. Black-and-white laser printers start from around £50, while a colour laser printer or a multi-function, all-in-one printer, with scan and copying features, will cost you £100 or more.

Sharp text, rapid print speeds and fast colour prints are all hallmarks of a great laser printer. Look out for additional features too, such as double-sided printing or multiple print trays. These features will cost you more, but if you need to print a lot of long documents or flip between printing on plain and headed paper, they can save you time and money.

Can't choose between the two? Find out more in our guide on inkjet vs laser printers: which is best?