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Top 10 Color Laser Printers

Color laser printers are becoming more affordable, though toner costs can still be a shock. Ratings and rankings can change due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info.

Edited by Melissa Riofrio

Tuesday, March 11, 2008, 01:00 PM PDT
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Rank Name PCW Rating
1
BEST BUY
Brother HL-4040CN
B&W Pages per Min.: 21
Color Pages per Min.: 21
Max. B&W dpi: 2400-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 2400-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 300
Price When Reviewed: $400
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Bottom Line: This competent printer balances good pricing, speed, and print quality with a sometimes-awkward design.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
84.1Very Good
2
Dell Color Laser Printer 1320c
B&W Pages per Min.: 16
Color Pages per Min.: 12
Max. B&W dpi: 600-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 600-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $299
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Bottom Line: A low price and great-looking photo quality help this model stand out, but its toner cartridges are expensive.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
81.7Very Good
3
Oki Printing Solutions C5500n
B&W Pages per Min.: 24
Color Pages per Min.: 20
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 400
Price When Reviewed: $599
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Bottom Line: This midpriced GDI-based printer offers dual paper trays and fast print speeds, especially for graphics.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
80.4Very Good
4
Oki Printing Solutions C5800Ldn
B&W Pages per Min.: 28
Color Pages per Min.: 24
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 400
Price When Reviewed: $799
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Bottom Line: GDI-based printer has a built-in duplexer; offers fastest graphics and text performance on our chart.
(Last Rated: October 06, 2006)
Full ReviewTest Report
78.5Good
5
Lexmark C530dn
B&W Pages per Min.: 24
Color Pages per Min.: 22
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-1200
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-1200
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $499
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Bottom Line: This model's price is attractive for a color laser that handles double-sided prints and has two paper trays.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
77.4Good
6
Xerox Phaser 6180/N
B&W Pages per Min.: 26
Color Pages per Min.: 20
Max. B&W dpi: 600-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 600-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 400
Price When Reviewed: $499
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Bottom Line: The Phaser 6180/N prints high-quality text at decent speeds, but it finds color images more of a challenge.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
76.2Good
7
Brother HL-2700CN
B&W Pages per Min.: 31
Color Pages per Min.: 8
Max. B&W dpi: 2400-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 2400-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $500
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Bottom Line: This model prints text fast, but letters looked fuzzy and graphics were dark. Compact design has letter-size paper limit.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
73.9Good
8
Lexmark C780n
B&W Pages per Min.: 35
Color Pages per Min.: 31
Max. B&W dpi: 1200-by-1200
Max. Color dpi: 1200-by-1200
Tray Capacity, pages: 600
Price When Reviewed: $899
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Bottom Line: For busy offices, this unit's speed and print quality are worth the cost--despite the subpar reliability.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
71.4Good
9
Samsung CLP-660ND
B&W Pages per Min.: 25
Color Pages per Min.: 25
Max. B&W dpi: 2400-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 2400-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 250
Price When Reviewed: $700
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Bottom Line: The CLP-660ND offers decent speed and design, but its grainy graphics aren't for the art crowd.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
71.0Good
10
Ricoh Aficio SP C222DN
B&W Pages per Min.: 21
Color Pages per Min.: 21
Max. B&W dpi: 2400-by-600
Max. Color dpi: 2400-by-600
Tray Capacity, pages: 251
Price When Reviewed: $599
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Bottom Line: Middling in price, performance, and design, this printer suffers from spotty documentation.
(Last Rated: February 07, 2008)
Full ReviewTest Report
69.9Fair
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