Looking for a black and white laser printer to print out documents? If this is the case, picking the best monochrome laser printer in 2023 will help you save a lot of money, especially in the long term.
The main reason to go for a monochrome laser printer is that they cost a lot less than the color counterparts. This simply means that not only will the running cost be low but also you can save a lot more money as you have to buy only black toner or ink. And because the costs are relatively lower, you can easily go for a monochrome laser printer that will offer much better print quality and faster speed, which might seem out of your budget when it comes to color printers.
List of The Best Monochrome Laser Printer
IMAGE | PRODUCTS | DETAILS | |
  | Best to print huge amounts of pages | ||
  | The most balance of all the printers we’ve reviewed | ||
  | When it comes to value, you can’t beat this model | ||
  | For anyone with limited budget, it is trustworthy |
One of frustrating things of managing a tiny or medium sized company is out of control printing budget before using the best monochrome laser printer in their office. While many inkjet printing equipments only cost you about 10 cents for each page, when you’re printing plenty of papers this tends to quickly add up to huge amounts. The fact is many educational institutions have realized that they’re paying a lot of money weekly just to keep the printer ink cartridges topped up.
When you’re planning to do some high-volume printing work, even just 10 or higher quantity sheets each day, nothing can help you save more money than replacing with a monochrome laser printer. Maybe someone may laugh at the idea of moving monochrome, however monochrome laser printers usually create sharper, much better text than their ink based alternatives. If you kept two pages within your hand, you would know which one was printed using a laser printer immediately. For text, they just generate a better-quality printing at a tiny part of the cost. Today, we are going to have a look at the best monochrome laser printers. We will reveal what each of the specifications really means, and then we’ll help you choose the one that’s best for your needs.
Types of Monochrome Laser Printer
Enterprise Monochrome Laser Printer
For the busy business office setting, you required a business-type laser printer to handle work load. Pricing $200 or higher, these kind of printers are really fast, 40 or even more text pages for each minute, and also have the handling ability as well as memory storage to deal with large and complex printing work. Expect to have high-capability paper storage that can store entire reams of paper and add-on storage to carry thousands of sheets. Expect to have cabled and wireless networking functionality at the same time to make sure that just one printer can also be shared among users as well.
Individual Monochrome Laser Printer
For personal use, or perhaps for a home workplace, a less robust as well as much less expensive laser printer will work all right. These printers typically charge between $70 and $200. The cheapest one just has a USB connection for one laptop or computer. Step-up models include Ethernet and Wi-Fi network connections, thus many users can share the printing device, print wirelessly or print directly from the smartphone or pc. These printers store only enough pieces of paper for one or some people (usually 150 to 250 sheets).The fastest one can print out approximately 30 text pages for each minute.
In this review, we will talk about some of the best monochrome laser printer available in the market you should know about.
1.Brother HLL6200DW Monochrome Laser Printers
Brother is one of those brands that sticks to what they do best.They’ve already been producing laser printers for many years, focusing on the budget end in the cost spectrum. But if you need a printer that can perform, the particular HLL6200DW is definitely the first model you should consider.
Design
The Brother HLL6200DW printer is designed slightly similar to a mirror image of HP’s LaserJet, however Brother’s well-known charcoal black color makes it stand out from the crowd. It’s a little bit bigger than some models on the market, but this enables it to pack some major printing punch. The manually operated user interface is simple to grasp. Normally, you will use the “start” and “stop” keys. These are definitely necessary to have. Ever start up a 200+ page task and realize you forgot something such as numbering the pages or choosing duplex printing? Clicking the big red-colored stop key will save you both time and money. When the print task stops because you have to load up paper or replace the toner, you can just hit the start button once you’re completed to get the printing accomplished as quickly as possible. There are some other directional keys that allow you to navigate the menu, but you’ll probably notice that these functions are easier to gain access through the provided software rather than on the tiny LCD display.
Connectivity
Nowadays, we’re finding that more and more companies are dropping wired Ethernet in favor of wireless network. there is no much security has already caught up, along with powerful routers many companies are finding that there is no much advantage of wired networks. We can foresee this trend will increase in the future, therefore the point that the Brother HL5740DW supports 802.11b/g/n wireless networks is huge. All you need to do is enter your network account as well as password, and you’ll have all the benefits of the best wireless monochrome laser printer without any of the hassle from running cable connections. Whether you want to use the Ethernet slot or wireless network, Brother provides various printing features enabling you to work with it instantly from any device. It works with AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Brother iPrint, and also Wi-Fi Direct printing. This makes it one of the most compatible monochrome laser printers on the market, makes it working with any device easily.
Printing
Rated for the speedy 48 ppm, this printer is probably one of the fastest one available on the market. It didn’t perform quite as well as this rating in our testing, but printing speed can vary from page to page based on the volume of text and details on each page. The important thing is the printer can be kept for ages thanks to the built in 570 page feed holder, which all can be saved in the upper holder. It prints using an remarkable resolution of 1200 dpi, presenting both text and images a razor-sharp feel for them.
Cost
Brother is the company that really focuses on value, that’s why their printer is one of the most affordable that you can buy on the market. They have a really low cost per page, and the addition of complete duplex printing allows you to print out both sides of a page to save even more cost. You are spending a bit more for the printing device in advance, so these cost savings will be noticed most by high volume users.
2. HP LaserJet Pro M402N Monochrome Laser Printer
When it comes to enterprise computer hardware, HP is usually among the first brands customers think of. Their manufacturing line of laptops and computers is one of the most recognized in the industry, and their printing equipments and scanning devices are used by both billion dollar companies and small enterprises all over the world. The LaserJet Pro M402n is the most recent basic level monochrome laser printer.
Design
Even though the design has been up-to-date, HP has been producing printers using a similar type factor for a long time. On the right of the paper tray, a tiny LCD display and quite a few controls are accessible with the touch of button. The top tray is the output, and all of your printed pages are stacked neatly there. The base tray slides out, enabling you to load it with the paper stock. This kind of layout will be familiarized to almost anybody who’s used a printer before. While HP invented the printer, it’s already been replicated by manufacturers around the world.
Connectivity
You can find a couple of method to accomplish any task, so it can be incredibly frustrating when one piece of devices attempts to limit you to one or two connection methods. That’s why HP provided us several efficient ways to print out our documents, even if we’re not physically in front of the printing device. If you’re searching for something that is simple to setup, or easy to replace an existing printer, you will be glad to notice that it’s fully compatible with wired network. This printer includes a built-in print hosting server, which means your computers will automatically see it show up on the network. After that, you can easily set it up as the default printing device and possess all of your documents go there instantly. Not working with a desktop computer? The good thing is this printer fully works with Apple AirPrint. This technology is actually frequently used by mobile phones, and commonly recognized as one of the most effective wireless printing technologies out there. If perhaps that’s not enough to suit your needs, the simple mobile printing app makes it fast and simple to connect your android, iOS, or windows device into the printer and transmit your paperwork wirelessly.
Printing
If you’re seeking to print laser sharp documents at up to 40 pages each minute, the HP LaserJet Pro M402N is the ideal printer for you. HP estimates that this speed can make it well suited for 3 to 10 users, so we’d think about these estimates accurate. The top tray is capable of holding about 50 pages at one time. Assuming you have 10 users all sending large print tasks, may be possible that you’ll confront situations where the tray is either full, or the device is out of pieces of paper. But for 3 to 10 users, the speed and capacity is definitely excellent. One important thing we preferred this laser printer was how excellent the text looked. HPs toner produces a deep black colored, making professional looking pages easily.
Cost
Although everyone wants to get the highest quality device, you often need to pay a premium for them. HP’s toner printer cartridges really are a little expensive, adding the cost per page about 15% higher than competing products. With that being said, you really are getting a lot for your investment. Like we talked about, the print quality is extremely impressive. In addition, HP’s LaserJet Pro line is known for being incredibly trustworthy. You’ll often come across a 10+ year-old LaserJet printer at the office. If you prefer a printing device that will last you many years to come, the M402n is definitely worth the price.
3. Brother HL-L2300D Monochrome Laser Printers
Though we’ve already talked about one of Brother’s high-end monochrome laser printers, the HL series is also probably the one you are most widely heard of.
Design
With the newest update towards the HL series laser printers, Brother shied away from their white and gray style to focus on a subtler light and dark gray style. But the most remarkable element about the design is just how compact the HL-L2300D is. Though it provides the same footprint as most, it is only half the height. This makes it much better to tuck away |on the shelf, or someplace that it’s always accessible but rarely in your way.
Connectivity
The printer is much more fundamental that some other models, concentrating primarily on printing quality than connectivity. You need to use a USB cable to connect it with your pc. But if the computer is on a network, it is simple to share it with other laptops or computers on the local network.
Printing
For such an affordable printing device, you really do get the good quality. This printer is capable of 2400 x 600 dpi. Because the vertical resolution is much more precise than most in the marketplace, the text comes out as clear and as sharp as any top rated printer. It does require a little longer time to print out these high-quality pages, but the printer is still able to produce 27 impressive pages a minute.
Cost
Even though the printer is not the cheapest one on the market, the ink cartridge is. You will get more pages per ink cartridge than other brands, and they don’t usually dry out like other some. Whether you are a medium company or tiny business, you can’t get a better deal on such moderate volume printer than HL-L2300D.
4. Samsung SL-M2020W Monochrome Laser Printers
While Samsung is really a highly regarded brand in the media and entertainment industry, not many people know that they also produce high quality laser printer. They’re still working to make a reputation for themselves, therefore they’ve charged their laser printers really low to attract attention. This makes them somewhat of a hidden gem, offering you the chance to get a good deal.
Design
Samsung has never been that kind of company to launch the less attractive product, and the SL-M2020W is not any different. From our perspectives, this is one of the most attractive laser printers on the market. Although it’s quite simple in general, the two-tone silver and black style is more than just eye-capturing. It’s the type of printer we’d be happy to have on our work desk, making it ideal for offices where space is limited.
Connectivity
We were just a little surprised to find out how advanced the connectivity choices were on this printing device, given it’s low cost. Obviously, you are able to connect it with via USB. But it’s fully prepared to deal with wireless network. You can print documents using Wi-Fi direct, and Samsung’s free software will help you with the connection if you don’t know exactly. Working with a mobile device? NFC helps you simply walk close to the printer, open a document, and hold it close to the face to begin printing. It couldn’t be simpler!
Printing
It is a very compact printing device, fitted great for moderate volume level printing. It can produce monochrome pages as much as 21 pages a minute, and the paper tray can handle a total of 50 pages each time. It can support duplex, but you’ll need to change the sheet by yourself so this isn’t a hands-off choice.
Cost
This is among the cheapest monochrome laser printer that you can buy, so you really won’t find better value. Provided that 21 pages for each minute can be an acceptable print time for you, there is no sense to buy any other printer except you require a higher capacity.
5. Canon ImageCLASS MF267dw All-In-One Laser Printer
This Canon laser printer is perfect for your medium or small-size business, and it performs and looks like a premium printer. It not only comes with speedy performance but also requires minimal maintenance, accompanied by the large LCD touch panel that will help you get an intuitive user experience. And that’s not all, it is highly efficient too and can print perfectly crispy pages at the speed of 30 pages per minute, which means you can get your first print in just 5 seconds.
Features
- Black and white LCD Display that helps with easy navigation
- Supports mobile solutions like Canon Print business, Google Cloud Print, Apple Air Print, and Mopria Print Service.
- Easy connection with any mobile device without the use of any router using a direct Wi-Fi connection.
- Has a paper capacity of 250 sheets in the standard cassette and 1 sheet in the multipurpose tray
- Has a print speed of 30 pages per minute
- It’s a multi-functionality product that allows you to print, copy scan, and fax easily
6. Brother MFCL2740DW Wireless Monochrome Printer
If you are a busy person then the Brother MFCL2740DW is the perfect option for you. Its printing speed of 32 pages per minute can put other black and white printers to shame. To top this laser printer can connect via wired networking or wireless or USB easily. You also don’t need to worry about running out of toner ever with this device because of the Amazon Dash Replenishment feature which measures the toner level and automatically will place orders for toner from Amazon if you are running low.
Features
- 4-in-1 functionality that is it will print, fax, scan, and copy
- It has a 250 sheet capacity paper tray
- Wireless printing from any mobile device via Google Cloud Print, AirPrint, Brother iPrint & Scan, Wi-Fi direct, Cortado Workplace
- Fast high-quality copying and printing of 32 pages per minute
- Dots per inch or dpi resolution of 2400*600
- 2.7 inches of the color touch screen display that offers intuitive navigation to cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, Evernote, etc
7. Epson EcoTank ET-M2170 Wireless Monochrome All-in-One Supertank Printer with Ethernet
The Epson EcoTank monochrome supertank is an all-in-one laser printer that is powered by PrecisionCore offers Cartridge-Free Printing and easy-to-fill supersized tanks. This ink bottle has enough ink that will last you long, up to 6,000 pages. The ET-M2170 prints really fast, therefore, it will help you save energy because of its lower power consumption and that’s not all, it comes with a 2-year warranty. This monochrome laser printer prints quickly at 30ppm, and it has room for a total of 250 sheets in a single paper tray, what more reason can you want to go for the Epson EcoTank.
Features
- Cartridge free printing with enough replacement ink bottles to help you print up to 6,000 pages
- Powered by Precision Core printing technology
- High capacity 250 sheet paper tray
- 1,44” color LCD
- Save 75 percent with low-cost replacement bottles
- 2-year limited warranty with registration
8. Lexmark Monochrome Laser Printers
The Lexmark monochrome laser printer comes with top-notch performance and reliability. With a slew of features, this Lexmark printer is not only an attractive option in the market but also doesn’t skimp on security. This monochrome laser printer has an output of about 65 pages per minute with its two-sided printing. The Lexmark monochrome laser printer also boasts of a fuser that reduces downtime and a long-life imaging unit.
Features
- A wide-format printer that you can connect via Ethernet, Wi-Fi, or mobile and USB
- Fast printing can bring out a page in 4.2 seconds
- Output of 65ppm
- Two-sided printing
- Lexmark-exclusive full-spectrum security that protects your best ideas and network
9. Pantum P2502W Monochrome Laser Printer with Wireless Networking and Mobile Printing
The Pantum P2502W ensures that you get the most features for the money you are investing. The Pantum is truly a multi-function monochrome laser printer that can print 22 pages per minute (A4) and 23 pages per minute (letter), this will help you print larger print jobs faster. Just connect with your Wi-Fi and you can easily print from mobile and cloud storage services. And if that’s not all, the Pantum P2502W has a compact and sleek design that can fit nicely in any office space. Also, the metal frame structure will make sure it lasts long.
Features
- 700-page starter cartridge
- Compact size (13.27”*8.66”*7.01”)
- Easy one-step wireless installation
- High and fast definition printing of up to 22ppm for A4 and 23ppm for letter
- Supports multiple media sizes and media weight of up to 163g
The Buying Guide
If you are looking to print only text documents, then a monochrome laser printer is the option for you. They are a good bet for offices where most of the printing is in monochrome. Monochrome laser printers will be easy on your pocket, they also offer good print speed and are relatively affordable than color inkjet.
While purchasing a monochrome laser printer, you have to keep in mind whether you just want a regular printer whose only function is to print or do you want one that will also copy, scan, or fax. Most all-in-one laser printers cost more or less the same as basic printers and don’t take up much space either. In fact, an all-in-one laser printer can prove to be much less expensive in the long run than having several separate devices.
Printer inks can turn out to be expensive especially considering most of it doesn’t end up on the page. Hence choose models that will make the most of this precious item. You might also want to go for a printer that will allow you to print using a wireless connection whereby you can share without cables, print from anywhere, and without needing a computer.
What You Need To Consider When Picking The Best Monochrome Laser Printer?
1. Wonderfully crisp text. Even low cost monochrome laser printers produce sharp and dark text, it’s their specialty.
2.Alright graphics. Laser printers can’t match the gorgeous graphics and photos you’ll get from an inkjet printer, but good laser printers (even the cheap ones) print graphics that seem to be perfectly acceptable for office use.
3.Regular monthly duty cycle that meets your needs. A good cheap laser printer can print a couple of thousand pages monthly on a regular basis, if you want to print more than that, upgrade to a business-type laser printer.
4. Adequate paper capacity. Cheap laser printers normally can hold 250 sheets or less, while business-type laser printers can hold over 500 sheets.
5. Low cost per print. Laser printers generally cost less to work than inkjet printers because their toner won’t dry out and block like ink cartridges perform if not used regularly. Look at the cost of toner if your budget is tight.
6. Small footprint. It is easy to share your desk with a small home laser printer.
7. Fast printing. The fastest cheap laser printers print out over 30 text pages per minute in independent tests, better office laser printers can print out more than 50.
8. Easy to use. The best wireless monochrome laser printers are nearly effortless to setup. They’ll automatically identify your network (wired or wireless) and seamlessly connect with all your devices, with little help from you. If your equipment is Wi-Fi Direct compatible, a printer with that feature means that you can print directly, without worrying about a network or router.
Which Monochrome Laser Printer Suits Me?
If you’re looking for the best monochrome laser printer for home use, most likely you’re searching for the most affordable method to produce moderate to large amounts of high quality text papers. When it comes to value, you can’t beat the Brother HL-L2300D. This monochrome laser printer produces high quality for reasonable volumes and it has most of the lowest cost per page of any printer out there.
Still slightly over budget? For anyone with limited budget, Samsung’s SLM2020W is available at almost the same price and deals reduced resolution for wireless connectivity. Some one may be reading this and considering that neither of these two printers produce nearly enough amount for their demands. If so, you should think about the Brother HLL6200DW. This monochrome laser printer can do huge amounts of pages and is extremely trustworthy. This is basically the king of monochrome laser printers, making it a fantastic option for anyone who has the money.
Still not completely satisfied? If you would like to meet somewhere in the middle, the HP LaserJet Pro M402n is considered the most balance of all the printers we’ve reviewed. It can accomplish huge amounts, is reasonable affordable, features numerous excellent connectivity options, If we were required to pick only one of the best monochrome laser printers on our checklist, it would most likely be this one.
If You Are Unsure Of The Needs, Here Are A Few Questions To Consider.
Do you mostly print text? If so, you’ll probably be very happy with a black and white laser printer. They create the sharpest, cleanest text of any printer type. Color laser printers produce text that’s nearly as nice, and the best ones print beautiful color graphics. However, for the most professional-looking graphics and any photo printing, you’ll need an inkjet printer.
Do you need copying, scanning or fax capabilities? If so, check out all-in-one printers. They cost more and take up more space than standalone printers, but they can save on both (money and space) if need that functionality and you don’t already have a copier, scanner or fax machine.
How fast do you need to print? Business-class laser printers have fast processors and robust memory, so they can print 40 to 50 pages per minute or more. Less expensive laser printers usually print about half that fast — but that will probably be fast enough for a home user or small work group.
Do you plan to make two-sided printouts? The best printers — even the cheap ones — usually have duplexers that allow automatic two-sided printing. If your printer doesn’t have a duplexer, you’ll have to duplex manually (printing odd pages first, then flipping the stack over and printing even pages).
Do you want to share the printer — or print wirelessly? The very cheapest laser printers can only connect to one computer at a time, via USB cable. Step-up laser printers (starting at about $100) usually offer Ethernet (wired) or Wi-Fi (wireless) shared networking, or both. Some printers can print directly from your smartphone or tablet, or straight from cloud sites like Google Drive.
What are your system requirements? Current-model printers will be compatible with recent Windows and Mac operating systems. But if you’re using a different operating system (such as Linux) or older equipment, check to make sure the printer you choose will work.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Why choose a monochrome laser printer?
A monochrome laser printer is a printer that prints using only black ink. Monochrome laser printers are the perfect option for professional environments because of their lower cost per page and fast printing speed. Monochrome laser printers also have superior text quality.
2. What are the advantages of a monochrome laser printer?
The main advantage of a monochrome laser printer is its speed, economy, and precision. Lasers can move very quickly hence they can “write” at a much higher speed than an inkjet. Also the laser beam because of its unvarying diameter can draw more precisely without wasting excess ink.
3. How does a monochrome laser printer work?
Monochrome laser printers are machines that print images and texts from a computer with the help of a laser beam that controls where a single color is applied to paper. These printers are generally faster than other printers and are capable of producing a large number of documents at a cheaper rate than other printers in the market.
Final Thoughts
Over the years the cost of monochrome laser printers has come down drastically thus making it an easy purchase. If you are a student or just setting up your new office then a monochrome laser printer is an affordable yet great option for you. You can easily buy a mass printing device without blowing a hole in your pocket.
A monochrome laser printer is a must for a busy office especially if your office doesn’t have to deal with a lot of creative projects or graphic design. The monochrome laser printers will provide great text quality print that too at an economical rate and the fastest speed.
Depending on your needs and preferences, you need to search for the best monochrome laser printer to deliver on functionality and performance. Because of the rising popularity of laser printers, there are several excellent all-in-one laser printer models you can choose from that will also offer wireless connectivity. But with so many options available in the market today it might seem a complicated process, hopefully this article will help you choose the best monochrome laser printer that will meet all your requirements. The above are the best monochrome laser printers in the market you should consider. The reviews highlight their features and specifications to help you narrow down and ease your search. Even for individuals working on a budget, there is a monochrome laser printer that will meet your needs and wants without compromising on quality results.
Enjoyed this monochrome laser printer review? Then be sure to check out our other guides.
