The Best Laser Printers in 2026
Wirecutter’s best laser printer for home use is the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($209.99 list at Brother). PCMag’s best budget color laser is the Brother HL-L3295CDW (Editors’ Choice).
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How this page was made: this is a research-based guide built from manufacturer spec pages, official prices and published lab measurements from the outlets we name and link. We haven’t tested these products ourselves, and we don’t invent scores. Our methodology.
Quick answer
Wirecutter’s best laser printer for home use is the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($209.99 list at Brother). PCMag’s best budget color laser is the Brother HL-L3295CDW (Editors’ Choice). Best for home use: Brother DCP-L2640DW, $210. Best budget color: Brother HL-L3295CDW, $429.99. Best mainstream mono: Canon imageClass MF462dw, $399.99. Best budget mono: HP LaserJet M209d, $158.90. Best mainstream color AIO: Brother MFC-L3780CDW, $569.98.
Last updated Prices checked Oct 2026
Key facts at a glance
| Pick | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for home use | Brother DCP-L2640DW | most homes | $210 |
| Best budget color | Brother HL-L3295CDW | affordable color printing | $429.99 |
| Best mainstream mono | Canon imageClass MF462dw | busy home offices that need a mono AIO | $399.99 |
| Best budget mono | HP LaserJet M209d | a cheap, wired document printer | $158.90 |
| Best mono AIO for scanning and fax | Brother MFC-L2900DW | black-and-white scanning and faxing | $329.98 |
| Best mainstream color AIO | Brother MFC-L3780CDW | color documents and scanning | $569.98 |
| Best for large workgroups | Brother MFC-L5915DW | large offices and workgroups | $589.99 |
| Best color for small offices | Xerox C320 | small offices printing in color | $395.99 |
Laser printers suit people who mostly print text documents, and toner doesn’t dry out the way ink can.
Which should you buy? Our quick picks
How do they compare?
| Printer | Price seen | Type | Outlet pick | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brother DCP-L2640DW | $210 | Mono laser AIO (no fax) | Wirecutter top pick | Most homes |
| Brother HL-L3295CDW | $429.99 | Color laser (print only) | PCMag pick | Affordable color printing |
| Canon imageClass MF462dw | $399.99 | Mono laser AIO | PCMag pick | Busy home offices that need a mono AIO |
| HP LaserJet M209d | $158.90 | Mono laser (print only) | PCMag pick | A cheap, wired document printer |
| Brother MFC-L2900DW | $329.98–$330 | Mono laser AIO | Wirecutter pick; PCMag pick (XL) | Black-and-white scanning and faxing |
| Brother MFC-L3780CDW | $569.98 | Color laser AIO | PCMag pick; Wirecutter pick | Color documents and scanning |
| Brother MFC-L5915DW | $589.99 | Mono laser AIO | PCMag pick | Large offices and workgroups |
| Xerox C320 | $395.99 | Color laser | PCMag pick | Small offices printing in color |
The picks in detail
1. Brother DCP-L2640DW
Best for: most homesWirecutter’s[1] best laser printer for home use: a black-and-white printer that also copies and scans, with low operating costs of about 2.9 cents a page using high-yield cartridges. It doesn’t fax or print in color, and it struggles with small graphics like charts with tiny labels.
Price (Oct 2026): $210 Source
Pros
- About 2.9 cents per page
- Copies and scans
Cons
- No color or fax
- Struggles with small graphics
2. Brother HL-L3295CDW
Best for: affordable color printingPCMag’s[2] best budget color laser (Editors’ Choice): excellent print quality, competitive toner costs (especially for color), NFC and a 2.7-inch color touch screen, and it can take an optional paper tray. Control panel messages can be cryptic.
Price (Oct 2026): $429.99 Source
Pros
- Excellent print quality
- Competitive color toner costs
- Expandable paper input
Cons
- Cryptic control panel messages
3. Canon imageClass MF462dw
Best for: busy home offices that need a mono AIOPCMag’s[2] best mainstream mono laser: it prints, scans, copies and faxes at a fast 37ppm, with a single-pass duplexing ADF and a 5-inch touch screen. Graphics and photos show dithering.
Price (Oct 2026): $399.99 Source
Pros
- Fast 37ppm
- Single-pass duplex ADF
- Fax included
Cons
- Dithering in graphics and photos
4. HP LaserJet M209d
Best for: a cheap, wired document printerPCMag’s[2] best budget mono laser (Editors’ Choice): better print quality than most lasers at its price, a front-loading 150-sheet tray and automatic duplexing. It has no Wi-Fi or Ethernet, no mobile printing and no bypass feed or optional trays.
Price (Oct 2026): $158.90 Source
Pros
- Good print quality for the price
- Auto duplex
Cons
- No Wi-Fi or Ethernet
- No mobile printing
5. Brother MFC-L2900DW
Best for: black-and-white scanning and faxingWirecutter’s[1] best monochrome printer for scanning and faxing and PCMag’s[2] best mono laser for small offices (XL version, Editors’ Choice). It has a 50-sheet ADF and single-pass duplex scanning. It doesn’t print in color, Wirecutter saw moderate banding on large graphics, and PCMag notes the separate imaging unit is costly to replace.
Price (Oct 2026): $329.98 Source
Pros
- Prints, scans, copies and faxes
- Single-pass duplex scanning
Cons
- No color
- Banding on large graphics
- Costly imaging unit
6. Brother MFC-L3780CDW
Best for: color documents and scanningPCMag’s[2] best mainstream color laser (Editors’ Choice) and Wirecutter’s[1] best laser AIO for home offices: excellent print and scan quality, competitive toner costs and a single-pass duplex ADF. Wirecutter notes it has only a one-year warranty.
Price (Oct 2026): $569.98 Source
Pros
- Color plus fax and scanning
- Excellent quality
Cons
- One-year warranty
- Expensive
7. Brother MFC-L5915DW
Best for: large offices and workgroupsPCMag’s[2] best mono laser for large workgroups (Editors’ Choice): a lightning-fast 50ppm for printing and copying, a legal-size flatbed, a single-pass duplexing ADF and toner at just 1.1 cents per page. Two-sided printing is slower.
Price (Oct 2026): $589.99 Source
Pros
- 50ppm
- 1.1-cent toner
- Legal-size flatbed
Cons
- Slower duplex printing
8. Xerox C320
Best for: small offices printing in colorPCMag’s[2] best print-only color laser for small offices: excellent print quality, a high monthly volume rating, a large output tray and a 2.8-inch touch screen. Color toner costs are somewhat high, and it can be sluggish with graphics-heavy documents.
Price (Oct 2026): $395.99 Source
Pros
- Excellent print quality
- High duty cycle
Cons
- Somewhat high color toner costs
- Sluggish on graphics
Also considered
HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP M480f: PCMag’s[2] color laser for large workgroups ($988.90).
Xerox C305ae: A color multifunction laser reviewed by PCMag.
Specs that matter (checked Nov 11, 2026)
Specs from Brother's own product pages, checked Nov 11, 2026. List prices are Brother's and may be higher than store prices.
- Brother DCP-L2640DW ($209.99 list): mono, up to 36 ppm, automatic two-sided printing, 250-sheet tray, 50-page document feeder, 1200 × 1200 dpi. Rated for up to 2,500 pages a month.
- Brother MFC-L2900DW ($329.99 list): the same 36 ppm engine, 250-sheet tray and 50-page feeder, plus fax. Also rated for up to 2,500 pages a month.
- Brother HL-L3295CDW ($429.99 list): color, up to 31 ppm in black and in color, 250-sheet tray. Rated for up to 4,000 pages a month.
The tradeoffs: Starter toner is small. The two mono Brothers ship with a 700-page black cartridge. The color HL-L3295CDW ships with 2,300 pages of black and 1,200 pages of each color. Plan to buy a full cartridge soon after setup, and price toner before you choose. Color laser costs about twice as much up front and is only worth it if you print color regularly.
Mono or color laser?
Most people don’t need to print in color regularly, Wirecutter[1] says, so a mono laser like the DCP-L2640DW is cheapest to own. Pick a color laser like the HL-L3295CDW only if you print color documents often. For photos, see best photo printers.
More printer guides
See our best all-in-one printers, best printers and best scanners.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best laser printer for home use?
What is the best color laser printer?
What is the cheapest good laser printer?
Sources
Pricing and plan details were checked on the official pages below as of Oct 2026. Vendors change prices, credits and plan names often, and some show regional pricing at checkout, so confirm on the vendor’s site before you buy.
- Wirecutter: The best laser printer (updated October 5, 2026) (nytimes.com)
- PCMag: The best laser printers (October 6, 2026) (pcmag.com)
- Brother: DCP-L2640DW specifications (brother-usa.com)
- Brother: MFC-L2900DW specifications (brother-usa.com)
- Brother: HL-L3295CDW specifications (brother-usa.com)
Related
The Best Label Makers and Label Printers in 2026
Wirecutter’s top label maker is the $40 Brother P-touch PT-N25BT, which pairs a phone app with a built-in keyboard. For office address labels, PCMag picks the Brother QL-800. For 4x6 shipping labels, it picks the Rollo X1040.
best ofThe Best All-in-One Printers in 2026
Wirecutter’s top all-in-one is the Brother MFC-J4355DW ($209): it’s cheap to run and comes with a year’s worth of ink. For a laser AIO, both Wirecutter and PCMag (Editors’ Choice) pick the Brother MFC-L3780CDW.
best ofThe Best Printers in 2026
For most homes, Wirecutter’s pick is the Brother MFC-J4355DW inkjet all-in-one ($180 to $209), which comes with a year of ink. If you mostly print black-and-white text, a cheap mono laser such as the Brother DCP-L2640DW ($210) costs less to run and rarely clogs.
best ofThe Best Photo Printers in 2026
For serious photographers, the Epson SureColor P700 ($699) is the pick Wirecutter and PCMag agree on: archival pigment inks and prints up to 13 inches wide. For 4x6 prints at home, the Canon Selphy CP1500 ($159) is cheap to run.
best ofThe Best Scanners in 2026
For a home office drowning in paper, PCMag’s best desktop document scanner is the Ricoh ScanSnap iX2500 ($379.99). The Brother ADS-1350W (about $290) is a smaller sheet-fed option, and if you only scan the odd page or photo, a $70 Canon CanoScan LiDE 300 flatbed is enough.