How to choose a color laser printer

Recently, the use of color laser printers for both office and home printing has become increasingly popular. The prevalence of this technique is due to its versatility, relatively low cost of consumables and, at the same time, high quality printing of both text and photographs and images. This article will discuss the criteria that you should rely on when choosing a laser printer, and will also provide the highest quality models for home and office printing.

Criteria for choosing a color laser printer

In order not to buy a “pig in a poke”, when selecting a laser printing device, experts advise paying attention to the following parameters:

1. Print speed. This parameter determines not only the number of printed pages per unit of time (usually measured in pages/min and indicated by the manufacturer under the abbreviation PPM), but also the time interval between the start of printing and the receipt of the result.
2. Performance. It is very important to choose a device designed for the loads that you plan to place on it.If the device is designed for a much higher work intensity and overall load, then its purchase is not justified, and if it is designed for less, then this leads to rapid wear of the main mechanisms, and, as a result, to breakdown.
3. Permission. This parameter is determined by the number of toner dots per inch of area of ​​the printed document. The higher the resolution setting, the higher the quality of printing images, drawings and photos.
4. Number of available media. Some models of office equipment can work not only with paper, but also with cardboard or film. Naturally, such an option for work implies an increase in the total cost of the device, so the presence or absence of it must be determined in advance.
5. Memory. If this parameter is not so important for home printing, then for office devices the more memory the better. Experts recommend purchasing equipment with a capacity of 1 to 2 GB or equipment with the ability to expand available memory.
6. Duplex function. It is also optional and is well suited for those who prefer to save on paper consumption.
7. Dimensions and working format. It is unlikely that anyone will really need the A3 format for home printing, and such devices are much more expensive than their smaller counterparts.
8. OS Compatibility. This option is important for those who prefer to work outside of Windows.

IMPORTANT! It would also be useful to find out what warranties apply to a particular model and in advance, in case of a breakdown, find out the address of the nearest service center that will be able to carry out repair work.If such a center is no closer than in a neighboring city, you should think twice before purchasing the model you like, because even the most branded and expensive equipment is not insured against breakdowns.

The best models of color laser printers for home

A category of printers for home use with the best price/quality ratio.

Canon i-SENSYS LBP7018C

By purchasing this relatively budget model (costing about 9,000 rubles), the user receives an excellent device, compatible not only with Windows, but also with Linux or Mac OS, capable of printing up to 16 pages per minute in black and white and up to 4 per minute - color. Usually the seller provides a one-year warranty for the device. Pros:

• good print quality;
• relatively cheap “consumables”;
• small dimensions.

Office equipment specialists boldly call the above-mentioned model one of the best for home printing, without actually finding any disadvantages in it.

KYOCERA ECOSYS P5021 cdn

This more powerful device compared to the previous model consumes more energy both in “passive” mode and when printing, but is capable of producing up to 21 pages every minute in black and white and the same in color. The price of the device is slightly higher than that of the previous representative of our selection, however, its operation is guaranteed for 2 years. In addition, this model:

• capable of printing high-quality and full-color images;
• equipped with automatic printing function on both sides;
• can be controlled via wi-fi.

ATTENTION! The model has many advantages, but it still has one very significant drawback - the high cost of original cartridges.

Ricoh SP C260DNw

Working with virtually all modern operating systems, the Ricoh C260DNw is capable of printing 20 pages per minute in both color and black and white. The device is quite compact, but weighs just over 23 kg. The three-year warranty makes this printer even more attractive to quality-conscious customers. Of the main advantages:

• compactness;
• duplex function - printing on both sides;
• the ability to print from your phone;
• high quality of the resulting photos and images.

Which color laser printer to choose for the office

Office devices require power and performance, which is why professional equipment costs and is more expensive to maintain. Below we will present three printer models that are better suited for office work than others.

Ricoh Aficio SP C240DN

Great for a small office with a couple of computers. Controlled via an LCD panel, it can output up to 16 pages in 60 seconds. Before each print starts, the device needs to warm up, and this takes about 30 seconds. The possibility of automated two-sided printing perfectly complements the functionality of the device. Unfortunately, the device’s own memory capacity is small (only 64 MB). With dimensions of 400x320x450 mm, the device weighs a little more than 24 kg.

HP Color LaserJet Pro M452dn

Suitable for medium-sized offices, designed for intensive and productive work, allowing you to receive up to 27 sheets every minute. The resolution of the device is low (only 600x600 dpi), so it is not recommended to use it for printing images.

There is a control function via a smartphone and the ability to print from flash drives. Memory capacity is 256 MB, which is not so much for office work.Capable of automatic two-sided printing. The monthly load declared by the manufacturer is 50 thousand pages.

HP LaserJet Enterprice 500 M553n

The only real drawback of this device is its high price, which, however, is fully justified by the quality of the product and high productivity (up to 38 pages per minute). The progress of current operations is displayed on the LCD panel.

This model is designed to print about 80 thousand pages of text and graphic information per month. The device prints both color and black and white images almost equally quickly. The memory capacity is 1 GB, which is a good indicator for office equipment. Color cartridge resource declared by the manufacturer: about 5000 prints. The resource of the b/w cartridge is about 6000 prints.