color laser printer buyers guide

Spending more on a color laser printer can actually save you money.

By far the biggest advantage color laser printers have over inkjet printers is that they are much cheaper to run and are more reliable for large volume printing.

Like inkjet printers color laser printers require toner cartridges to be replaced when used. Also with a laser printers you have to periodically replace the imaging drum.

You must weigh up your options carefully

This may sound expensive but remember the cartridge life of inkjet printers is measured in 100s of pages while color laser toner cartridges are generally rated at over 4000 pages. Black laser cartridges are generally cheaper and last even longer.

The imaging drum last longer and typically would have to be replaced after around 8000 pages depending on how much color printing you do. Drum and toner cartridge life varies between manufacturer and so does cost. It is important to have some idea of how much the consumables cost before buying a color laser printer.

If you think you would do about 6,000-8,000 pages a year then a color laser printer would definitely save you a lot of money over an inkjet. However if you do more than that you should look at more expensive color lasers since they have further reduced running costs with drums and toner cartridges that last a lot longer.

There are other features to consider when buying a printer that will be shared on a network. The amount of memory is important as well if you don't want the hassle of setting up a dedicated printer server computer. These days your other option would be to buy a print server device such as a Linksys Wireless Print Server. This way you can save some money and get a printer without the network option. Large memory capacities are very useful in busy offices that have a lot of print jobs at once or when you will be printing very large files with high resolution color graphics.

So what kind of price ranges are you looking at? Well recent color laser printer price drop have seen a new entry level price of under $700. At this price point you still get a quality color laser printer but less bells and whistles. This kind of printer would be less suited to a heavy office workload but certainly have it's place in small offices or places where huge volumes of color documents are not required.

In the entry level price range take a look at our Minolta-QMS Magicolor 2300W color laser Review

The next price area is above $1000 where you get network connectivity and large memory caches to store cued print jobs. The sky is the limit when it comes to color laser printers and all the different brands offer very high resolution models with 1200 by 1200 dpi resolution at around $2000.

At around $1500 your best for higher resolution and print volumes check out our Panasonic WORKiO KX-CL500 color laser review or for really high volumes and low running cost read our Okidata C7200 Color Laser Printer Review.

The best way to start looking for a good color laser printer is to think about your requirements. If you know how much you print a month and how much of that is color etc you can select a printer that is designed for your needs. A little information goes a long way.