overall
HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101fdw
9.4
Check price on Amazon → Compare the 10 best laser printers of 2026, including monochrome, color, all-in-one and small-business picks for home offices and growing teams.
Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. We may earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you.
Most shoppers assume any laser printer under $200 delivers the same speed and print quality, only to discover miserable first-page lag, faint text, and toner that vanishes in weeks. That costly mistake stems from ignoring duty cycle, resolution, and running costs until after purchase. This guide cuts through the spec sheet noise, comparing real-world performance, reliability, and per-page expenses to help you decide which laser printer truly fits your workflow and budget.
| # | Product | Best for | Print speed | Mono or Color | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101fdw | overall | Up to 35 ppm mono | Mono | Small office all-in-one | Check Price |
| 2 | HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw | color all-in-one | Up to 26 ppm color/mono | Color | Office color all-rounder | Check Price |
| 3 | Brother MFC-L8930CDW | high-volume low-cost printing | Up to 33 ppm color/mono | Color | High-volume business | Check Price |
| 4 | Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II | fastest color all-in-one | Up to 35 ppm color/mono | Color | Fast-paced office | Check Price |
| 5 | Brother DCP-L2640DW | mono all-in-one for small business | Up to 36 ppm mono | Mono | Small business mono | Check Price |
| 6 | Brother HL-L2460DW | compact home office printing | Up to 36 ppm mono | Mono | Home office print-only | Check Price |
| 7 | HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw | budget color printing | Up to 26 ppm color/mono | Color | Budget color print-only | Check Price |
| 8 | Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw | budget color all-in-one | Up to 26 ppm color/mono | Color | Budget color all-in-one | Check Price |
| 9 | HP Laserjet MFP M140w | budget mono all-in-one | Up to 21 ppm mono | Mono | Budget all-in-one | Check Price |
| 10 | HP LaserJet M110w | cheapest entry-level pick | Up to 21 ppm mono | Mono | Cheapest entry-level | Check Price |
Why we picked it: The HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101fdw is the most well-rounded laser printer in this guide. It combines fast monochrome output of up to 35 pages per minute with a full set of office functions, printing, scanning, copying and faxing, in a single machine sized for teams of up to seven people. Automatic two-sided printing and an automatic document feeder mean multi-page documents do not need manual flipping or one-sheet-at-a-time scanning. Wireless and mobile printing cover phones, laptops and tablets without extra setup, and because it runs on toner rather than ink cartridges, the cost per page for everyday black-and-white documents stays low even under regular daily use. For a home office or small business that mostly prints text-heavy documents and wants speed without the ink-cartridge running cost, this is the printer to start with.
Home offices and small teams of up to seven people who mostly print black-and-white documents and want speed, scanning and fax in one machine.
Anyone who regularly needs color printing, who should look at a color laser all-in-one instead.
Key specs: Monochrome all-in-one - print, scan, copy, fax - up to 35 ppm - auto duplex - auto document feeder - built for up to 7 people
Why we picked it: The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw is the strongest color all-in-one in this guide for a general office workload. It prints both color and black-and-white pages at up to 26 pages per minute, and pairs that with automatic two-sided printing plus two-sided single-pass scanning through its automatic document feeder, so double-sided reports and contracts are handled without extra steps. A 250-sheet input tray keeps it stocked through a normal work day, and it still covers copying and faxing for offices that need those functions alongside color output. For teams that mix everyday black-and-white paperwork with occasional color proposals, charts or marketing pages, this is the all-in-one that avoids owning two separate printers.
Small offices and teams that need color output for proposals, charts or marketing pages alongside everyday mono document printing.
Buyers who only ever print black-and-white text, who will save money with a mono-only laser all-in-one.
Key specs: Color all-in-one - print, scan, copy, fax - up to 26 ppm color/mono - auto duplex - 2-sided scanning ADF - 250-sheet tray
Why we picked it: The Brother MFC-L8930CDW is built specifically for offices that print in real volume and have found that running costs matter more than the sticker price. It ships with standard-yield toner rated for 3000 mono and 1800 color pages, and can step up to Brother TN635XXL super-high-yield cartridges rated for 7500 mono and 6500 color pages, which meaningfully lowers the cost per page for busy offices. An 80-page automatic document feeder handles long scan and copy jobs in one pass at up to 104 images per minute, and a 7-inch color touchscreen with up to 64 customizable shortcuts speeds up repetitive tasks. Dual-band wireless plus Gigabit Ethernet give it flexible, reliable network connectivity for a shared office printer. This is the pick for a growing business that has outgrown the running costs of a standard all-in-one.
Growing small businesses and busy offices that print in high volume and want the lowest achievable cost per page.
Light, occasional home printers who will not print enough to justify the higher upfront cost.
Key specs: Color all-in-one - print, scan, copy - up to 33 ppm - 80-page duplex ADF - 7-inch touchscreen - super-high-yield toner option
Why we picked it: The Canon Color imageCLASS MF753Cdw II is the fastest color all-in-one in this guide, printing up to 35 pages per minute in both color and monochrome with a first-print time of about seven seconds. A 5-inch color touchscreen with a customizable Application Library puts frequently used functions front and center, and the standard 250-sheet cassette plus 50-sheet multipurpose tray can expand to 550 sheets with the optional cassette for offices that do not want to refill paper often. High-capacity Canon Genuine toner is built for higher page yields between replacements, and the printer carries a 3-year limited warranty, longer than many rivals in this category. For an office that wants color speed without waiting on every job, this is the pick.
Fast-paced offices that print color documents frequently and do not want to wait on a slower machine.
Light users who print only occasionally and do not need the fastest speed on the market.
Key specs: Color all-in-one - print, scan, copy, fax - up to 35 ppm - 5-inch touchscreen - 250-sheet tray expandable to 550 - 3-year warranty
Why we picked it: The Brother DCP-L2640DW packs printer, scanner and copier into a compact monochrome all-in-one built for small-business productivity. It prints up to 36 pages per minute with scan speeds up to 23.6 images per minute in black, and its 50-page automatic document feeder handles longer scan and copy jobs without babysitting the machine one page at a time. Dual-band wireless plus Ethernet give it flexible, secure connectivity for a shared office network, and the Brother Mobile Connect app adds phone-based printing, scanning and toner-level tracking. Brother Genuine high-yield TN830XL toner keeps replacement frequency down for offices with steady daily printing. It is a strong, no-frills mono all-in-one for a business that does not need color or fax.
Small businesses that need fast, compact print, scan and copy in mono without paying for color or fax.
Offices that need fax built in or that regularly print color documents.
Key specs: Mono all-in-one - print, scan, copy - up to 36 ppm - 50-page auto document feeder - dual-band wireless plus Ethernet
Why we picked it: The Brother HL-L2460DW is a compact, print-only monochrome laser printer built for a home office or small team that does not need scanning or copying built in. It prints up to 36 pages per minute and includes automatic duplex printing, which most budget printers in this category skip, saving paper and time on longer documents. Connectivity covers dual-band wireless, Ethernet and USB, so it fits a shared network or a single desktop with equal ease, and the Brother Mobile Connect app allows remote printing and toner tracking from a phone. A 250-sheet paper tray plus manual feed slot for envelopes and specialty paper rounds out a genuinely capable print-only machine at an accessible price.
Home offices and small teams that only need fast, reliable mono printing with duplex and do not need scan or copy.
Anyone who needs scanning or copying built in, who should choose an all-in-one model instead.
Key specs: Mono print-only - up to 36 ppm - auto duplex - 250-sheet tray - dual-band wireless plus Ethernet and USB
Why we picked it: The HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw is the pick for an office that wants genuine color laser printing without paying for scanning or copying it will not use. It prints color and mono pages at up to 26 pages per minute, faster than most entry-level color printers, and includes automatic two-sided printing to save paper on longer documents. The 250-sheet input tray reduces how often it needs refilling during a normal work week, and wireless connectivity covers laptops, desktops and mobile devices without extra hardware. For a small team that mainly needs to print color proposals, flyers or charts from an existing scanner or copier, this print-only design keeps the cost down.
Small offices that already have a separate scanner or copier and mainly need fast, affordable color printing.
Buyers who need scan and copy functions built into the same machine.
Key specs: Color print-only - up to 26 ppm - auto duplex - 250-sheet tray - wireless printing
Why we picked it: The Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw brings color printing, scanning, copying and faxing together in one machine at a more accessible price than Canon faster MF753Cdw II. It prints color and mono pages at up to 26 pages per minute with a first-print time around 10 seconds, and its 5-inch color touchscreen with the same customizable Application Library makes navigating frequent tasks straightforward. A 250-sheet standard cassette handles routine paper needs, and high-capacity Canon Genuine 075 toner is available for offices that want fewer cartridge changes. Backed by a 3-year limited warranty, it is a sensible step into color all-in-one printing for a small office not ready to pay for the fastest model in the lineup.
Small offices that want a full color all-in-one with fax at a more moderate price than the fastest models.
Fast-paced offices that need the quickest possible color print speed, who should step up to a faster model.
Key specs: Color all-in-one - print, scan, copy, fax - up to 26 ppm - 5-inch touchscreen - 250-sheet cassette - 3-year warranty
Why we picked it: The HP Laserjet MFP M140w is a straightforward, budget-friendly monochrome all-in-one built for small teams of one to three people who just need print, scan and copy working reliably. It prints black-and-white documents at up to 21 pages per minute, a modest but adequate speed for everyday letters, forms and reports, and wireless connectivity plus mobile printing support cover phones and laptops without extra cables. Setup is designed to be simple out of the box, which matters for a home office or small team without dedicated IT support. It trades away the speed and extra features of pricier laser all-in-ones for a lower entry cost while still moving away from ink cartridges to toner running costs.
Small teams of one to three people who want an affordable, working mono laser all-in-one without extra features.
Busy offices that print in higher volume or need automatic duplex printing built in.
Key specs: Mono all-in-one - print, scan, copy - up to 21 ppm - wireless printing - mobile printing support
Why we picked it: The HP LaserJet M110w is the most affordable way into laser printing on this list, dropping scanning and copying entirely to focus on fast, reliable black-and-white printing for a team of one to three people. It prints at up to 21 pages per minute, keeps its footprint small enough for a tight desk or shelf, and connects wirelessly with mobile printing support so a phone or laptop can print without a cable. Because it runs on toner rather than ink, cost per page for text documents stays lower than a comparable budget inkjet over time, even though this is a basic print-only machine without duplex printing or extra paper handling. It is the right choice when the only requirement is a low-cost, working printer.
Buyers who want the lowest-cost laser printer available and only need basic mono printing.
Anyone who needs scanning, copying or duplex printing, who should step up to an all-in-one model.
Key specs: Mono print-only - up to 21 ppm - wireless printing - compact footprint - mobile printing support
For high-volume, mostly black-and-white printing, yes. Laser printers use toner powder fused to the page with heat, and a single toner cartridge typically prints far more pages than a comparable ink cartridge, which lowers the cost per page for text-heavy documents. Ink tank inkjet printers can close that gap for mixed color and photo printing, but for an office that mainly prints letters, forms and reports, a monochrome laser printer like the HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101fdw or Brother DCP-L2640DW usually costs less to run over time.
If your printing is almost entirely text documents, contracts or forms, a monochrome laser printer is the better value since black toner costs less per page and there is no color drum to maintain. A color laser printer such as the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw or Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw II earns its higher running cost only when you regularly print proposals, marketing materials, charts or anything where color meaningfully improves the document. Buying color capability you rarely use just adds ongoing toner expense without a real benefit.
Toner cartridges are rated for a specific page yield, commonly a few thousand pages for standard-yield cartridges, and that number scales with how much of the page is covered in text or color rather than time elapsed. Offices that print heavily should look for models with a high-yield or extra-high-yield cartridge option, like the Brother MFC-L8930CDW TN635XXL cartridge rated for 7500 mono and 6500 color pages, since fewer cartridge swaps at a lower cost per page matters more than the printer purchase price for high-volume use.
Automatic duplex printing saves paper and time on any document longer than a single page and is worth prioritizing even on a budget laser printer, since models like the Brother HL-L2460DW include it at an accessible price. An automatic document feeder matters most if you scan or copy multi-page documents often, letting you load a stack once instead of placing each page on the scanner glass individually. If you mostly print single pages and rarely scan, a simpler print-only model like the HP LaserJet M110w can save money without losing anything you would actually use.
A monochrome laser printer like the HP LaserJet Pro MFP 3101fdw or Brother DCP-L2640DW is the cheaper choice to buy and to run, because black toner costs less per page than color toner and there is no color drum or cartridge to replace. A color laser printer such as the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301fdw or Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw II makes sense once you regularly print proposals, charts, flyers or anything where color communicates information that black-and-white cannot. If your printing is almost entirely text documents, a mono laser printer is the better long-term value.
A light home office that prints a few dozen pages a week is well served by an entry model like the HP LaserJet M110w or HP Laserjet MFP M140w, where the lower purchase price outweighs the slightly slower speed. A growing small business that prints hundreds of pages a day should look at higher-duty models like the Brother MFC-L8930CDW or Canon imageCLASS MF753Cdw II, which are built with larger paper capacity, faster print engines and toner systems designed for sustained daily volume rather than occasional use.
Every laser printer ships with a starter or standard-yield toner cartridge, but most manufacturers also sell high-yield or extra-high-yield versions that print far more pages per cartridge at a lower cost per page. The Brother MFC-L8930CDW is the clearest example here, with an optional TN635XXL cartridge rated for 7500 mono and 6500 color pages versus the standard 3000 and 1800 page cartridges it ships with. If you print in volume, always check whether a high-yield cartridge option exists for your model before buying, since it usually pays for itself quickly.
Most offices benefit from an all-in-one that covers print, scan and copy in a single machine, which is why eight of the ten printers in this guide include those functions. The Brother HL-L2460DW and HP LaserJet M110w are print-only, which makes sense only if you already have a separate scanner or copier, or you genuinely never need to digitize a document. For a first laser printer, an all-in-one is almost always the safer choice even if scanning gets used only occasionally.
| Feature | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Print speed (pages per minute) | Laser printers list a rated pages-per-minute speed for mono and color separately, and busier offices should prioritize a higher number to avoid queues at the printer. |
| Automatic duplex printing | Two-sided printing without manually flipping paper saves time and paper on longer documents and is worth prioritizing even on a budget model. |
| Automatic document feeder | An ADF lets you scan or copy a multi-page document in one pass instead of feeding each sheet by hand, and larger sheet capacities save time on longer jobs. |
| Wireless and mobile printing | Dual-band wireless, Ethernet and mobile app support let a printer serve a shared office network or a single desktop without extra cables. |
| Toner yield and running cost | Standard-yield toner costs less upfront, while high-yield or extra-high-yield cartridges lower the cost per page for offices that print in real volume. |
Every product above was scored out of 10 on the same six-part rubric, then sorted into an S to C tier. We do not accept free units or payment for placement, and price or affiliate commission never factors into the score.
| Criterion | What we check | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Core performance | The numbers that define the category: capacity, power, resolution, battery life, speed or output, taken from manufacturer specs and cross-checked against independent test data where it exists. | High |
| Build & reliability | Materials, warranty length, brand track record, and how often the model shows up in long-term failure or return complaints. | High |
| Real-world usability | Weight, dimensions, noise level, setup difficulty and day-to-day friction, drawn from owner reviews and published measurements. | Medium |
| Running cost | Ongoing costs beyond the purchase: subscriptions, consumables, energy use or maintenance, where they apply to the category. | Medium |
| Owner feedback | Patterns across aggregated verified owner reviews: recurring praise, recurring complaints, and whether the experience matches the marketing. | Medium |
| Value | What you get relative to the rest of the field at a similar price band, not an absolute price judgment. | Medium |
Sources: manufacturer spec sheets and manuals, retailer listing data, aggregated verified owner reviews, and published independent test results where available for the category.
Honesty note: We have not hands-on tested every product on this page. Where we have not personally used a product, its ranking is based on verified specs, aggregated owner feedback, availability and editorial comparison rather than a hands-on review. Hands-on impressions, when included in a product entry above, are clearly written from direct use.
We don't accept free units or payment for placement. Our rankings combine verified manufacturer specifications, real owner feedback and availability, compared on one transparent S to C rubric.