Monochrome printers, as the name indicates, excel with creating monochrome or black and white reproductions. Laser monochrome top-performing printers typically work quickly, pumping out many more pages per minute than their inkjet counterparts. This makes them ideal for highly trafficked office environments.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Monochrome laser printers tend to excel at making high-quality black and white reproductions.
- When shopping for one, make sure you are happy with its speed, as laser printers can crank out 30 to 50 pages per minute.
- Other options to consider are the resolution on offer (DPI) and any additional features and functionalities.
Understanding Monochrome Laser Printers
It is important to understand how monochrome laser printers work before you set aside money for a purchase. Laser printers work by shining a highly focused beam of light onto a toner cartridge and a print head. Toner cartridges contain toner dust, which is heated and shaped into text on paper. Due to the nature of their design, laser printers do not always excel with making color reproductions, which is something to keep in mind. You can always opt for a multi-function printer to give you the best color reproduction.
Insider Tip
Toner cartridges contain toner dust, which is heated and shaped into text on paper.
A Guide to the Best Monochrome Laser Printers
There are some features and functionalities to look for as you shop around for the best monochrome laser printer.
Speed is King
When it comes to speed, laser printers typically outshine inkjet printers by an order of magnitude. Inkjet printers tend to crank out around 10 pages per minute while laser printers average anywhere from 20 to 30 pages per minute. If you are buying a laser printer that will be relied upon often, you will want to take a look at this PPM speed metric. Of course, try not to sacrifice print quality in favor of printing speed. Find a happy medium.
Insider Tip
Inkjet printers tend to crank out around 10 pages per minute while laser printers average anywhere from 20 to 30 pages per minute.
Print Quality Matters
The quality of the prints themselves should be given premium consideration while shopping for a monochrome laser printer. One of the key advantages to going with a monochrome printer over a color printer is the fact that monochrome printers tend to traffic in high-resolution black and white reproductions. A laser printer’s overall resolution is measured in dots per inch, otherwise known as DPI. Most laser printers print at resolutions of 600 or 1200 dots per inch. If you will be regularly printing out important documents, you should choose a printer that can handle ultra-high resolutions.
Additional Features
Monochrome laser printers can boast a number of additional features, including larger-than-average paper trays, the ability to accept high-yield toner cartridges, and wireless connectivity. Make a list of your must-have features and keep them in mind as you shop for a new printer. You should also consider the size and weight of the printer, especially if you plan on using it in a home office. Also, suppose you scan or photocopy large volumes of documents. In that case, you can check whether your monochrome laser printer has ADF, which is an automatic document feeder. It allows a printer to take multiple document pages feeding them one after the other to be scanned by the device.
Warning
Due to the nature of their design, laser printers do not always excel with making color reproductions, which is something to keep in mind.
F.A.Q.
What are the advantages of a monochrome laser printer?
As with all laser printers, the key advantages are speed and the capacity to create pages at high resolutions. Another potential advantage is that monochrome laser printers have become relatively affordable in recent years.
Why choose a monochrome laser printer?
If you will be using a printer primarily to reproduce text onto paper, then a monochrome laser printer could be a good bet. They are generally fast, reliable, and efficient.
Inkjet VS laser: which printer should you get?
This depends on your individual needs and your budget. Inkjet printers are cheaper and excel with making color reproductions, but the ink replacement cartridges can become costly. Laser printers are more expensive initially but are faster and the toner cartridges last much longer.
STAT: HP’s toner printer cartridges really are a little expensive, adding the cost per page about 15% higher than competing products. (source)
