Best Wireless Laser Printers of 2019

Why Trust Us 

For the last five years, we’ve used research and hands-on testing to evaluate the best wireless laser printers. Before choosing which models to test, we spend time researching the most important features and newest technologies. We also consider whether the machines’ manufacturers provide enough support and make troubleshooting easy. We also check in with major brands to see how they’ve updated their technology. In our most recent update, we learned that Dell, a company that’s been a big player in the laser printer field for a long time, is no longer selling its own brand of machines. It took us a while to gather this information, but after reading press releases and speaking with customer service representatives, we can confirm that Dell will only sell Xerox and Lexmark machines.

After researching brands and machines, we bring the selected printers into our lab and compare them side by side, putting them through a series of tests to help us determine which have the best print quality and speed. In addition, we research the cost of replacement toner.

While we also spend hours reading customer reviews and comparing specifications before making our recommendations, the time we spend with the printers is the most informative. It gives us a sense of how well the machines work in real-world situations and lets us see if the printers live up to their manufacturers’ claims.

How We Tested 

As we tested laser printers, we were most concerned with print quality. We printed dozens of documents using different settings and used all the machines’ features; for example, we printed both double-sided and color documents. We looked at the printed documents under high magnification to detect even the smallest errors.

While examining the documents, we looked for any evidence of the printer head moving across the page, which can result in banding. We also checked to see if the printers created clean lines and sharp text, as well as how well they blended colors in complicated images. After examining the documents, we assigned each printer a grade based on the number of errors we found. All the printers we reviewed produce usable documents.

We timed how long it took to print each document from the moment we sent the job to the machine until the printer spit out the final page. We repeated this test a few times and averaged our findings together. As we tested, we noticed a correlation between speed and the number of printing errors, with faster printers creating more flaws.

We also researched each printer’s ongoing toner costs and checked to see if the manufacturer sells more economical, high-yield cartridges. Based on the information we found, we calculated the average per-page printing cost for both regular toner cartridges and high-yield ones, when available.

How Much Do Wireless Laser Printers Cost?

Wireless laser printers are more expensive than inkjet printers, both in the price of the machine and the price of toner. However, over time you recoup your costs because toner cartridges have higher capacities – you can print significantly more pages per toner cartridge than per inkjet ink cartridge. On average, an all-in-one inkjet printer runs about $150, while a laser printer costs around $250 to $300. At the higher end, you can find laser printers with large workload capacities for more than $500. We recommend evaluating how much printing you do before settling on a specific price point

Key Features to Look for When Buying a Wireless Laser Printer 

Multi-Functionality & Connectivity
Most of the machines we reviewed are multi-function models that print, copy and scan, which is ideal for an office setting. It’s also a good idea to buy a printer you can connect your mobile devices to wirelessly, either over Apple AirPrint, Google Cloud Print or other applications. This makes it easy to print the documents you store on your cell phone, tablet or the cloud.

Color or Monochrome
A monochrome model is a great choice for fast print speeds and low per-page print costs. However, if you need a printer for creative projects or presentation materials, you likely want a color-capable machine. Monochrome printers produce readable documents and often have the same connectivity options as color laser printers. Also, since they only use one cartridge, ongoing costs are low.

Print Quality
You likely won’t have the opportunity to test printers side by side in a lab, but you can keep your eye on print resolution. In general, the higher a machine’s print resolution, measured in dots per inch (dpi), the better its print quality. Also, keep in mind that faster printers tend to print less accurately, so it’s all about finding the balance between speed and quality that’s right for you.

Laser vs Inkjet: What Are the Advantages? 

Workload
Laser printers have the advantage in both print speed and volume. The fastest laser printers we tested kick out black-and-white documents at speeds of well over 25 pages per minute (PPM), while the fastest inkjet printers produce around 8 PPM. Manufacturers make recommendations for how many documents printers can and should print per month. Most of the laser printers we reviewed are rated to print as many as 7,500 pages per month, compared to around 500 pages per month for inkjet printers.

Cartridge Cost
The initial investment in inkjet cartridges may make them seem cheaper, but when you consider how many pages each cartridge can print, laser printers have the edge. It costs around 2 cents per page to print with a standard-capacity toner cartridge, compared to 21 cents per page for an average inkjet cartridge. Also, toner cartridges for laser printers don’t dry up like ink cartridges, so you can go months or even years without replacing them.

Print Quality
This is one area inkjet printers have a decided advantage. Laser printers are a great option for printing text documents but struggle with high-quality photos and detailed color images. We ranked the best photo printers and compact inkjet printers in case you want to print photos and color images at your house. The color laser printers we tested have no problem producing medium-quality color images but are primarily designed to print black-and-white text in high volumes.