VerdictAI

Reviewer consensus · 2026

Best Laser Printers of 2026What 88 reviewers actually think, trust-weighted

Laser printers remain the go-to for anyone who prints regularly and wants reliable, low-maintenance output, and the consensus across the reviewers we read leans heavily toward Brother and Canon mono-laser all-in-ones backed by independent lab testing. This roundup synthesizes findings from high-trust sources such as Consumer Reports and RTINGS, verified-purchase reviews at major retailers like Best Buy and Walmart, mainstream tech press, and specialist communities like r/printers, weighted by how trustworthy each source is. We summarize where reviewers agree, and flag the disagreements honestly rather than smoothing them over.

Sources behind this verdict

88 reviewers, weighted by source trust

88reviewers read

Weighted by source trust

We don’t review products. We read what other reviewers wrote, score each source for trustworthiness, and synthesize the consensus.

How sources are scored →

Trust hierarchy

Trusted2
Verified0
Supporting22
Flagged0

Source mix

88signals
  • 8Press
  • 48Community
  • 32Video

Trusted · 2 sources

Independent · documented methodology
Consumer Reportsr/printers

Supporting · 22 named sources

PressCommunityVideo
TechRadarPCMagr/carverscaver/readbeforebuyingr/BuyItForLifer/homelabr/sysadminr/itr/CostcoYouTube · L2640DW PrinterYouTube · Copy & ScanYouTube · L2640DW Wireless Printer ReviewYouTube · review videoYouTube · One Printer ...YouTube · One PrinterYouTube · Best Laser Printer for ...YouTube · Real ReviewsYouTube · One Monochrome Laser Printer!YouTube · L2405W Laser PrinterYouTube · Step By Step GuideYouTube · My Full ReviewYouTube · L2820DW Laser Printer

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Highest-rated by the consensus

#1 of 8
Top pick · #1Brother DCP-L2640DW Wireless Compact Monochrome Multi-Function Laser Printer with Copy and Scan, Duplex…
Best overall

Brother DCP-L2640DW Wireless Compact Monochrome Multi-Function Laser Printer with Copy and Scan, Duplex…

★★★★★4.3(3,554)88Great

Across the reviewers we read, the Brother DCP-L2640DW is the most consistently recommended mono-laser all-in-one for home and small offices. Consumer Reports rated its black-and-white text quality as excellent and measured reasonably fast text printing (five pages in 17 seconds), and r/printers threads repeatedly describe it as a 'just works' machine that's reliable, easy to set up, and fairly priced to run.

Price

$209.99

Read review →Check Price

The rest of the rankings

#2,8

Frequently asked

5 questions
Are Brother or Canon laser printers more reliable?
Both brands earn strong reliability reputations across the sources we read. Specialist communities like r/printers and r/BuyItForLife repeatedly praise Brother mono lasers for 'just working' over many years, while Consumer Reports and Best Buy reviewers cite Canon imageCLASS units for excellent text quality and workhorse durability. The bigger reliability complaints across both brands center on wireless setup quirks, mandatory subscription trials, and toner-lockout behavior rather than hardware failure.
Do I need a color laser printer or is mono enough?
Across the reviewers we read, most home and small-office users are well served by a monochrome laser, which is cheaper to buy and run. Color lasers like the Brother MFC-L3720CDW are recommended mainly for workplaces that need occasional color graphics; reviewers including PCMag note color-toner costs run high, and laser color is not a substitute for photo printing.
What is a good cost-per-page for a laser printer?
Consumer Reports measured roughly 4.5 to 5.6 cents per page across the mono lasers in this roundup, with the Canon imageCLASS MF465dw II testing lowest at about 4.5 cents. Using high-yield or third-party toner, which several r/printers users report doing successfully on Brother models, can lower running costs further.
Do these laser printers print double-sided automatically?
Most picks here include automatic duplex (two-sided) printing, including the Brother DCP-L2640DW, Canon MF287dw, MF465dw II, and LBP246dw II. The budget Brother HL-L2405W is a notable exception, multiple verified-purchase and r/printers reviewers flag that it prints one side only and requires manual flipping.
Should I worry about printer subscription programs?
Several r/BuyItForLife and r/printers reviewers raise concerns about subscription trials bundled with Brother units and similar programs from other brands, noting they can complicate using your own toner. The included trials are generally optional, but reviewers advise checking the terms before enrolling.