All-In-One Laser Printers

All-in-one laser printers are suitable for the frequent printing of large volumes of documents. They are even better than conventional printers since they can also scan, copy and, in some cases, even fax. What other benefits do these multifunction laser printers offer, and how do I choose the best laser printer for me? We'll advise you on which parameters are crucial for selecting a multifunction laser printer.

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All-in-One Laser Printers or Inkjet Printers?

First, if you research the type of device, you'll find that all-in-one laser printers are the most popular. You could also consider buying an inkjet printer. How do they differ, and which type is better for you?

Benefits of an All-in-One Laser Printer

All-in-one laser printers are ideal for printing documents in large volumes, as they have low operating costs, a high speed and produce excellent quality. They work similarly to a photocopier since the rendering element is a laser beam. A multifunction laser printer can print in colour or black and white.

Lower operating costs compared to an inkjet printer.
Unlike inkjet, the ink won't dry out.
High speed of printing.
Suitable for printing documents.

More expensive.
Higher consumption of toner.
Not suitable for printing photos.

Why Choose an All-in-One LED Printer over an All-in-One Laser Printer?

All-in-one LED printers work in a similar way to an all-in-one laser printer. Their main difference is that LED printers are simpler. An all-in-one LED Printer has fewer moving parts and uses light-emitting diodes instead of lasers. This makes a multifunction LED printer last longer and offers faster and cheaper printing.

Multifunction laser printer
All-in-One Laser Printer

Multifunction LED Printer
All-in-One LED Printer

If you are not interested in multifunction laser printers or LED printers (which are very similar), you should look at All-in-One Inkjet printers that offer higher quality printing. All-in-one inkjet printers, unfortunately, also have higher operating costs.

All-in-One Laser Printers - Colour or Black and White?

An all-in-one laser printer can print in black and white and in colour. Which one would be best for you?

All-in-One laser Laser Colour Printers are suitable for printing graphics and photos. It uses separate colour cartridges: red, yellow, blue, black (CMYK).
All-In-One Mono Laser Printers are helpful when working with text documents. They only require black toner to print.

You'll need refills regardless of which print type you choose. All-in-one laser printers use printer toners.

CMYK and RGB. How does an All-in-One Laser Printer Work?

Everything on your phone or TV screen is made up of the three colours of the RGB spectrum - red, green and blue. Combining their shades creates a unique 1-pixel colour. On the other hand, CMYK uses cyan, magenta, yellow and black. All devices, including all-in-one laser printers, print in CMYK, as RGB is impossible. The combination of the three CMYK colours produces black.

RGB
RGB

CMYK
CMYK

While RGB offers 16.7 million shades, CMYK can produce just over 60,000. This can make a printout from an all-in-one laser printer look less saturated when compared to the original photo on the screen.

What to Look For When Choosing an All-In-One Laser Printer?

In addition to the points already mentioned, you have to consider other things when choosing which all-in-one laser printer.

Pay Attention to the Print Resolution of Your All-In-One Laser Printer

The print resolution of an all-in-one laser printer is most often in the range of 600 to 2 400 DPI (dots per inch) and higher. A higher resolution produces a more detailed and finer final image.

For printing black and white documents, a value of around 600 DPI is sufficient.
Colour printing and photography require a higher value of 1 200 DPI and more.

If you plan to print photos frequently, look for Inkjet Printers. Although photo paper is sold for colour laser printers, inkjet printing is of higher quality.

Connection of an All-In-One Laser Printer

An all-in-one laser printer is usually connected to a computer or laptop via a USB cable, wireless WiFi or LAN. The advantage of wireless connectivity is the ability to print from multiple computers simultaneously. A multifunction laser printer with WiFi lets you print from your smartphone or tablet.

USB is a proven and fast way to connect. The printer connects to only one computer.
LAN and WiFi allow you to connect multiple devices at once. LAN and WiFi are suitable for offices and larger homes.

All-In-One Laser Printers Can Handle a Variety of Paper Formats

A conventional all-in-one laser printer works with an A4 paper size. If you are using a different format, be sure to check with the specific model to see if it is supported. Some models can handle the two most common ones - A4 and A5 - at the same time. An A3 multifunctional colour laser printer is suitable for printing various posters or plans.

Format Name	A0	A1	A2	A3	A4	A5
Size in mm	841 × 1189	841 × 594	420 × 594	420 × 297	210 × 297	210 × 148

Do not forget to take into account the dimensions of the device itself. A colour all-in-one laser printer for use at home fits on a regular desk next to your computer. However, larger models, especially professional ones, must stand on their own on the ground.

Print Speed of an All-In-One Laser Printer

The print speed of an all-in-one laser printer matters a lot if, for example, working with printed text is an essential part of your daily routine. The following values are usually given:

Black and White Print Speed determines the number of pages that are printed in one minute.
Colour printing speeds are usually slower than black and white printing.
First Page Print Time refers to the time from the computer input to the actual printing of the first page.

Consider the maximum monthly load according to your demand. If you use the all-in-one laser printer in a large office, the maximum monthly load value should be higher. There are also models available that can handle up to 250 000 pages per month.

Scanning with an All-In-One Laser Printer. How Do You Decide on a Scanner?

An all-in-one laser printer can also act as a scanner. The most important parameters to consider are type and resolution.

All-In-One Laser Printers have Two Types of Scanners

Multifunction laser printers with a scanner are divided into two types - according to the type of scanner:

The flat type is the most common. The paper is scanned after you place it on the glass plate.
The feeder type can hold a larger quantity of paper which can be inserted into the hopper.

Scanner Resolution of All-In-One Laser Printers

The scanner resolution of a multifunction laser printer indicates the number of pixels the scanner can capture. The unit is again DPI. The higher the scanner's resolution, the better the quality of the image on the computer. Today, you'll usually see models with a resolution of around 600 DPI, which is sufficient for working with documents.

Scanning photos require higher resolution. We recommend a minimum DPI of 1200, but ideally 2400 DPI. The scanner is always in colour.

Additional Features of All-In-One Laser Printers

All-in-one laser printers will also offer other useful features. Which ones are they?

Fax allows you to send documents. For faxing, you need the recipient's phone number.
The display informs you about print jobs, allows you to enter tasks and makes them easier to control.
Cloud printing with Google Print (secure remote printing) or AirPrint (driverless printing).
Edgeless printing allows the ink to be applied to the edges of the paper. So you can print without a white border.
Duplex printing prints directly on both sides of the paper. You have to turn the paper manually if you don't have duplex printing.