Laser Printers Buyer's Guide

Updated: December 2008

Laser printer pricing

Prices for small business laser printers have dropped steadily over the years, and you can now find reasonable printers for as little as $400. Your expected monthly volume will be the single biggest contributor to cost: a machine capable of handling the printing needs of a medium-sized office can go for $600 to $2,000. At the high end, networked copier printers double as color copiers and network laser printers, and cost $5,000 to $15,000 or more.

Many laser printer toner cartridges have listed yields of 2,000 to 6,000 pages or more. Again, those yields are based on unrealistically low page coverage – 5% in many cases – so you won’t get quite the listed performance.

Because of the significant costs of medium and high-end laser printers, leasing is a very popular financing option. Instead of a capital expenditure of hundreds or thousands of dollars, you’ll have a much more manageable monthly fee. A printer lease will also include regular maintenance, and you get the ability to occasionally trade up to a new model. Avoid leases that lock you into a specific printer for more than a year or two: technology moves quickly, prices fall, and your printing needs may evolve, so the flexibility to change models is important.

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