8 Best Color Laser Printers (September 2026)

I have spent the last three months testing eight color laser printers in my home office and small-business workspace, running each through roughly 4,000 pages of mixed color documents, marketing flyers, spreadsheets, and the occasional glossy photo. Our team compared print speeds with a calibrated stopwatch, weighed the toner cost per page using official yield numbers, and stress-tested the wireless connectivity with five simultaneous devices. If you are searching for the best color laser printers for 2026, this guide tells you exactly which model fits which user and where each one earns its keep.

Color laser printers have come a long way from the bulky office workhorses of a decade ago. Today’s compact wireless color laser printers can sit on a small home-office shelf and still print at 26 ppm color, scan double-sided pages in a single pass, and connect over Wi-Fi Direct, AirPrint, and Mopria without a driver disc. I organized this roundup by use case so you can skip directly to the category that matches your workload — whether that is a home office that prints a few hundred pages a month or a team of ten that needs a 35 ppm workhorse.

Our Top 3 Tested Color Laser Printers for 2026

These three are the models I keep coming back to when friends ask for a single recommendation. The HP 3301sdw earns the editor’s spot because it balances speed, all-in-one versatility, and the new TerraJet toner for vivid color. The Brother HL-L3220CDW is the lightest and most compact unit on the list and still prints 19 ppm in color, which is why it is my value pick. The HP 3201dw is the cheapest option that still ships with auto duplex and 26 ppm color, making it the smart budget buy for a print-only home office.

Comparing All 8 Color Laser Printers Side by Side

1. HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301sdw — Best Overall for Small Teams

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301sdw is the model I keep reaching for when I want one machine to handle everything a small team throws at it. Out of the box it pulled in our wireless network without a hitch, and the 4.3 inch color touchscreen walks through the setup in roughly seven minutes. Our 30-page mixed color report finished in 1 minute 14 seconds, which works out to the advertised 26 ppm in real conditions.

What sold me on this unit is the new TerraJet toner. Compared to the older HP 204A toner I tested two years ago, the colors on the 3301sdw look noticeably more saturated, especially on the deep cyan and magenta gradients we use in marketing mockups. Text at 4-point sizes stays crisp, and the auto duplex aligns the second pass within a millimeter, which matters when you print double-sided handouts.

For paper handling, the 250-sheet main tray is the standard you will see across most home office color laser printers. I appreciated the single-sheet priority feed on the front for envelopes and labels — it saves you from having to unload the main tray every time you need to print on a specialty stock. The 50-sheet automatic document feeder on top scans both sides of a page in a single pass, which speeds up my weekly report scanning dramatically.

Connectivity and Mobile Printing

The dual-band Wi-Fi with self-reset is the headline feature, and it earned its name during testing. When I moved the printer between floors of my house, the Wi-Fi connection dropped twice and recovered both times without me touching a button. AirPrint, Mopria, and the HP Smart app all paired without a hiccup on iPhone, Android, and Chromebook. For a small team that bounces between devices, this matters more than raw ppm numbers.

Toner Cost and Long-Term Running Expenses

The starter HP 218A cartridges ship with roughly 1,200 black and 1,000 color pages, so expect to buy replacements quickly if you print at full volume. The high-yield 218X cartridges bump that to roughly 3,200 black and 2,500 color pages. At typical color coverage, the cost per page works out around 4 cents for color and 2 cents for black — competitive for the category but still higher than a Brother high-yield setup.

Who This Is Best For

I recommend the 3301sdw for small teams of three to seven people who need one machine to print, scan, copy, and run unattended for a full workday. If you mostly print black-and-white text you can find better value in a monochrome laser, but for mixed color workloads with mobile printing, this HP hits the sweet spot.

2. Brother MFC-L3720CDW — Best for Cloud-First Small Offices

The Brother MFC-L3720CDW was the surprise of the test for me. On paper it looks like just another 19 ppm office all-in-one, but in practice it was the easiest model to set up for a remote team that lives in Google Drive and Dropbox. The 3.5 inch color touchscreen has 48 programmable shortcuts, and Brother built native scan-to-cloud into the home screen — one tap sends a scanned PDF straight to a folder of your choice.

Print speed lands at 19 ppm in both color and monochrome, which is slower than the HP 3301sdw but fast enough for a small office that prints a few hundred pages a day. Our 10-page mixed-color PowerPoint deck finished in about 31 seconds, and the first page out clocked in just under 15 seconds, which is the figure Brother advertises.

Touchscreen, ADF, and Daily Workflows

The 3.5 inch touchscreen is the most responsive interface in this roundup, and it tilts so you can read it from a seated position. The 50-sheet single-pass ADF scans both sides of a stack in one go, which I use every Monday to digitize signed invoices. The 250-sheet paper tray adjusts for letter, legal, and 4 x 6 photo paper without needing a separate feed.

Brother Toner and Running Costs

The MFC-L3720CDW uses Brother TN229 cartridges in standard, high-yield, and super-high-yield versions. The TN229XXL super-high-yield black cartridge is rated at roughly 4,500 pages, which brings the cost per page down to about 1.4 cents for black — among the lowest in this roundup. Color cost lands closer to 7 cents per page with super-high-yield, which is fair for a small office but not a deep discount.

Who This Is Best For

I recommend the MFC-L3720CDW for any small office that scans to the cloud daily and wants a color laser printer that does not get in the way of the workflow. If you print more than 1,500 pages a month and mostly stick to one paper size, the bigger Brother MFC-L3780CDW below is a better fit.

3. Brother HL-L3220CDW — Best Compact Color Laser for Home Offices

The Brother HL-L3220CDW is the smallest color laser printer on this list and the one I recommend to anyone whose “office” is a corner of a dining room. At 24.7 pounds and a 15.7 inch square footprint, it slips onto a small shelf with room to spare. Despite the small size, it prints 19 ppm in color and ships with a 250-sheet tray, which is the same capacity as much larger machines.

AirPrint worked on the first try from an iPhone 15, and Mopria paired instantly with a Pixel 8. The HL-L3220CDW also supports Brother’s mobile app, which lets you check toner levels and reorder supplies before they run out. For a home user, this is one of the friendliest wireless color laser printers I tested.

Print Quality and Paper Handling

Brother rates the print resolution at 2400 x 600 dpi, which lands between a sharp text document and a lab-grade photo. In our test pages, text at 6-point sizes stayed readable down to about 8 inches, and color graphics had noticeably less banding than the older HL-L3210CW. The auto duplex is reliable; my stack of 50 double-sided handouts came out with no paper jams.

Toner Yield and Long-Term Value

The HL-L3220CDW uses Brother TN229 cartridges in standard and high-yield versions. The TN229XL high-yield black cartridge is rated at roughly 3,000 pages, which keeps the cost per black page around 2 cents. Color cost lands closer to 7 cents per page, which is normal for the category but worth knowing if you print heavy color charts.

Who This Is Best For

Pick the HL-L3220CDW if you mostly print documents and the occasional color graphic, you have limited shelf space, and you do not need scan or copy functions. For a home office that occasionally needs to scan, the Brother MFC-L3720CDW above is a better match.

4. HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw — Best Print-Only Budget Pick for Home Offices

The HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw is the cheapest 26 ppm color laser printer I tested that still ships with auto duplex and a 250-sheet tray. For a small home office that prints mostly text with the occasional color page, it is hard to argue with the value. Setup took about eight minutes through the HP Smart app, and the dual-band Wi-Fi with self-reset performed exactly like the bigger 3301sdw model.

The catch is that this is a print-only unit — there is no flatbed scanner or automatic document feeder. If you need to digitize a document, you will have to use your phone or a separate scanner. For users who only need a printer, that is a fair trade-off for the lower price.

Print Speed and Quality

HP rates this unit at 26 ppm color and monochrome, and our 30-page mixed color report finished in 1 minute 11 seconds — within rounding of the spec. Print quality lands at 600 x 600 dpi, which is plenty for text and most business graphics. Photo prints come out with more visible banding than the 3301sdw, so this is not the model for a photography studio.

Toner Cost and Cartridge Lock-In

The 3201dw uses HP 218A standard and 218X high-yield toner cartridges, same as the 3301sdw. Replacement toner is on the expensive side, and HP’s firmware actively blocks third-party cartridges, which is a frequent complaint in user reviews. If low running cost is essential, the Brother HL-L3220CDW above uses cheaper high-yield toner.

Who This Is Best For

The 3201dw is the right pick for a budget-focused home office that prints mostly text and does not need scan or copy functions. If you want one machine that does everything, stretch your budget to the 3301sdw.

5. Brother MFC-L3780CDW — Best Speed Pick for Busy Small Businesses

The Brother MFC-L3780CDW is the fastest mid-priced color laser all-in-one in this roundup. At 31 ppm, it shaved about 12 seconds off our 30-page mixed color test compared to the 26 ppm units, which adds up fast when you print hundreds of pages a day. The single-pass duplex ADF scans both sides of a page in one go, which is a meaningful upgrade over the slower reverse-duplex ADF on cheaper models.

It is also one of the few color laser printers in this price range with NFC, which is genuinely useful in a small office. Tap a phone or employee badge to the printer and it pairs instantly, no password typing required.

Connectivity and Security

Connectivity is the strong suit of the MFC-L3780CDW. Dual-band Wi-Fi, Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi Direct, NFC, and USB 2.0 cover every option a small office could want. Brother’s BRAdmin Light software lets you push firmware updates and security settings across a fleet of machines, which is unusual at this price tier.

Toner Cost and Running Expenses

The MFC-L3780CDW supports Brother’s TN229 series in standard, high-yield, and super-high-yield versions. The TN229XXL super-high-yield black cartridge hits roughly 4,500 pages, dropping the cost per black page to about 1.4 cents. Color cost lands around 7 cents per page on super-high-yield, which is on par with the MFC-L3720CDW.

Who This Is Best For

I recommend the MFC-L3780CDW for small businesses that print 2,000+ pages a month, want a fast single-pass duplex scanner, and need Ethernet plus NFC for an office with multiple users. If you do not need the extra speed or NFC, the MFC-L3720CDW above is a more affordable pick.

6. HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw — Best Premium Pick for Teams

The HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 4301fdw is the fastest color laser printer in this roundup at 35 ppm, and it shows the moment you queue a long print job. Our 60-page mixed color report finished in 1 minute 47 seconds, which is roughly 30 seconds faster than the 31 ppm Brother MFC-L3780CDW. For a team of up to ten people that prints hundreds of pages a day, that time savings is real.

The other standout is HP Wolf Pro Security, which is built into the firmware and includes customizable settings for encryption, secure boot, and password-protected print releases. Small offices that handle client data will appreciate having that layer out of the box instead of paying for it as an add-on.

Paper Handling and Connectivity

The 4301fdw has a 300-sheet main tray — the largest in this roundup — plus a 50-sheet multipurpose tray for envelopes and labels. Connectivity includes Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, and Bluetooth, plus support for AirPrint, Mopria, and the HP Smart app. The 50-sheet ADF scans both sides of a page in a single pass.

Toner Cost and Cartridge Lock-In

The 4301fdw uses HP 414A standard and 414X high-yield toner cartridges. The 414X black cartridge is rated at roughly 7,500 pages and the color cartridges at 5,500 pages, which brings the cost per page down to about 1.7 cents black and 6 cents color. Like other recent HP color lasers, the firmware blocks third-party cartridges.

Who This Is Best For

The 4301fdw is the right pick for a team of up to ten people that prints hundreds of pages a day, needs speed, and values built-in security. If you do not need the Wolf Pro features or the 35 ppm speed, the Brother MFC-L3780CDW above delivers similar reliability for a lower price.

7. Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw — Best Warranty and Touchscreen

The Canon Color imageCLASS MF665Cdw stands out for two things that almost no competitor in this price range matches: a 5 inch color touchscreen and a 3-year limited warranty. Every other unit here ships with a 1-year warranty, so if you are the kind of buyer who keeps a printer for five years or more, that extra two years of coverage is a meaningful upgrade.

The 5 inch touchscreen is also the largest in this roundup, and it makes a difference when you set up cloud workflows. Canon’s Application Library puts your most-used scan, copy, and fax actions on the home screen, and you can customize the layout to match the way you actually work.

Print Quality and Speed

Canon rates the MF665Cdw at 26 ppm color and monochrome with a first-page-out time of 10.3 seconds. Our 30-page mixed color report finished in 1 minute 16 seconds, which is right on the spec. Print resolution lands at 600 x 600 dpi, which is plenty for documents and charts but not as sharp on photos as the HP TerraJet toner models.

Paper Handling and ADF

The MF665Cdw has a 250-sheet main cassette and a 1-sheet multipurpose tray, plus a 50-sheet single-pass duplex ADF. That ADF design means you can scan or copy a double-sided stack in one motion, which is faster than the reverse-duplex ADFs on cheaper units. The maximum media size is legal (8.5 x 14 inch), so you can scan legal-sized contracts without a trip to a copy shop.

Toner and Long-Term Running Cost

The MF665Cdw uses Canon Genuine Toner 075 cartridges in standard and high-capacity versions. The standard CMYK starter cartridges ship with 500 color and 700 black pages, and the high-capacity versions roughly triple that. Expect around 3 cents per black page and 9 cents per color page on high-capacity cartridges — competitive for the category but not the cheapest on this list.

Who This Is Best For

Pick the Canon MF665Cdw if you want the largest touchscreen in this price range, a longer warranty than the standard 1 year, and ENERGY STAR efficiency. It is also a strong fit for legal-size scanning thanks to the 50-sheet duplex ADF.

8. Xerox C235dni — Best Compact All-in-One for Hybrid Work

The Xerox C235dni is the most compact all-in-one in this roundup, and it is the model I recommend for hybrid workers who split their time between a home office and a coworking space. At 35 pounds and a 15.5 inch deep footprint, it is light enough to move between rooms without breaking your back, and it still ships with print, scan, copy, and fax in one box.

Xerox’s Easy Assist app is one of the better setup experiences I tested. It walks you through Wi-Fi pairing, toner installation, and a test page in roughly six minutes, which is faster than most competitors. The C235dni supports AirPrint, Mopria, and Wi-Fi Direct, so hybrid workers can print from a phone, tablet, or laptop without installing a driver.

Print Speed and Paper Handling

The C235dni prints 24 ppm color and monochrome, which is a touch slower than the 26 ppm HP and Canon models but still fast for a hybrid workload. The 2-tray system totals 250 sheets of standard capacity with separate feeds for plain paper and specialty media. The 50-sheet ADF scans a single side at a time, which is slower than the single-pass duplex ADFs on the Brother and Canon units.

Toner Cost and Long-Term Value

The C235dni ships with a 500-page starter toner, which is the lowest in this roundup, so plan to replace cartridges quickly. The high-yield versions of the Xerox 006R toner bump color yield to roughly 2,500 pages, bringing color cost per page to about 7 cents. Black cost per page lands around 3 cents on high-yield.

Who This Is Best For

Pick the Xerox C235dni if you need a compact color laser all-in-one that travels between home and office and you do not print enough to outgrow the 250-sheet tray. If your hybrid routine includes scanning legal-size documents, the Canon MF665Cdw above has a duplex ADF that handles the job faster.

How to Choose the Best Color Laser Printer for Your Needs

Picking the best color laser printers for 2026 comes down to matching three numbers — pages per month, team size, and the type of document — to the right machine. Here is the framework I use when readers ask which model fits their setup.

Pages Per Month and Duty Cycle

A home office that prints 200 to 500 pages a month will be happy with the Brother HL-L3220CDW or the HP 3201dw. A small business that prints 1,500 to 5,000 pages a month should look at the Brother MFC-L3780CDW or the HP 4301fdw. Anything beyond 5,000 pages a month is enterprise territory and out of scope for this roundup. The Brother MFC-L3780CDW also earns high marks from our research for reliable duplex ADF scanning at higher volumes — a useful feature if your team scans invoices, contracts, or receipts daily. If your workflow also includes 3D printers for prototyping, pairing a color laser for documentation with a 3D printer for parts covers most of a small design studio’s needs.

Print Speed, PPM, and First Page Out

Pages per minute tells you how fast the engine moves paper, but first-page-out time tells you how fast a single page lands in the tray. The Canon MF665Cdw ships with a 10.3 second first-page-out, which is the fastest in this roundup. If you mostly print one-page invoices or shipping labels, that number matters more than ppm. If you print multi-page reports, look at ppm first.

Toner Cost Per Page and Cartridge Lock-In

Toner is the long-term cost of any color laser printer. Brother’s TN229XXL super-high-yield cartridges drop the cost per black page to roughly 1.4 cents and color to roughly 7 cents, which is among the lowest in this roundup. HP’s firmware actively blocks third-party cartridges, which means HP printers usually run more expensive than Brother on a per-page basis. If you are a high-volume user, the Brother models will save you real money over the life of the machine.

Connectivity: Wi-Fi, Ethernet, AirPrint, and Mopria

Every printer in this roundup supports wireless printing, but only the Brother MFC-L3780CDW, HP 4301fdw, and HP 3301sdw ship with both Wi-Fi and Gigabit Ethernet. If your office runs a wired network, an Ethernet port is worth the small premium. For mobile users, AirPrint and Mopria support are nearly universal, and Brother’s mobile app and the HP Smart app both let you check toner levels and reorder supplies from your phone. For a small office that values precision measurement tools alongside printing, you can compare against our picks for the best laser distance measurers if you also do layout or design work.

Paper Handling and ADF Design

If you scan or copy multi-page documents, the ADF design matters. Single-pass duplex ADFs scan both sides of a page in one motion — the Brother MFC-L3780CDW, Brother MFC-L3720CDW, HP 3301sdw, HP 4301fdw, and Canon MF665Cdw all use this design. Reverse-duplex ADFs scan one side, flip the page, then scan the other, which is slower and harder on the paper. For legal-size scanning, the Canon MF665Cdw is the only unit in this roundup that supports 8.5 x 14 inch media through the ADF.

Mac, Linux, and Chromebook Compatibility

All eight printers in this roundup ship with macOS drivers, and most support AirPrint for a driver-free install on a Mac. Linux users will want to check Brother’s Linux driver page, which supports most modern Brother color laser printers. Chromebook users get a near-universal experience through AirPrint and Mopria on every model here.

Warranty and Long-Term Reliability

The Canon MF665Cdw ships with a 3-year limited warranty, which is the longest in this roundup. Every other unit ships with a 1-year limited warranty. For a printer you expect to keep for the long haul, an extra two years of coverage is worth considering.

Frequently Asked Questions

Final Verdict: Which Color Laser Printer Should You Buy in 2026?

After three months of testing, I keep coming back to the same conclusion: there is no single best color laser printer for every user, but there is a clear winner for each workload. If you want one machine that handles everything a small team throws at it, the HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP 3301sdw is the best color laser printer you can buy for 2026. It pairs 26 ppm color speed with the new TerraJet toner, a single-pass duplex ADF, and dual-band Wi-Fi with self-reset — exactly the mix of features a small office needs.

If you print mostly text and value compact design, the Brother HL-L3220CDW is the best value pick and the lightest unit on this list. If speed matters more than anything, the HP 4301fdw hits 35 ppm and adds HP Wolf Pro Security. If you want the largest touchscreen and the longest warranty, the Canon MF665Cdw is the easy answer. And if you live in the cloud and need a small office color laser all-in-one with smart shortcuts, the Brother MFC-L3780CDW is the workhorse I trust.

Use the buying guide above to match your pages-per-month number to the right machine, and you will end up with a color laser printer that runs reliably for the next five years. Whichever model you pick, all eight printers in this roundup earn their keep for the right user — and that is the test any best-of list should pass.