A few years ago, color laser printer were too large, and too expensive, for home or even small business use. Today, color lasers have come down in price and size (although they are still much pricier than inkjets). They offer speed, accuracy, and savings in the long term; however, while desktop color lasers are okay for charts and occasional highlights, for photos and other high-quality color, inkjets still reign.
Color laser printers have only recently become practically for small businesses and even home offices. The Lexmark C510 exemplifies this new breed, combining a reasonable price, good performance, high-quality text and color printing. Reviewers complained about its relatively heavy weight and the cost of adding duplexing and other features. However, these are minor issues compared with the general excellence of the device.
Sometimes reviewers can have different opinions about the same printer. In the case of the Dell Laser Printer 3000cn, PC World said it delivered respectable speeds while CNET thought it was slow; PC World said the 150-sheet paper tray was limiting while CNET called it generous; PC World said the unit wasn't as big as it looked, while CNET called it a "honking big color laser printer." However, both agreed that the color laser delivers quality text and graphics at a reasonable price.
Affordability is a big factor in printers, especially when you're considering a color laser printer. The HP Color LaserJet 2550L is a winner in this regard. It is also a winner, according to many reviewers, in the quality of its color printing, which is unusual in a low-cost color laser. Some reviewers complained about its slow speeds, and several noted that the cost to replace its black toner was high, but for a small- or home-office printer, this could be a good deal.
It's nice to find a solid inexpensive laser printer -- especially one that offers color. And especially one that also offers good performance and top-quality printing. The two reviews features below both laud the Konica Minolta magicolor 2400W for its performance and print quality; the only caveat is its photo/graphics printing which, like other low-cost color lasers, leaves a bit to be desired.
All of our reviewers admired the performance of the Dell 5100cn, while two out of the three reviewers we surveyed thought the print quality was excellent. In addition, they all admired the expandability and duplexing (double-side) feature. On the whole, this looks to be an excellent small business color laser.
