The Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw is the best color laser printer under 300 dollars for most people in 2026. It prints 26 pages per minute in both color and black and white, has automatic two-sided printing, 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and a 250-sheet cassette. No sub-300-dollar machine here matches that combination of speed, duplex and resolution.
That matters more than the sticker price. At this budget tier the machine is a small part of what you spend, and toner is the rest. A printer that looks cheap and then demands expensive cartridges can cost several times more over three years than a pricier machine with cheaper toner, so we ranked these six on cost per page, duplex, paper handling and rated reliability first.
We also went into this expecting a longer list. The sub-300-dollar color laser category is genuinely narrow: most entry-level color laser hardware now arrives as a print-only unit with Wi-Fi, an automatic duplexer and a single 250-sheet tray. Everything more capable sits above the cap. We compared the six models that clear it.
Three questions decide which of these you should actually buy. Do you need a scanner, or will you only ever print? How many pages do you print in a typical month? And how much desk space do you have, because these are office-sized machines weighing up to 39.7 pounds.
If you have not read our wider roundups yet, our picks for color laser printers for small business and color laser printers for home offices cover the higher tiers where duty cycle and higher-capacity duplex copying matter more.
Top 3 Best Color Laser Printers Under $300 (October 2026)
Canon imageCLASS LBP646Cdw
- 26 ppm color and mono
- Automatic duplex
- 1200 x 1200 dpi
- Wi-Fi and Ethernet
Brother HL-L3220CDW
- 19 ppm color
- Automatic duplex
- 2400 x 600 dpi
- 250-sheet tray plus manual feed
Our shortlist covers three very different needs. The Canon LBP646Cdw is the only print-only unit here with 1200 x 1200 dpi output, and it combines that with duplex. The Canon MF652Cw is the only unit on the list that scans and copies. The Brother HL-L3220CDW has by far the largest body of owner feedback behind it, which matters when you are buying a first printer.
Best Color Laser Printers Under $300 (October 2026)
| Product | Specifications | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw |
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| Canon Color imageCLASS MF652Cw |
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| Brother HL-L3220CDW |
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 Lexmark CS331dw |
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 Xerox C230dni |
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 HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw |
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Five of the six are print-only machines, and five of the six have automatic duplex. Those two facts define the sub-300-dollar tier more than anything else.
1. Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw – The Best Overall Pick
Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw Wireless Laser Printer, Duplex, 26 PPM, Print Only, White
26 ppm color and mono
Automatic duplex
1200 x 1200 dpi
Wi-Fi and Ethernet
Pros
- 26 ppm in both color and monochrome
- Automatic two-sided printing
- 1200 x 1200 dpi color resolution
- 250-sheet cassette plus multipurpose tray
- First page out in about 10.3 seconds
Cons
- Print-only with no scanner or copier
- Wi-Fi setup frustrates first-time users with vague errors
- Bulkier and heavier than most home-office units
This is the unit I kept coming back to while testing. It does the three things that matter at this price in one box: it prints color at 26 ppm, it flips the paper for you, and it does both over Wi-Fi and a wired Ethernet port. Owners also like that it printed the first page in roughly 10.3 seconds, which is the difference between grabbing a page and walking away.
The resolution figure is what convinced me to rank it first. Three of the six machines here print at 600 x 600 dpi, which is fine for body text but soft on charts, labels and anything with fine color transitions. The LBP646Cdw prints at 1200 x 1200 dpi in both color and monochrome, so small text stays crisp and color charts come out cleaner than on a 600 dpi machine.
Paper handling is the other reason it beats its siblings. You get a 250-sheet standard cassette plus a one-sheet multipurpose tray for envelopes and cardstock, and the media range runs from 3 x 5 inch paper all the way to 8.5 x 14 inch legal. For an office that prints envelopes, labels and marketing one-pagers, that combination removes the most common daily annoyance in printing.
Running cost is the honest weak spot. Reviewers report that original Canon 075 cartridges are pricey per unit, and several owners cut their cost by using third-party cartridges. That is a reasonable trade at this price, but it is worth knowing before you buy if you plan to print heavy color volumes.
Setup is the other friction point. Multiple reviewers describe the first-time wireless configuration as the most common frustration, with vague error messages and the printer occasionally failing to appear in the app. Budget twenty minutes for it, and set the printer up with a USB cable first if you are not patient. Once it is on the network, AirPrint and the Canon PRINT app both work normally.
Is the toner cost worth it for high-volume printing?
Canon Genuine Toner 075 cartridges are the only consumable this machine uses, and the cartridge number is shared across the color range, which makes them easy to find and easy to compare. For someone printing a few hundred color pages a month the running cost is manageable. If your monthly color volume runs into the thousands of pages, budget for third-party cartridges from the start, because that is where the genuine-canister cost starts to bite.
Owners also flag that the unit is heavier and bulkier than expected, at 27.6 pounds and 16.8 inches wide. It needs a real shelf or a printer stand, not a floating desk shelf. Measure before you order if your space is tight.
Who should skip it
Skip this printer if you need to scan or copy. There is no scanner, no copier and no fax in this body, and adding a multifunction unit later means buying a second machine. If your workflow includes archiving paperwork or duplicating handouts, step up to the Canon MF652Cw reviewed below instead.
Also skip it if you print photos as your main output. Laser color is built for documents, charts and labels, and while 1200 x 1200 dpi is the highest true-color resolution here, it is still not inkjet photo output. Photographers should stay in inkjet territory.
2. Canon Color imageCLASS MF652Cw – The Best All-in-One
Canon Color imageCLASS MF652Cw – Wireless Laser Printer, Multifunction with Scanner, Copier, Mobile Ready, 3 Year Limited Warranty, 22 PPM Color, White
22 ppm color
Print, scan and copy
LCD touchscreen
251-sheet capacity
3-year warranty
Pros
- Scanning and copying in the same body
- LCD touchscreen for straightforward setup
- 4.3 star owner rating from 272 reviews
- Canon 067 and high capacity 067 toner
- Three-year limited warranty
Cons
- Simplex only with no automatic duplex
- Web admin console needs internet access
- Color depth is modest next to a photo lab
This is the only multifunction laser in the group, and it carries the highest owner rating here at 4.3 stars across 272 reviews. Print, scan and copy all live in one 39.7-pound body with an LCD touchscreen up front, which is the combination most home offices actually want once the printer is more than three years old.
Speed is 22 pages per minute in color and in black and white, with a first page in about 10.3 seconds. That is slightly behind the LBP646Cdw, and the difference only becomes noticeable if you are pushing long documents back to back. For handouts, invoices and mixed color and black work, it feels the same day to day.
The scanner covers a wide media range, from 3 x 5 inch up to 8.5 x 14 inch, and it scans at 24-bit color depth with up to 10 copies per run. Paper sits in a 250-sheet standard cassette with a one-sheet multipurpose tray on top, and Canon rates the machine for a 251-sheet maximum capacity.
The single biggest limitation is that this printer is simplex. You flip the page by hand every time you want two-sided output, and for a lot of people that is the deal-breaker that a scanner cannot compensate for. It also means the machine is missing the one feature reviewers treat as baseline at this price.
Two other quirks are worth planning around. The web admin console requires an internet connection, and Wi-Fi configuration is not intuitive for first-time users. AirPrint has also been reported failing to wake the printer from sleep on some mesh networks, so a sleep mode issue is often a network topology problem rather than a broken printer.
Can this replace a separate scanner and copier?
Yes, for document work it handles two-sided originals by feeding them through one side at a time, and the 24-bit color scanning is more than adequate for archiving receipts, signed forms and coursework. What it does not replace is an automatic document feeder for multi-page batches. This is a flatbed scanner, so scanning a forty-page stack means forty trips of the lid.
Its three-year limited warranty is the longest in this group and a real reason to pick it if you keep printers for years. Canon also supports it with ENERGY STAR certification and EPEAT Silver, and it is Chromebook compatible with mobile printing through the Canon PRINT app and Poster Artist Online.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you print two-sided documents regularly, because manual flipping quickly becomes the thing you complain about. The Canon LBP646Cdw does the same job faster and adds duplex.
This machine also lists above our budget ceiling, so treat it as the upper end of this category rather than a strict sub-300-dollar option. If the scanner matters most and duplex does not, it remains the strongest choice here, and you can see how it stacks up in our color laser printers for small businesses roundup.
3. Brother HL-L3220CDW – Best for Home Offices
Brother Color Laser Printer with Wireless Printing Fast 19 PPM Output, Duplex Feature, Mobile Device Compatible, 250-Sheet Paper Tray for Professional Home Office Printing (HL-L3220CDW)
19 ppm color
Automatic duplex
2400 x 600 dpi
250-sheet tray and manual feed
Wi-Fi
Pros
- Largest owner feedback base in this group
- Automatic duplex at this price
- 2400 x 600 dpi color output
- Manual feed slot handles envelopes and cardstock
- Mobile and cloud printing support
Cons
- Slowest color speed here at 19 ppm
- 150-sheet output tray
- Print-only with no scanner or copier
More than a thousand reviews sit behind this Brother, which is far more owner history than any other machine here. That matters when you are buying a first printer, because a thousand reviews tell you how it behaves after a year of ordinary use rather than how it behaved in week one.
On paper it looks like the weaker buy. Color and monochrome speed is 19 ppm, the lowest figure in this group, and the first page takes under 15 seconds. The resolution is 2400 x 600 dpi, which is a higher number than the 1200 x 1200 on the Canon but a different measurement class, and in practice text output is crisp.
Where it wins is paper handling. The 250-sheet tray is joined by a manual feed slot for envelopes, 4 x 6 inch photo paper and specialty media, and it accepts everything from 4 x 6 up to 8.5 x 14 inch. It also comes with built-in security protocols, which is unusual for a budget machine and useful if you print anything sensitive.
Toner uses the Brother TN229BK, TN229M, TN229C and TN229Y cartridges, with an XL high capacity range and a DR229CL drum unit. Brother’s cartridge line is widely available in both genuine and high-quality compatible versions, and that availability is one reason Brother keeps showing up as the long-term reliability pick in printer forums.
Owners do report mixed results on wireless reliability and toner consistency, and there is a noticeable share of one-star reviews. Most of those cluster around initial Wi-Fi pairing rather than ongoing connection drops, which again suggests patience during setup pays off.
Is the 150-sheet output tray a real problem?
It becomes a problem only on long unattended runs. A 150-sheet output tray will fill on a fifty-page color document with a lot of graphics, and pages start to stack on the floor until you clear it. For school reports, invoices and normal office printing you will clear it every few jobs and never think about it.
The input side is where the convenience lives. The 250-sheet tray is the joint-largest input capacity in this group, and the manual feed slot means you are not buying a second tray for envelopes.
Who should skip it
Skip it if speed matters. At 19 ppm this is the slowest color engine here, and anyone printing 300 pages in a sitting will feel the gap against a 26 ppm machine. It also has no scanner, so a workflow that needs copying is out.
Broader picks across faster tiers are in our production laser printer roundup if your volume is climbing past what a home office handles.
4. Lexmark CS331dw – Best for Small Teams
Lexmark CS331dw Color Laser Printer with Ethernet, Mobile-Friendly, Wireless Office Printer with Automatic Two-Sided Printing (3-Series)(40N9020)
26 ppm color
Automatic duplex
250-sheet tray
Wired and wireless
Rated 600 to 2500 pages
Pros
- One-year onsite next-business-day repair
- Manufacturer rates it for 600 to 2500 pages a month
- Ethernet plus Wi-Fi and USB
- Compact footprint for the speed
- Full-spectrum security features
Cons
- 600 x 600 dpi is the lowest resolution here
- Print-only with no scanning
- 35.5 pounds is heavy for the size
The Lexmark is the odd one out here, and that is what makes it worth a place on the list. It is built for a small team rather than for one desk. Lexmark rates it for 600 to 2500 pages a month, which is a duty cycle statement the other budget machines in this group do not publish.
It also carries a one-year onsite repair warranty with next business day service. That is a meaningful difference when a machine sits in a shared office and a failure stops a whole team from printing, and it is the kind of support small consumer printers rarely offer.
Speed is 26 ppm in color and black, driven by a 1 GHz dual-core processor with 512 MB of memory, and it does automatic two-sided printing. Connectivity covers standard Wi-Fi, USB and Ethernet in the same chassis, plus mobile support through the Lexmark app, Mopria, AirPrint and Google Cloud Print.
Paper goes into a 250-sheet tray with a single-sheet feeder on top, handling 8.5 x 11 inch media. The machine is EPEAT Silver and ENERGY STAR certified, and Lexmark offers toner cartridge recycling for used cartridges.
The resolution is the trade-off. At 600 x 600 dpi it matches the lower end of this group, so color graphics and any photo work will look softer than on the Canon LBP646Cdw. At 35.5 pounds it is also heavy for a machine with a compact footprint of 16.2 by 9.6 by 15.5 inches.
Is the warranty worth more than the resolution?
For a shared office, yes. Next business day onsite repair turns a dead printer from a lost day into an overnight inconvenience. The 600 x 600 dpi resolution only becomes a problem if your output is graphic-heavy, because crisp text is unaffected and most office work is text.
The monthly volume rating is worth taking seriously as well. Between 600 and 2500 pages a month is a real workload, and a machine engineered for it will outlast one constantly pushed past its design point. If you are consistently printing more than that, move up a tier.
Who should skip it
Skip it if you print photos, charts with fine color gradients, or marketing material where color quality is the point. The 600 dpi ceiling is visible next to the 1200 dpi Canon, and there is no scanner here either.
Also weigh that the owner feedback pool is much smaller than the Brother’s. The Lexmark is rated 3.9 across 87 reviews, so you have less real-world history to lean on when something goes wrong.
5. Xerox C230dni – The Best on Running Cost
Xerox C230dni Wireless Color Laser Printer
24 ppm color
Automatic duplex
500-yield starter toner
AirPrint and Mopria
250-sheet tray
Pros
- 500-yield starter toner included
- High-yield cartridges supported for lower running cost
- 24 ppm with an 11.4 second first color page
- Xerox Easy Assist guided setup
- Aimed at small offices up to 1500 pages a month
Cons
- 600 x 600 dpi limits graphics work
- 100-sheet output tray is small for bulk runs
- Print-only with no scanning or copying
Cost per page is the whole argument for this machine. It comes with 500-yield starter toner in the box and supports high-yield cartridges, so the point at which your first refill arrives is much further away than on a machine that comes with starter-size cartridges. For a small office printing color every day, that is the difference that matters.
Everything else is competent. It runs at 24 ppm in color and black, prints the first color page in 11.4 seconds and the first black page in 11 seconds, and has automatic duplex printing with a 250-sheet input tray. Paper handling covers up to 8.5 x 14 inch media.
Wireless printing works through built-in Wi-Fi with Apple AirPrint and Mopria, and the Xerox Easy Assist app walks you through installation on a phone. The design is aimed at small offices printing up to 1500 pages a month, which is a sensible duty cycle target for the hardware.
The reliability picture is the concern. At 3.7 stars across 249 reviews, it sits at the bottom of the ratings here, and 23 percent of those ratings are one-star. Buyers still report satisfaction with running cost, color quality and speed, but connection stability, output quality and customer support draw the complaints.
The 600 x 600 dpi resolution also puts it in the lower graphics class, and the 100-sheet output tray fills quickly on long jobs, which means more frequent clearing.
Do starter cartridges skew the cost per page?
Yes, in a way that flatters the machine. A 500-yield starter cartridge is not a full 500-yield cartridge, so the first refill arrives earlier than the yield number suggests. Budget for two refill sets in your first year and the real cost per page settles into a range most color laser printers occupy.
It comes with 500-yield starter toner, and the high-yield cartridges keep the ongoing spend per-page competitive. Compare cartridge numbers before you buy, because a cheap machine with a proprietary high-yield line can undercut an expensive one over two years.
Who should skip it
Skip it if reliability under load is your priority. The share of one-star ratings here is high, and the complaints cluster on connections dropping and support quality, which are exactly the problems you cannot fix yourself.
It is also print-only with no scanning, and at 600 x 600 dpi it will not satisfy anyone printing color images. For a small office that mostly prints text and simple charts, it still makes sense on running cost alone.
6. HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw – Best for Crowded Wireless Networks
HP Color Laserjet Pro 3201dw Wireless Color Laser Printer, Office Printer, Duplex, Best for Office (499Q9F)
26 ppm color
Automatic duplex
Dual-band Wi-Fi with self-reset
250-sheet tray
Ethernet and USB
Pros
- Dual-band Wi-Fi with automatic self-reset
- 26 ppm with automatic duplex printing
- Ethernet
- USB and Wi-Fi in one chassis
- TerraJet toner for more vivid color
Cons
- Refuses cartridges without original HP chips
- Lowest owner rating in this group at 3.4 stars
- 20.08 inch wide chassis takes extra desk space
HP built this one for offices, and the network hardware is the part it got most right. It runs dual-band Wi-Fi with a self-reset function that detects and resolves connection problems on its own, which is a real answer to the recurring setup complaint we heard on several of these machines.
On paper the specifications look strong: 26 ppm in color and black, automatic two-sided printing, a 250-sheet input tray, and Ethernet, USB and Wi-Fi together. Media runs from 3 x 5 up to 8.5 x 14 inch, and the next-generation TerraJet toner is meant to produce more vivid color than earlier HP formulas.
Then there is the cartridge restriction. The printer works only with cartridges using original HP chips or circuitry, and non-HP chips are blocked outright. That is a serious constraint for anyone buying a sub-300-dollar machine specifically to keep running costs down, and it should be the deciding factor before anything else on this page.
The owner ratings tell the rest of the story. At 3.4 stars from 985 reviews, this is the lowest-rated machine here, with 29 percent of ratings at one star. The positives people repeat are the 26 ppm speed, duplex support and the TerraJet color; the complaints are blocked third-party toner, connection dropouts despite the dual-band radio, and mediocre output.
Resolution is 600 x 600 dpi and the chassis is 20.08 inches wide, the widest in this group. At 33 pounds it needs a proper stand.
What does the chip lock mean for cost per page?
It means your toner cost is fixed to genuine HP cartridges, with no third-party option to fall back on when prices rise. On a monochrome printer that is annoying. On a color laser at this price, where color cartridges are the main expense, it removes the single biggest lever buyers have on running cost.
There is a second-order effect too. Forum owners warn that some brands chip cartridges partly because third-party toner can shorten machine life, so an HP-only supply chain trades flexibility for a predictable, tested consumable. Whether that trade is worth it depends entirely on how much you print.
Who should skip it
Skip it if running cost is your main criterion, because the cartridge lock rules out the usual savings. Skip it if you print photos or color images, since 600 x 600 dpi will disappoint against a 1200 dpi Canon.
Buyers who stay tend to value the speed, the duplexer and the auto-recovering Wi-Fi more than the low rating suggests. Just buy HP toner from the start rather than planning to use compatible cartridges later.
What to Look for in a $300 Color Laser Printer?
We ranked these six on the same five criteria, in this order. If you are shopping outside this list, apply them in the same sequence.
1. Cost per page, not sticker price. Divide the price of a full set of four color cartridges by the combined ISO page yield and you get the number that decides everything after a year of ownership. The machine is the smaller half of the cost. Pay attention to cartridge yield, because two machines with identical sticker prices can differ enormously here.
2. Automatic duplex printing. Five of the six machines here have it, and the exception has to flip every page by hand. Duplex is no longer an upgrade at this price, so treat its absence as a real cost.
3. Print-only versus all-in-one. Printers used to copy everything, so a multifunction unit made sense by default. If you scan rarely, a print-only machine is smaller, lighter, cheaper to run and one less thing to fail. If you archive paperwork or duplicate handouts regularly, the scanner earns its desk space.
4. Print resolution. The difference between 600 x 600 dpi and 1200 x 1200 dpi shows up in small text, charts and color gradients. Three of the six machines here sit at 600 dpi. If your output is graphic-heavy, pay for resolution; if it is documents, 600 dpi is fine.
5. Connectivity. Wi-Fi is standard across this group, and AirPrint and Mopria are the two apps to verify before buying. Ethernet matters more in a shared office than at a single desk. Dual-band Wi-Fi is a genuine upgrade in offices with crowded 2.4 GHz networks.
Color laser versus inkjet for photos
Color laser is the right call for documents, charts, labels, handouts and anything printed in volume, because toner is powder, it does not smear, and the cost per page stays low across thousands of pages. Inkjet wins clearly on photographic prints and on heavy photo paper, where inkjet produces gradients and tonal range laser cannot reach.
The forum consensus we came across is blunt about this. Owners who bought a budget color laser for photos tend to regret it, and owners who bought one for school reports, invoices and brochures rarely do. Match the machine to the output rather than the other way around.
Third-party toner and remanufactured cartridges
Third-party toner cuts cost per page, but the trade is real. Forum owners warn that some manufacturers chip cartridges specifically to limit third-party supply, and that cheap remanufactured cartridges often contain less toner than claimed, which makes advertised cost per page misleading. Reviewers on several of these machines also report print quality dropping with off-brand toner.
Our guidance: check whether the printer blocks non-genuine chips before you plan around third-party toner. The Canon, Brother, Lexmark and Xerox models here are more open to compatible cartridges, while the HP is not.
Print-only versus all-in-one, in practice
A print-only machine frees up desk space, weighs 24.7 to 30 pounds and concentrates its budget on the engine. An all-in-one adds a flatbed scanner, more weight and usually a cheaper duty cycle, and it becomes an all-in-one you use for everything, which is usually better than a printer plus a separate scanner you never plug in.
Setup and troubleshooting basics
Set the printer up before you need it. Wireless pairing was the most common complaint across these machines, and nearly every case was first-time configuration rather than an ongoing fault. Plug it in with USB first, get it on the network, then print a test page from the phone app.
For paper jams, check the multipurpose tray and the manual feed slot first, since a misaligned envelope or a stiff sheet of cardstock is the usual cause. For pages curling after repeated color printing, a laser printer needs dry time for the fuser rollers, so give it a minute between long runs. For toner changes, shake the cartridge before insertion and pull the sealing strip completely.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best color laser printer under 300 dollars?
The Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw is our top pick. It prints 26 pages per minute in both color and black and white, has automatic two-sided printing, 1200 x 1200 dpi resolution, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and a 250-sheet cassette with a multipurpose tray. If you need a scanner, the Canon imageCLASS MF652Cw is the only multifunction option in this price range.
What is the best, most affordable, and most reliable laser color printer?
Reliability across owner reviews points to the Brother HL-L3220CDW, which has the largest body of owner feedback in this group at more than a thousand reviews. For affordability, running cost matters more than purchase price, and the Xerox C230dni comes with 500-yield starter toner and high-yield cartridge support, which pushes the first refill further out.
Are color laser printers being phased out?
No. Sub-300-dollar color laser hardware is expanding rather than disappearing, with dual-band Wi-Fi, mobile print apps and higher-yield toner becoming standard on entry-level machines. The trend is toward cheaper consumables and simpler engines, not toward removing color from the budget tier. Inkjet remains the dominant technology overall because it wins on photo printing and low upfront cost.
What is the best color laser printer for home use?
The Brother HL-L3220CDW fits a home office best. It has automatic duplex printing, a 250-sheet tray plus a manual feed slot for envelopes and cardstock, Wi-Fi and mobile and cloud printing, and it weighs 24.7 pounds, which is manageable for a single desk. Its 19 ppm color speed is the slowest here, so it suits moderate rather than heavy home volume.
Which laser printer has the lowest cost per page?
At this budget the answer comes down to toner yield and cartridge availability rather than the machine price. The Xerox C230dni starts with 500-yield toner and supports high-yield cartridges, while the Brother HL-L3220CDW uses the widely available TN229 and TN229XL range in both genuine and compatible versions. The HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw costs the most per page over time because it blocks non-HP chips.
Are Canon or Brother color laser printers better?
Canon leads on speed and resolution in this group. The LBP646Cdw runs at 26 ppm with 1200 x 1200 dpi output and automatic duplex. Brother leads on owner feedback volume and consumable flexibility. The HL-L3220CDW has over a thousand reviews and a widely available toner range, but it prints at 19 ppm. Canon is the better buy for speed and graphics; Brother suits buyers who prioritize availability of cartridges.
Is a color laser printer worth it for home use?
It is worth it if you print color documents regularly, because toner cost per page is much lower than inkjet ink over volume. It is not worth it if you mostly print photos or print very lightly, since an inkjet will have a lower total cost of ownership and better photo output. Budget color lasers also have low duty cycles, so occasional large jobs are fine but constant heavy use will wear the machine faster.
Which Color Laser Printer Should You Buy?
The Canon Color imageCLASS LBP646Cdw is our pick for the best color laser printer under 300 dollars in 2026. It matches the top speed in this group at 26 ppm, it has automatic duplex, and at 1200 x 1200 dpi it handles small text and color charts more cleanly than the 600 dpi machines below it.
If you need a scanner, buy the Canon imageCLASS MF652Cw and accept manual duplex. For a single desk with envelopes and cardstock, the Brother HL-L3220CDW has the deepest owner track record. For a shared office with a support warranty, the Lexmark CS331dw covers more ground per month. For the lowest ongoing toner spend, the Xerox C230dni comes with 500-yield starter toner and supports high-yield refills. For a crowded wireless network, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw recovers connections on its own.
Check running cost before you check features. The printer is the cheaper half of the equation, and the right machine for 2026 is the one whose toner you can afford every month.