Top 5 Laser All-In-Ones

Now that laser printers have come down in price and size, there are a number of affordable, efficient, and fast laser all-in-ones (i.e. multifunctions) on the market. These useful devices offer printing (sometimes in color), copying, scanning, and occasionally faxing for home and small offices.

Here are the top five according to some of the best reviewers in the business.

1) Brother MFC-8840DN

If you're serious about getting a good, solid multifunction device, and want to offer a direct hint to your family, then you might want to drop the name of the Brother MFC-8840DN. The reviewers were in total agreement about the value of this unit: PC World gave it an Editor's Pick tag, and PC Magazine was enthusiastic about the number of features it offered and the above-par output quality.

2) Lexmark X422 MFP

If you don't need color, but want a fast, efficient laser multifunction for your office, you probably want to take a look at this one. The network-ready Lexmark X422 MFP was lauded by reviewers for its fast printing and scanning, quality text, and range of features, including fax and duplex printing.

3) Samsung SCX-4100

The Samsung SCX-4100 is a solid, basic monochrome laser printer that costs as much -- or less -- than an inkjet. While the reviewers noted that it lacked some of the amenities of its more expensive peers -- such as independent faxing or an automatic document feeder -- it does offer good-quality printing and scanning in a compact form, which may be just the thing for home offices looking for text printing.

4) Canon imageClass MF8170c

Canon's all-in-one color laser includes built-in fax and high-quality color and black printing -- for an extremely reasonable price. All the reviewers agreed that the color printing is excellent for this price point.

5) Canon imageClass MF3110

Although the Canon imageClass MF3110 is a multifunction, reviewers felt that it excelled in its main function: printing. The device's text print quality and speed was praised as being more than worth the price of admission. However, its lack of an automatic document feeder and independent faxing means that it may not be suitable for offices where those features are important.