When it comes to buying a printer, in most cases, people prefer laser or inkjet equipment — everyone has heard of them. Office equipment connoisseurs can buy a solid ink printer for themselves, but not everyone knows about LED products. As is clear from the name of the product, LEDs serve as the basis here, the main task of which is approximately the same as that of the laser in the corresponding printers.
Unfortunately, today LED printing equipment is not presented in such large quantities as many would like, because similar printers are much more economical than all others. If you decide to purchase such a printer for your home or office, then due to lack of information, you will probably refuse such a purchase. Let’s first understand what such products are, and what points you should pay attention to when purchasing them.
What is an LED printer and what are its main parameters?
LED technology for printing on paper and other similar materials was developed quite a long time ago — back in the late 80s of the last century. At that time, many manufacturers of office equipment decided to produce at least one similar model, but these printers did not go to the masses, because they could not replace the more familiar laser products.
Depending on the print resolution, the printer uses a special LED strip containing from 2.5 to 10 thousand elements. The main advantage of this technology is its reliability. If in a laser printer most of the structural elements are movable, then it turns out that they are subject to severe wear, due to which the equipment fails sooner or later. In an LED printer, the elements will light up at the points where the image needs to be printed. LEDs are as narrowly focused as laser beams. Of course, they can burn out, but this happens extremely rarely — the probability of this is much lower compared to the occurrence of a physical malfunction of the laser mechanism.
As we managed to find out, the main advantage of printers based on LED technology is a small number of moving elements in the design. Another important point is the compactness of the device, because the LED strip needs less space compared to all moving elements — this moment is very important for full-color equipment: here the difference in dimensions can be almost twice.
All modern LED printers are manufactured using HiQ LED technology. It ensures printing uniformity throughout the entire LED strip. In addition, equipment operating on this technology allows you to perform digital correction. LEDs are carefully fixed in the design, which makes it possible to create high sharpness and accuracy of the final image.
The design of a laser printer has a set of lenses that move and cover the surface of the sheet only partially. The LED strip applies the image across the entire width of the sheet at the same time, respectively, printing is much faster. These printers are virtually silent. In terms of ecology, they are also an order of magnitude better than other printing equipment — products do not emit ozone into the environment during operation. LED printers can be either black and white or full color.
In compiling our review of the best LED printers of 2020 today, we relied not only on the above information, but also on user reviews, as well as on the price-performance ratio of the models. It is worth noting that the office equipment itself, working on the basis of LED strip, has a rather high price, but we tried to include in the rating the most acceptable models in this regard. So, let’s analyze the useful characteristics of such devices.
For home use
4Xerox Phaser 6020
One of the most budget models, has the ability to print up to 30,000 pages per month. In the course of work, it uses a standard set of CMYK colors, the highest print quality on this device is 1200×2400 dpi. The amount of RAM is 128 MB with a processor frequency of 525 MHz. The equipment has a built-in Wi-Fi module, which allows you to connect it to a personal computer or laptop without using wires. In addition, you can send documents to such a printer from a smartphone. This equipment is designed to work with operating systems of the Microsoft Windows line, starting from version 7 and higher. Unlike other similar equipment, the output here is very saturated colors, which even have a slight gloss, which gives the picture greater clarity and realism.
The design is placed in a plastic case, all the details of which are tightly fitted to each other, there is not even the slightest hint of extraneous squeaks or backlashes. It uses plastic with a matte finish, so dust will not accumulate on the equipment or fingerprints will remain. The print speed is not too high — only 12 pages per minute. It is one of the lowest among the models included in our rating, however, in terms of print quality, the printer significantly outperforms both laser and inkjet products. Office equipment can work with paper, the density of which is in the range from 60 to 220 grams per square meter. One cartridge will be enough for 2000 pages in black and white and 1000 in color.
Advantages:
- Excellent print quality — the best you can get at home;
- Quite convenient to use;
- Easily connects to devices via Wi-Fi;
- Works very quietly;
- Acceptable cost of consumables.
Disadvantages:
- It can be difficult to find drivers for Windows
Xerox Phaser 6020
3. Brother HL-3140CW
The highest print quality for this equipment is 1200×600 dpi. Such an indicator is quite enough to get clear text and bright color images — drawings, graphs and even presentations. The print speed is slightly faster than the previous model — it is 18 pages per minute, and this figure is completely independent of whether black and white text or color is printed. Such indicators are quite enough not only for home use, but also for use within a small office. Four multi-component cartridges serve as consumables here. Black is rated for approximately 2,500 prints. Here, too, the CMYK color palette is used, which, in addition to black, includes yellow, magenta, and cyan. Each of these cartridges has a yield of 1400 pages.
It is worth noting that the developer company has released improved versions of cartridges that allow you to get up to 2200 images. All of them are refillable, so you can significantly save on the maintenance of this printer. Another consumable item is a block equipped with photosensitive shafts — it has a resource of up to 15,000 prints. The waste toner box will need to be replaced after about 50,000 pages. The LED strip is also capable of withstanding up to 50,000 prints. Almost all elements of the printer can be replaced if necessary, which greatly reduces the cost of using the design. In terms of paper flow management, the technique is not something remarkable — up to 250 sheets can fit in the tray, the receiving niche is designed for 100 prints. Duplex printing is not provided here. You can connect the structure to a computer using a standard USB cable that comes with the equipment, or you can use various wireless technologies. The printer is able to work with all operating systems — Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS, Linux.
Advantages:
- An elementary setting that even a novice user can handle;
- Cartridges do not have manufacturer’s chips, so if they break, you can install analogues;
- Can work with paper with a density up to 250 g/sq.m;
- Good clarity of color and black-and-white images;
- Long life of one cartridge refill.
Disadvantages:
- A bit pricey.
Brother HL-3140CW
2. Xerox Phaser 3052NI
Just like the previous technique, it is well suited for both home and small office, where there is a significant need for high-quality and efficient printing. The performance is quite high, besides, there is no need for wires due to the presence of a powerful Wi-Fi module. The print speed is decent — 26 pages per minute, and this figure is stable, unlike laser printers. Of course, there are more productive designs, but for a home and a small office, this indicator will be quite enough. Up to 30 thousand copies can be made on this equipment per month. The only similarity with laser printers is the need for preheating before starting work, but this process takes much less time — only 14 seconds.
The printer consumes a minimum of electricity, for example, when in standby mode, it will consume only 2 watts per hour, thanks to which it is one of the most economical in this segment. The case, like most products of this brand, is made of matte plastic, painted in white and rich blue. This allows the product to organically fit into any interior. The build quality is top notch — not a single user had any complaints about it.
Advantages:
- High print speed;
- Excellent reliability;
- Good workmanship.
Disadvantages:
- Only black and white printing is provided, there is no color module.
Xerox Phaser 3052NI
1. OKI C532dn
One of the most productive products from the Japanese company OKI allows you to receive up to 60 thousand prints per month — largely due to this factor, the model was in first place in its segment of the best LED printers. The memory module has a decent amount — 1 GB. This allows the device to work with a large number of documents of various formats at once. The print resolution is 1200×1200 dpi at a color print speed of 30 pages per minute. This allows you to use such a printer not only at home, but also in offices of small and medium workload. There is an original function of confidential printing Private Print, documents can be sent to this printer via mobile devices — smartphones, phones, tablets and other similar gadgets.
The device supports Gigabit Ethernet, thanks to the use of this technology, even large amounts of data are quickly transmitted over wireless channels. The printer is universal in terms of supporting paper formats — from A6 to sheets 1320 mm long. It is able to work with paper of various weights, which can reach 220gsm. m. The standard capacity of the loading capacity is 250 sheets, but if necessary, you can connect two more paper trays, due to which this figure grows to 1400 sheets. In addition, a so-called multi-purpose tray is provided, which will recognize the type of paper in an automatic format. This printer supports duplex printing technology, which will be very useful in office environments.
Advantages:
- Sufficiently powerful device;
- High quality printing;
- Long service life;
- Support for various paper sizes and weights;
- The possibility of increasing the volume of the feed tray.
Disadvantages:
- Consumes quite a lot of electricity;
- Relatively long warms up — it takes about 30 seconds.
OKI C532dn
For medium companies
3. OKI C823dn
This office equipment is perfect for companies with a variety of needs. First of all, such a printer supports several paper sizes — from a small A6 to a fairly large A3. On it you can print both everyday documents and promotional materials: presentations, booklets, business cards, so you don’t have to contact the companies involved in the production of these products — you can save a lot. The printer does not need expensive maintenance, it is also characterized by a low cost of consumables, so it is suitable even for companies that do not have high financial capabilities. It is capable of handling paper weighing up to 256 gsm. m. This model has support for Google Cloud Print 2.0, which allows you to send documents here even outside the office.
The product is equipped with Wireless Direct technology, which allows you to quickly transfer large amounts of data and use the printer both in a wired and remote format. The monthly resource is about 75 thousand copies. For a large company, this will not be enough, but for a medium-sized one it is quite suitable. All elements have an extended period of operation. On the one hand, this increased the overall resource, but negatively affected the weight and overall dimensions.
Advantages:
- Easy replacement of cartridges;
- The device is easy to set up for wired and wireless operation;
- Virtually no noise even when using large formats.
Disadvantages:
- Decent overall dimensions;
- High price.
OKI C823dn
2. Ricoh SP 400DN
It has a strict and stylish appearance: the body is made of high-quality non-staining plastic with a matte finish. This allows the printer to organically fit into the interior of the office, it will not accumulate dust, various contaminants, including fingerprints. A4-size sheets will be taken from a cassette-type tray that has a capacity of 250 sheets, but can be expanded to 850 sheets if needed. In addition, in the design, the developers have provided for the so-called bypass tray, with which you can work with all sorts of non-standard media — cards, envelopes, and so on. In order to use it, you will need to lift the cover on the front panel. The model is equipped with a two-color LCD type display, which will display all the information necessary for the user. The menu is simple and logical.
The machine has a duplex module for duplex printing. By using it, you can save a lot of paper. For ease of transportation, special recesses are located on the sides of the printer. The device has a memory capacity of 256 MB. Included with this product is a standard cartridge, the resource of which is 1500 prints, but there are models for sale that are designed for 2500 and 5000 copies. This technique does not provide color printing, and black and white produces text or images with a resolution of 1200 dpi, the print speed is decent — 30 pages per minute. You can connect both via a USB cable — more suitable for small businesses, or connect it to a workgroup of computers due to the universal wired type connection. Drivers are installed automatically, it is permissible to send documents from mobile devices for printing — a special Ricoh Smart Device Connect application is provided for this, you can also use Apple’s AirPrint printing service.
Advantages:
- High speed of work;
- Functionality;
- Two-sided printing is provided;
- High build quality.
Disadvantages:
- There is no possibility of full-color printing.
Ricoh SP 400DN
1. Xerox Phaser 6510DN
In terms of print quality, it is largely ahead of similar laser models, the same applies to the speed of work — not all laser printers are able to issue up to 30 sheets per minute. This model is a good combination of reasonable cost and high performance. The developers managed to increase the paper weight with which this printer can work — 220 gsm. m compared to 160 g/sq.m, as was the case with the previous generation models. All major key performance qualities are at a high level. The print quality is 1200×2400 dpi. The printer does not need warm-up time to start working.
The printer is color, works with the classic CMYK palette, so that the full-color image is clear and of high quality. The product is very reliable, placed in a plastic non-staining case, does not need a lot of free space in the office, so it is well suited even for organizations located in small offices. If necessary, cartridges can be replaced on their own, they are also not equipped with special chips, so products with a long service life are often installed instead.
Advantages:
- High build quality;
- Duration of operation;
- Insignificant cost of consumables that will rarely need to be replaced;
- Small overall dimensions.
Disadvantages:
- Not detected.
Xerox Phaser 6510DN
Printers for large companies
3. OKI C712dn
It is a fairly powerful network product designed for active use within an office for 15-20 people. The printer has the ability to carry out high-quality printing of sufficiently large volumes, and the paper weight can reach 280 g/sq. m, the speed of work is 36 sheets per minute. You can use exclusively black and white printing, while color cartridges will not consume their resource. The cost of one color print (taking into account that the photoconductor will also gradually develop its resource) is 1.46 rubles, in terms of black and white copies, the situation is even better — one page will cost only 56 kopecks. This allows you to use the printer even for printing purposes: to make business cards, all kinds of booklets, postcards, calendars, and so on.
If the loads falling on this equipment are quite large, and it has to interact with significant amounts of data, then there is a slot for connecting a memory card up to 16 GB. If necessary, cartridges can be refilled on their own — there is nothing complicated in this process, toners from the manufacturer’s company are available for sale. The design has a standard set of modules for wired and remote operation, drivers are installed automatically, without user intervention.
Advantages:
- Very comfortable and functional office equipment;
- Allows you to receive large volumes of printed products;
- Good value for money;
- High-quality assembly, without squeaks and backlashes.
Disadvantages:
- Some users say that the product is too large.
OKI C712dn
2. Ricoh SP 450DN
It has a body made of light plastic with a matte finish. It is quite durable, well resists all sorts of damage and physical impact. There is a dark insert that highlights the four-line LCD display, and there are also several mechanical control buttons. The build quality is quite high — all elements of the case are securely fitted to each other, the gaps between them are practically indistinguishable, no squeaks or backlashes are observed. The lower paper tray has a very comfortable handle. There are also special handles on the sides to make it convenient to move the printer from one place to another. The design has a special bypass tray that allows you to apply permanent images on transparencies, cards, cardboard, envelopes and other products. This tray can hold up to 100 sheets, depending on the media being used.
The set of interfaces here is quite large. The printer can be connected to a personal computer via an ordinary cable or integrated into an office network. Wireless connection via Wi-Fi module is also present. If you use the printer for network work, then the function of printing images and documents from mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets becomes available. Drivers are installed independently, the user does not have to do anything for this. The printer has a fairly fast response. It has a powerful processor and 512 MB of RAM, which can be increased up to 1 GB if necessary. It is also possible to connect a flash drive or hard drive with a capacity of up to 320 GB.
Advantages:
- High performance, which is important for large offices;
- It can be used by up to 4 people at the same time;
- Quite acceptable overall dimensions;
- The product is easy to operate, also has a small liquid crystal display;
- Superb build quality%
- Support for mobile devices.
Disadvantages:
- The display size could have been bigger.
Ricoh SP 450DN
1.Xerox VersaLink C7000N
It is produced on the basis of the latest ConnectKey technology, thanks to which standard office equipment turns into a full-fledged assistant and assistant, which almost fully meets the requirements of fairly large organizations. The print speed for both black and white documents and color images is the same — it is up to 35 pages per minute, and the resolution is very high — 1200×2400 dpi. This printer provides the ability to send and receive data from various cloud services such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Dropbox and many others. This makes both office and remote work much easier.
On the front side there is a touch LCD screen with a diagonal of 5 inches. This allows you to use the printer as easily as a regular smartphone or tablet. The interface can be customized, thus making it the most suitable for specific working environment conditions and the requirements of individual users. The product has a driver installation wizard that allows you to complete this process in a completely automatic mode, and it will also set up account and network settings. This equipment is quite powerful, the printer can even work with A3 format — in this case, the print speed is 19 sheets per minute. Not every laser printer can boast of such indicators. The speed of technology is ensured largely due to a powerful processor with a clock frequency of 1050 MHz, 2 GB of memory here. The print resolution is also quite high — 1200×2400 dpi, the printer can produce up to 153 thousand copies per month, there is a booklet maker that allows you to make multi-page booklets and even magazines.
Advantages:
- It will become a real find for companies that need high speed of work;
- Can print on fairly thick media — postcards, envelopes, and so on;
- The interface is very simple — even an inexperienced user can figure it out;
- The cartridge has a long resource — up to 6000 copies.
Disadvantages:
- Sufficiently dimensional model;
- Expensive.
Xerox VersaLink C7000N
In conclusion, a useful video
So our review of the best LED printers of the year is gradually coming to an end. We hope that now it has become clear to you what such office equipment is and whether it will be suitable for you. If you have already been lucky enough to use such equipment, then you can share your experience with us and our readers — this can be done in the comments to this article.