best multifunction color laser printer under $500

You'd think this would add substantially to the cost of an MFC color laser as compared to a plain vanilla color laser printer. Thus an MFC laser is simply an ordinary laser printer that also includes scanning and fax capabilities. The scan-and-print functionality turns a printer into a copier, and the ability to send rasterized images across a phone line turns a printer into a fax machine. The color laser models we cover here that include MFC functionality basically extend the rasterize-and-print model that all laser printers use to include support for scanning original documents, and in some cases for communicating rasterized images via fax modem. When it comes to cranking out lots of pages, though, laser printers generally produce them at a lower per-page cost and do so more quickly than inkjet alternatives. The downsides are that laser printers cost more than inkjets up front, and when toner cartridges need to be refilled or replaced they usually cost somewhere between $60 and $100 each. Laser printers are also more economical than inkjets, because toner cartridges can usually print many thousands of pages before a refill is needed, whereas ink cartridges run out more quickly and must be replaced more often. Lasers are also more precise, because of the tight focus that lets them work at high resolutions.

For one thing, they are faster, because a laser can move much more quickly than a print head with dozens or even hundreds of inkjets that must squirt micro-droplets at individual stops along the print path. Laser printers have lots of advantages over inkjets.

Best multifunction color laser printer under $500