The cheapest color laser printer right now is a business model from Brother

(Image credit: brother)

Competition among color laser printer vendors is intense and many resort to cashback schemes to entice prospective customers. 

Using this strategy, popular printer vendor Brother has discounted its fan favourite HL-L8260CDWlaser printer to a mere £85.99 (about $90), after a whopping £100 (roughly $120) cashback at Printerland.

Unfortunately this deal is not currently available in the US, but we've asked Brother whether the promotion will be opened to US customers and have included a next best alternative below.

Brother HL-L8260CDW colour laser printer - £174.60 £74.60

Brother HL-L8260CDW colour laser printer - £174.60 £74.60
This is a spectacularly good printer deal - for less than £75 it's near impossible to beat. This machine is built to last (unlike some of its competitors), it's nice and speedy, and includes a generous amount of toner. Grab the HL-L8260CDW while stock lasts!

Lexmark C3224dw - $159.00 from Newegg

Lexmark C3224dw - $159.00 from Newegg
US residents looking for a next best alternative can pick up the Lexmark C3224dw for $159.00 from Newegg. It's capable of churning out 24 pages per minute, offering a healthy balance between price and performance. 

There are no cheaper color laser printers out there - we've checked all the major providers - and this one is well worth the money.

It comes with a one-year warranty and features automatic duplex printing, wireless connectivity and a build quality that rivals much dearer models.

Speedy

The HL-L8260CDW might be wallet-friendly, but it's certainly no slouch. It's able to print at up to 31 pages per minute and has a 300-sheet capacity, which can be tripled if needed. Add in advanced security and administrative features and you've got a small business printer for a genuine bargain.

The icing on the cake, though, has to be the consumables. Out of the box, you get a black toner cartridge that can do 3,000 pages and CMY toners each rated at 1,800 pages.

Brother is one of the very few printer vendors that still tolerate compatible toners and refilling. You can easily get compatible toners for a third of the price of genuine originals, which means the total cost of ownership and cost of print is low compared to the competition.

Note: Many businesses are currently on the lookout for supplies, including printers, which means vendors are quickly running out of stock. If your desired printer is unavailable, check here for the retailers that still have models in stock.

Found a better deal?

Have you managed to get hold of a cheaper product with equivalent specifications, in stock and brand new? Let us know and we'll tip our hat to you.

Desire Athow
Managing Editor, TechRadar Pro

Désiré has been musing and writing about technology during a career spanning four decades. He dabbled in website builders and web hosting when DHTML and frames were in vogue and started narrating about the impact of technology on society just before the start of the Y2K hysteria at the turn of the last millennium.