If you already have a color printer, or if your prints consist of text and some simple graphics, a monochrome printer may be all you need. Here are some tips to keep in mind when shopping for a MFP. Note that some of these tips mirror our buying advice for both and . Later in the article, we'll share a pair of printers that fared best in our tests of monochrome all-in-ones this past year.

Monochrome MFP buying advice

Better price per page: Laser MFPs are good for medium to large businesses that print documents often. The initial cost of a monochrome laser MFP may seem a bit pricier than a color inkjet MFP, but toner tends to be cheaper than ink in the long run. The price per page for a laser printout is cheaper than ink.

Text specialists: Monochrome laser MFPs are ideal if you print text documents, as well as spreadsheets, basic charts, business graphics, or grayscale artwork.

Speed: Print speeds are usually rated by how many pages per minute (ppm) a printer can produce. But not all manufacturers use the same quality setting or the same type of document when determining their speed rating. Also, the speed rating may be only the amount of time it takes to put toner to paper and output it. It may not include the actual data processing of the job.