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Sep 02, 2023

Fastest printers 2023

Find the fastest printers for when you need a lot of pages in a hurry 1. The quick list 2. Fastest inkjet3. Fastest laser4. Fastest for SMBs5. FAQs6. How to choose7. How we test Finding the fastest

Find the fastest printers for when you need a lot of pages in a hurry

1. The quick list2. Fastest inkjet3. Fastest laser4. Fastest for SMBs5. FAQs6. How to choose7. How we test

Finding the fastest printers is essential when you need to print a lot of pages quickly or just need to get that report out before a rapidly approaching deadline.

While many of the best printers we’ve tested feature impressive page-per-minute (PPM) print times, not all of them are built for speedy print jobs. So, when time is of the essence, it’s worth investing in devices that are designed to quickly pump out a lot of pages without compromising on resolution and print quality.

To help you find the right one, we’ve tested, reviewed, and rated the fastest printers. As part of our comprehensive review process, we’ve compared each printer’s PPM output, auto document feeder (ADF) capabilities, and sheet capacity so you’re not constantly refilling the paper tray. For a range of budgets and uses, you’ll also find a selection of both inkjet and laser printers for faster printing at home and the office

Fastest inkjet

The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e - known as the HP 9010e outside the US - is a fantastic all-rounder if you're looking for a fast inkjet printer at a good price.

Read more below

Fastest mono laser

With a print speed of 55ppm, the Versalink B600/DN is one of the fastest laser printers in the business and boasts a combined paper capacity of 700 sheets.

Read more below

Fastest for SMBs

The Kyocera Ecosys P2040dw offers high speeds and high resolution. It offers fast and fine printing ideal for SMBs printing big text documents in a hurry.

Read more below

Why you can trust TechRadar We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can be sure you’re buying the best. Find out more about how we test.

Our expert review:

The HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e (or HP 9010e in Europe) is our pick for fastest printer overall. It won't beat out higher-end enterprise printers, but it's a solid all-rounder in every department. A great choice for the office (or home office), in total it can take up to 250 sheets, with a 35-sheet ADF.

The manufacturer claims that the 4-in-1 printer can produce laser-quality black and white prints of up to 22 pages per minute. During our tests we found this print speed to be accurate, though this did slow down when auto duplexing both sides of sheets of paper.

Build quality is great, and design-wise, it’s a smart-looking device with a tilting touchscreen that makes it simple to use - especially when combined with the slick HP Smart app that serves to speed up printing processes even further. In operation, we found the OfficeJet Pro 9015e to work smoothly and quietly, consistently printing out crisply printed pages. However, we did find when larger areas of black ink are used, you can clearly see horizontal lines spoiling black and white pictures - this goes away when printing in color.

Although the printer performed admirably when printing documents, we did feel photo print quality wasn't the best. But overall, with its rapid 22ppm print rate and features such as Private Print and customizable keys, and at a fair price, it’s well-suited to a small office.

Read our full HP OfficeJet Pro 9015e/9010e review

Our expert review:

With a print speed of 55ppm, the Versalink B600/DN is one of the fastest laser printers in the business and boasts a combined paper capacity of 700 sheets.

If you can live with the lack of color printing and Wi-Fi, as well as the high upfront cost you'll most likely find the 5in color touchscreen a joy to use. In addition to that, we found the installed toner cartridge has a very high yield making the B600/DN ideal for mass page production.

Our tests showed that this laser printer lived up to Xerox's claims of 55ppm. Duplex printing is only fractionally slower at 49.5ppm and photos make little difference to the print time either. The wake-up time is also quicker than most at 6.3 seconds as the first page out time.

If you want to speed printing further with an ADF, you can purchase the 'Finisher' - a top-loading feeder that can hold 500 sheets and even staple pages together.

Read our full Xerox VersaLink B600DN review

Our expert review:

The Kyocera range of laser printers are known for producing high-speed, high-resolution prints - and the Ecosys P2040dw is an especially good product. After running our tests, we came away feeling the compact printer offered fast and fine, though somewhat pale, printing that is perfect for SMBs that need to print big text documents in a hurry.

It’s not a fancy model by any stretch - there’s no touchscreen, for example. But the specifications are outstanding, offering 40ppm and hardly slowing down when performing duplex printing either. With a crisp print resolution of up 1200 x 1200 dpi, it’s better than most other mono laser printers and on a par with many inkjet models. And we found the decent 256MB memory ensured large documents rolled out smoothly. Overall, we found it printed faster and at a higher resolution than nearly all of the competition.

The initial outlay may put off some users - it can seem a lot for a print-only desktop device with no touchscreen. However, Kyocera’s long-life components and efficiency enhancing features, as well as a two-year guarantee plus a three-year guarantee for the drum and developer as standard makes your total cost of ownership over time a lot more competitive.

For an even faster Kyocera model, look out for the Ecosys PA5500x. It’s not as readily available, but bumps the 40ppm of the P2040dw to a blisteringly fast 57ppm.

Read our full Kyocera Ecosys P2040dw review

The best laser printers are usually much faster than even the best inkjet printers. That's because, instead of using liquid ink - a laborious process - they use a powdered toner that's transferred to the paper using heat.

Printing in black and white, one-sided is usually the fastest way to print. If text quality isn't important you can also usually choose 'draft' settings in your print console. Paper size is be a factor - the larger the surface area, the more time it will take to print. If you're planning large-scale print outs, you'll be better served by the best A3 printers.

Duplex is double-sided printing. It's supported by most printers but may not be as fast, given that the sheet has to be fed back into the printer.

The Epson WorkForce Enterprise WF-C20590 Multifunction Network Printer can print out pages both in monochrome and color at up to 100 ppm. An enterprise-grade machine, prices start at around $13,000. While they can't quite compete with those speeds, the best HP printers generally excel in most areas all-round.

If you're deciding which printer is best for speed, there are some broad categories to consider:

Inkjet vs. laser

When it comes to choosing inkjet vs laser printers, a laser printer is almost certainly going to be the fastest printer compared to an inkjet model. However, they tend to be more expensive in the short-term (and cheaper to run in the long-term). The opposite is true of inkjet printers, which are cheap to buy, but can cost more when buying new ink cartridges. However, the recent rise of ink tank printers has alleviated this, letting you refill tanks rather than buying new cartridges.

Paper tray, easy-loading, and ADF

A high-capacity paper tray with an ADF option is the best choice for faster printing - chiefly because refilling the paper tray too often will only further slow down the printing process. Ideally, your chosen printer will be designed for easy loading in this event.

Resolution

Speed is important - but that shouldn't mean a reduction in print quality. So, when selecting the fastest printer for your needs, check the device's dots-per-inch (DPI). The higher the number, the more clarity and detail your print-outs will have.

We've tested hundreds of printers for home, office, and studio. This includes the best all-in-one printers, best wireless printers, and the best small business printers.

Whether we're testing for the fastest printers or any other task, we assess a range of factors from print speeds and quality to value-for-money across both the device itself and the on-going costs of ink cartridges and toners.

We perform detailed comparisons and analysis, timing the printing speeds in single sheet and duplex mode. For this test, we use a ten-page document and a stopwatch app for accuracy.

When testing print quality, we always print the same test documents for an accurate overview across all printers. This document includes text in different font sizes and colors, as well as images. We also test patterns, evaluating sharpness and color fidelity.

Finally, we calculate running costs, and compare the interface, design, and build quality to others in the same category and use-case.

Find out more in our guide How we test, review and rate printers on TechRadar Pro.

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Nate Drake is a tech journalist specializing in cybersecurity and retro tech. He broke out from his cubicle at Apple 6 years ago and now spends his days sipping Earl Grey tea & writing elegant copy.

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