The Top Three Energy-Saving Color Laser Printers for the Home

With the advent of computers, the need for actual printed documents has dropped but not disappeared. Kids still have to turn in reports, businesses still need to print up budgets, and a lot of people like to print their photographs using their printer. Like any electronic device, printers can potentially be significant energy hogs. Here then are three color laser printers that would be perfect for home use while still being eco-friendly:

3) Konica Minolta Magicolor 1650 EN Laser Printer: This super-tiny printer produces high-resolution documents while being energy efficient in part due to an energy-saving mode. Printing at 20 pages per minute for black and white documents and 5 per minute for color(according to the Konica Minolta) certainly won't set any speed records, but the image quality is among the best in the sub-$200 price range.

Aside from the great print quality, the other feature of this printer that really stood out to me was the lack of paper jams. The 1650 EN seems to keep from jamming like no other printer I have ever used. If you have ever had to dig inside your printer to rip out scrap after scrap of destroyed paper, you will realize what a great bonus this is. The lowest price I found this little gem for was $189.95 at adoramacamera.com. The printer comes with a one-year warranty.

2) Xerox 6140N Color Laser Printer: At $324(the price I found this printer for at pcconnectionexpress.com), you won't beat the combination of speed and image quality in an energy-efficient printer. Having used Xerox products for years, I can vouch for their excellent customer service and reputation. To find a printer of this quality at such a low price is a great deal.

According to Xerox, print speed is 21 pages per minute for black and white and an astounding 19 per minute for color printing. This speed does come at a cost, though. The resolution is not quite as sharp as some printers, but this will probably not be noticeable unless you are printing something like a photograph with a lot of tiny objects in it. Nevertheless, it is something to think about.

For the overwhelming majority of print jobs, both color and black and white, the image quality is exceptional. It is great for a small office or home use and comes with a one-year warranty.

1) Samsung CLP-315: Electronics giant Samsung makes this affordable(only $149 at Tigerdirect.com) printer that is both a good value and Energy Star compliant. It is not terribly fast, able to print 17 black and white pages per minute and 4 color pages per minute according the specs provided here.

However, printing speed is not the main draw of this printer, the image quality is where it excels. Photos printed using the CLP-315 are sharp and compare favorably to what you might get at those photo printing machines you can find at the drugstore. The colors are bright, not washed out, and not grainy.

It is simple to use with a USB 2.0 cord that plugs in easily to your computer and, best of all, the cartridges are actually easy to change! For the price, you can't go wrong with this printer. The only potential drawback is that printer cartridges are not quite as easy to find as some other brands. This printer has a 90-day warranty.

If you've got some printing to do but don't want to get killed on energy costs, consider one of these three printers. You will save on electricity and still get great-looking documents.