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Mono or colour laser?

This one is settled by a single number: the share of colour pages in your monthly printing. Not by “we might need it”.

The short answer

If colour is under about 10% of your monthly volume, mono is clearly cheaper — send the occasional colour job to a print shop. Above about 25% colour daily, colour laser justifies itself. Between the two, calculate on your real mix rather than the worst case.

Line by line

Item Mono laser Colour laser
Device price Lower Higher
Toner cartridges One Four — black, cyan, magenta, yellow
Cost of a text page The lowest Higher even when printing in mono
Cost of a colour page Not possible Much higher than a text page
Speed Usually faster in the same class Slightly slower on colour
Servicing Simpler — one drum unit More consumable parts
Size Smaller and lighter Larger and heavier

Choose Mono laser if…

  • Most of your printing is documents and text
  • Colour is under about 10% of your volume
  • You want the lowest possible running cost
  • The office prints contracts, invoices and internal reports

Choose Colour laser if…

  • You print marketing material or client proposals daily
  • Colour is part of what reaches the customer
  • You need the same colour on every copy
  • Colour is more than a quarter of your printing

The trap: colour raises the cost of text pages too

Many assume a colour laser only costs more on colour pages. In reality a mono page on a colour device costs more than the same page on a mono device, because the machine itself has more consumable parts. So if 90% of your printing is text, you are paying extra on that 90% every month for the sake of the other 10%.

The middle path that works

Many offices solve this with two devices: a fast mono unit for daily volume, and a smaller colour unit for the few jobs that need it. The combined cost usually comes out below one colour device carrying everything. And if colour is genuinely rare, a print shop is cheaper than owning a colour machine that sits idle most of the month.

Still unsure? Tell us your monthly volume and what you use it for and we will recommend — often the cheaper one.

Browse the full category

Canon mono laser printers — i-SENSYS Canon colour laser printers — i-SENSYS Genuine Canon toner and ink Compare other models yourself

Common questions

Can I restrict a colour device to mono only?

Yes, and you can block or limit colour printing for specific departments. This happens often in offices after the first toner invoice — see our secure printing page.

How do I find out my colour percentage?

Print the meter report from your current device — most machines separate the mono and colour counters. If you are not sure how, send us the model and we will show you.

Ready to help you find the right fit

Talk to us and the ITCO team will recommend the devices and solutions that match your workload and budget.

Call now 010 3130 6700