Our readers keep the lights on and the coffee maker working hard! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Specs are compiled from manufacturer listings and verified buyer reviews and can change over time — please confirm the key details on the product page before buying.
If you are tired of stopping mid-project to reload paper, a dual tray laser printer is the fix. These machines hold two full stacks of paper at once, so you can keep legal-size documents in one tray and letter-size in the other — no swapping, no pausing. This guide breaks down the three best dual tray laser printers for busy home offices and small businesses, covering speed, paper capacity, and real-world reliability so you can pick the right one the first time.
I’m Mohammad Maruf — the founder and writer behind Gardening Beyond. This guide is built by comparing the manufacturers’ published specifications and the patterns across verified customer reviews, so you get each pick’s real strengths and trade-offs instead of marketing spin.
You want a dual tray laser printer that keeps up with your workload without constant refills. The right pick depends on how much paper you print and if you need color or just fast black-and-white text.
Our Picks at a Glance
How To Choose The Best Dual Tray Laser Printer
A dual tray laser printer earns its keep by cutting out the most common office interruption: reloading paper. Before you commit, you need to weigh print speed, tray capacity, and whether you actually need color. Each of these factors changes which machine fits your workflow.
Speed (pages per minute)
Speed is measured in pages per minute (ppm), and it is the first number serious buyers check. A faster machine finishes a 100-page contract run in minutes instead of leaving you staring at an output tray. For a busy office, a difference of a few ppm across a long job adds up to real saved time.
Paper tray capacity
The whole point of dual trays is having two paper sources ready at once. Look at the capacity of each tray — a bigger combined capacity means fewer refill stops on heavy days. Some models also add a multipurpose tray on top for envelopes or thicker media without disturbing your main stacks.
Monochrome vs. color
Decide on color before you buy. Monochrome (black-and-white only) printers handle text-heavy jobs like legal documents faster and cost less per page. Color lasers let you print marketing materials, but you will replace four toner cartridges instead of one, so running costs rise.
Quick Comparison
| Model | Best For | Print Speed | Tray Capacity | Type | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brother HL-L6210DWT★ Best Overall | High-volume monochrome offices | 50 ppm | 520 + 520 sheets | Monochrome | Amazon |
| Brother HL-L5210DWT | Fast mono with mixed-size needs | 48 ppm | 250 + 520 sheets | Monochrome | Amazon |
| Brother HL-L8350CDWT | Color documents and labels | 32 ppm | 250 + 520 sheets | Color | Amazon |
In‑Depth Reviews
1. Brother HL-L6210DWT Business Monochrome Laser Printer
Our pick — 4.5★ from 100+ verified ratings; the strongest balance of quality and price.
The high-volume monochrome machine that pairs blazing speed with a massive paper appetite.
For an office that lives on black-and-white documents, this Brother delivers print speeds up to 50 pages per minute — the fastest in this lineup, beating the HL-L5210DWT’s 48 ppm. Two 520-sheet trays mean you can fill both at the start of the day and stay productive through the afternoon, with a 100-sheet multipurpose tray ready for envelopes or odd-size media.
The print quality earns the most praise from owners by a wide margin, and buyers report it is “fast, sharp monochrome laser” with “no jams” even under the heavy load of a legal or notary practice. Auto-duplex printing is built in, so two-sided documents run without you flipping pages manually. Wireless networking and Gigabit Ethernet both come standard, making it easy to share across a wired or wireless office network.
This model keeps your per-page costs low for steady use. It ships with a Brother Genuine 3,000-page toner, and you can upgrade to the TN920UXXL ultra high-yield cartridge rated for 18,000 pages — owners mention that long-lasting toner is why it “helps lower business expenses.” Output quality earns “professional quality” praise from busy offices, and owners call it suitable for small business work. A few note the driver download and cable setup take patience, but most agree the machine is dependable once connected.
Why Owners Pick It
- Fastest mono speed here at 50 ppm
- No jams reported even under heavy use
- 18,000-page high-yield toner keeps costs low
- Two 520-sheet trays plus a multipurpose tray
Setup Notes
- Driver download and a dedicated cable are required
- One-off support calls can be hit or miss
Grab it for: a legal, notary, or high-volume office that prints mostly letter and legal size and wants the least refilling.
Think twice if: you need color output — this is strictly monochrome.
2. Brother HL-L5210DWT Business Monochrome Laser Printer
A slightly slower but nimble sibling that still churns out crisp mono pages at 48 ppm.
This dual-tray brother to the 6210DWT pairs a 250-sheet tray with a 520-sheet tray, so you get less total capacity than the top pick but a smaller footprint for tighter desks. Its initial page print time of 6.7 seconds means the first page lands fast, and owners call it “very fast” for black-and-white work. It also shares the same auto-duplex, Gigabit Ethernet, and dual-band wireless connectivity as the faster model.
Print quality and speed are the two traits owners praise most about this unit. One buyer’s direct verdict was: “Excellent Printer… Easy to set up! Very fast. You need black and white fast. This Is It!!!!!” The running costs stay friendly, too — a Brother Genuine TN920XXL super high-yield cartridge is rated for 11,000 pages, so steady users can stretch supply runs.
The honest catch is in the setup. Customers note the manual is not always clear — one owner spent about 50 minutes getting it going and needed YouTube to adjust the legal-size tray (a green clip that slides back). The dual tray configuration itself gets mixed feedback, with a few owners calling the extra steps confusing. That said, Wi-Fi connection is described as easy with auto-detection on phones and laptops, and once running, the machine prints reliably for most.
What wins people over: the combination of fast mono output and a 6.7-second first page makes it feel immediate for everyday office tasks.
Where the friction lives: the manual and tray adjustment demand a bit of patience on day one — expect a one-time learning curve.
3. Brother HL-L8350CDWT Wireless Color Laser Printer
The color-capable dual-tray workhorse that handles labels and documents at 32 ppm.
Need color? This is the only dual-tray model in the lineup. It prints black and color at up to 32 pages per minute — slower than the two monochrome picks above — but it uses cyan, magenta, yellow, and black toner for full-color documents. Owners call print quality excellent with clear color, and one notes it “pumps out pages in seconds.” The dual trays (250 sheets and 520 sheets) keep different paper types loaded, and automatic duplex (two-sided printing) saves paper.
The smartest feature here is Amazon Dash Replenishment. Once activated, it measures toner levels and automatically orders new toner from Amazon when you run low, so you never hit an empty cartridge mid-job. That matters because buyers warn toner is not sold in local stores and must be ordered — a 4-pack of replacements, with off-brand options near. The starter toner in the box yields about 233 color pages, so budget for replacements if color volume is high.
Where this model divides opinion is color fidelity and reliability. A few reviewers point out that photo-style printing, like headshots on marketing materials, comes out with blur and off colors — one returned it for an HP color laser on that basis. Others find it “fine for other prints” and reliable once set up. The machine’s large footprint and lightweight trays also get called out, with pages sometimes falling from the lack of an output tray. Owners largely say it is ideal for small business color documents, just not for photo-perfect output.
The standout perk: automatic toner reordering is a genuine convenience for anyone who forgets to check cartridge levels.
The reality check: treat this as a document color printer, not a photo printer — and confirm legal-size support matches your needs, since it only goes up to 8.5×14.
Understanding the Specs
Pages per minute (ppm)
This is the printer’s speed rating for standard documents. A 50 ppm machine prints a 100-page contract in about two minutes, while a 32 ppm unit takes roughly three. Higher ppm matters most when you run frequent long jobs rather than one-off pages.
Automatic duplex printing
Duplex means the printer flips the paper itself to print on both sides. You do not have to stand at the machine and turn pages over, which saves you time on manuals, reports, and legal filings. It also cuts paper use roughly in half for two-sided jobs.
FAQ
What is the point of a dual tray laser printer?
Is 50 ppm noticeably faster than 48 ppm?
Will a dual tray laser printer handle legal-size paper?
How much toner does a new printer include?
Can I print from my phone to these printers?
What does Amazon Dash Replenishment do?
How many sheets can these printers hold total?
Is a color laser printer worth it over monochrome?
Final Thoughts: The Verdict
For most buyers, the dual tray laser printer winner is the Brother HL-L6210DWT because it pairs the fastest mono speed at 50 ppm with two 520-sheet trays and an 18,000-page high-yield toner. If you want the same mono reliability for a lower entry cost and a slightly smaller footprint, grab the Brother HL-L5210DWT. And for color documents with automatic toner reordering, the Brother HL-L8350CDWT is the one to reach for.
How We Picked
We do not accept paid placement. Every pick is matched to a real buyer and a real use-case; we do not hands-on test units.
Sources & Methodology
Specifications: manufacturer listings and product documentation. Review insights: verified customer reviews, as of August 2026. Pricing: not shown on this page (it changes often); check the current price via the retailer link.
As an Amazon Associate, Gardening Beyond earns from qualifying purchases. This does not affect which products we feature.