What Is a Monochrome Printer?

Quick answer: A monochrome printer prints in black only. Most are laser printers, but monochrome inkjets are still sold. On an all-in-one, monochrome refers to printing — many mono machines still scan in color.

Monochrome Means Black-Only Printing

No cyan, no magenta, no yellow: one black cartridge, or one black toner. That is the whole definition. What it does not tell you is which technology is inside, and there are two.

Mono Laser and Mono Inkjet Are Both Still Sold

Mono laser is the familiar one — the Brother HL and DCP models, HP's LaserJet line. But monochrome inkjet is alive and aimed squarely at offices: Epson's current WorkForce Pro WF-M5399 and WF-M5899 are black-only inkjets, and Epson rates their replacement ink packs at up to 40,000 ISO pages black.

Yes, It Probably Still Scans in Color

This is the single most common misunderstanding, and it costs people a purchase they did not need to avoid. Take the Brother MFC-L2900DW, a monochrome laser all-in-one. Brother lists its scanning capability as black and white and color, with separate speeds for each. Its copy capability is black and white only.

So on a typical mono MFP: scan a color document to PDF or email in full color, yes; photocopy it in color, no.

Does the Toner Include the Drum? Check the Model, Not the Brand

This is the distinction that decides your real running cost, and brand rules of thumb get it wrong.

HP is not uniformly all-in-one. Its classic cartridges integrate the drum, but the 58A generation splits toner from a separate HP 32A imaging drum. Look up your specific model's supplies list rather than assuming.

Neither approach is automatically cheaper. A separate drum is another purchase, but it lasts several toners and makes each toner cheaper; an all-in-one cartridge is simpler but you pay for a new drum every single time.

Is a Mono Laser Really Cheaper per Page?

Against a cartridge inkjet, comfortably. Against a modern ink tank, no — and this is where the usual advice is out of date:

An ink tank printer beats a mono laser on black pages by roughly eight to one on HP's own published figures. Epson goes further and markets its mono inkjets as saving up to 50 percent against monochrome laser toner — that is Epson's claim rather than an independent measurement, but it tells you the old certainty no longer holds.

The honest summary: a mono laser is still the right buy for a household or office that prints documents in bursts, wants pages that never smudge, and does not want to think about the printer between jobs. It is no longer automatically the cheapest page.

Save on Mono Toner at Castle Ink

Castle Ink stocks compatible toner for the most common monochrome models:

• Brother TN660 Black Toner – High-Yield Compatible — $35.95
• Brother DR630 Drum Unit – Compatible Replacement — $34.95
• Brother TN760 Black Toner – High-Yield Compatible — $33.95
• HP 12A Black Toner Cartridge (Q2612A) – Compatible — $39.95
• HP 26X Black Toner Cartridge (CF226X) – Compatible — $79.95

All Castle Ink orders ship free in the U.S. and are backed by a one-year quality guarantee.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a monochrome printer?
A printer that prints in black only. Most are lasers, though monochrome inkjets such as Epson's WorkForce Pro WF-M5399 and WF-M5899 are still sold.

Can a monochrome printer scan in color?
Usually yes. The Brother MFC-L2900DW, for example, scans in black and white and color but copies in black only.

Is a mono laser cheaper to run than an inkjet?
Cheaper than a cartridge inkjet, yes. Against a refillable ink tank, no: HP publishes about 0.4 cents a black page for Smart Tank against roughly 3.3 cents for a Brother TN830XL.

Does mono laser toner include the drum?
It depends on the model. HP's 12A and 26X build the drum in; Brother's TN660 and TN760 need a separate DR630 or DR730 drum, and HP's 58A needs a separate 32A drum.

Should I buy monochrome if I only occasionally print in color?
Often yes. Mono lasers do not clog from disuse the way inkjets do, and occasional color pages can be printed elsewhere far more cheaply than the cost of keeping color ink alive.

See Also

• Can a Laser Printer Print in Color?
• What Is a Toner Cartridge, and How Is It Different From Ink?
• What Toner Does the Brother HL-L2395DW Use?
• Find Ink by Printer Model
• Best Printers: Top Picks for Every Use Case and Budget

By William Elward, Founder of Castle Ink — 20+ years helping people solve printer and ink problems. Last updated August 24, 2026.