Canon imageCLASS LBP172dw Cost to Run: Cheapest Canon Laser to Buy, Not to Run
The Canon imageCLASS LBP172dw is a print-only mono laser with duplex printing and Wi-Fi, priced at $216. It costs $3.68 per 100 pages in black, drawn from the CN-072H-BK cartridge, which runs $151 for a 4,100-page yield.
Within Canon's imageCLASS range, the LBP172dw sits as the print-only, entry-level mono laser. Its $216 price and $3.68 rate undercut the multifunction MF275dw, which adds copy, scan and fax for $238 but costs $4.28 per 100 pages, and the MF264dw II, which adds those functions plus a touchscreen for $229 at $4.43. Moving up further, the MF462dw II costs $401 up front but brings the rate down to $2.92 per 100 pages, with those same functions and a touchscreen included.
The LBP172dw ranks 4th of 23 mono laser printers InkTax tracks on black cost per page, a top-third standing in the class. Across every type InkTax tracks, though, it settles at 41st of 97, closer to the middle of the field. Immediately above it in running cost sits the Brother MFC-L2980DW, at $3.96 per 100 pages once copy, scan, fax and a touchscreen are added for $335.
The running-cost floor among mono lasers belongs to the HP LaserJet Pro 4006dw, at $2.23 per 100 pages. It sells for $400, well above the LBP172dw's sticker, and adds a touchscreen the Canon lacks.
Two Brother print-only lasers, the HL-L2400D and HL-L2405W, tie at $4.33 per 100 pages — both priced at $120, a bit pricier to run than the LBP172dw. The HL-L2400D drops Wi-Fi and Ethernet but keeps duplex printing; the HL-L2405W keeps Wi-Fi but drops duplex and Ethernet.