The Pantum P2502W is a print-only monochrome laser printer. It uses Pantum's P210 toner cartridge and is compatible with P211 high-yield cartridges. This printer cannot perform automatic duplex print, so you must reinsert printed sheets into the input tray to print double-sided documents. It features USB and Wi-Fi connectivity options and is compatible with the Pantum mobile app on iOS and the Pantum Mobile Print & Scan app on Android.
Our Verdict
The Pantum P2502W is poor for family use. It can't print in color, so it isn't suitable for photos. Also, there's no scanner, so you can't use it to digitize pictures or important documents, and it's hard to set the printer up and use its mobile app. As a positive, its cost-per-print is superb; its toner cartridges yield many pages, and high-yield options are also available.
- Outstandingly cheap cost-per-print for black & white prints.
- Cartridges include the drum unit.
- Not suited for printing photos.
- No scanner.
- Difficult to set up.
- Mobile app is difficult to use.
The Pantum P2502W is mediocre for small or home office use as it lacks useful features like a scanner or duplex printing. However, if you only need to print black and white documents, it performs quite well; it has a fantastic page yield, fast print speed, and remarkably low cost-per-print. Unfortunately, its plastic body feels flimsy, and it tends to push sheets out of the output tray as it prints and picks up multiple pages at once during long print jobs. Also, it takes a while to warm up and begin printing and doesn't feature an Ethernet port to connect to your office network.
- Superb black page yield.
- Impressive print speed for black-only text documents.
- Fantastic print quality with clear text and good contrast.
- Takes a while to warm up and begin printing.
- Printer pushes printed sheets out of output tray.
- No scanner.
- Can't automatically print double-sided sheets.
- No Ethernet port.
The Pantum P2502W is decent for student use. Although it takes a long time to warm up and begin printing, it prints very quickly after it does warm up. Since the cost-per-print for black and white prints is outstandingly low, it's easy on your wallet in the long run. Students who need to print color documents or scan notes, handouts, or textbooks will want to look elsewhere as this printer doesn't support either of these features.
- Outstandingly cheap cost-per-print for black & white prints.
- Cartridges include the drum unit.
- Fantastic print quality with clear text and good contrast.
- Takes a while to warm up and begin printing.
- No scanner.
- Mobile app is difficult to use.
The Pantum P2502W is decent for black-and-white printing. It yields a superb number of pages at an outstandingly cheap cost-per-print and prints text documents at a fast speed. Unfortunately, it takes a while to warm up and begin printing, and it doesn't support automatic duplex printing, so you need to reinsert printed pages into the input tray yourself. It is also a print-only model, so this printer has no scanner.
- Outstandingly cheap cost-per-print for black & white prints.
- Superb black page yield.
- Impressive print speed for black-only text documents.
- Takes a while to warm up and begin printing.
- Printer pushes printed sheets out of output tray.
- Can't automatically print double-sided sheets.
The Pantum P2502W isn't suited for photo printing. It's a monochrome laser printer that produces poorly detailed photos and monochrome gradients with lots of visible banding.
- Photos are very grainy and look too dark.
- Monochrome gradients have lots of banding.
- Mobile app is difficult to use.
Performance Usages
Changelog
- Updated Apr 23, 2024: We updated the Mobile App section to reflect functionality changes due to new Android and iOS app versions.
- Updated Apr 22, 2024: We've updated the review for clarity.
- Updated Mar 15, 2024: Added mention of the Brother HL-L3280CDW as an alternative with color printing in the Color Documents section.
- Updated Mar 08, 2024: We've added a link to the Brother HL-L2460DW in the 'Display Screen' section of the review to provide an alternative that has a small status display.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the Pantum P2502W in black; it was also available in a white color scheme. However, it appears this printer is no longer available, as neither model is listed on Pantum's website at the time of this updated review. You can see our unit's label here. It's closely related to these other printers in the P2500 series that are still available:
| Model | Features | Color |
|---|---|---|
| Pantum P2500 | USB connectivity only | Black |
| Pantum P2500W | USB and Wi-Fi | Black |
| Pantum P2509 | USB connectivity only | White |
| Pantum P2509W | USB and Wi-Fi | White |
| Pantum P2516 | USB connectivity only | Black |
Popular Printer Comparisons
The Pantum P2502W is a budget monochrome print-only laser printer. Compared to other monochrome print-only models, its build quality is disappointing, and it takes much longer to warm up and begin printing. However, its page yields are similar to much more expensive models, and it prints faster than other models in its price range. Unfortunately, its flimsy build, issues with paper feeding and paper output, difficult-to-use mobile app, and limited connectivity options mean that other models are likely more reliable and stress-free to use.
For other options, check out our recommendations for the best laser printers, the best printers under $100, and the best printers with cheap ink.
The Pantum P2502W and the Canon imageCLASS MF242dw are both monochrome laser printers, but the Pantum has no scanning features, while the Canon is an all-in-one with a flatbed scanner. The Canon is better overall, with a significantly higher page yield, a slightly cheaper cost-per-print, and a faster print speed. Also, its body feels significantly sturdier and better built, supports automatic duplex printing, and has an Ethernet port. The Pantum produces significantly higher-quality documents, as the Canon's prints look faded.
The Pantum P3012DW and the Pantum P2502W are both monochrome print-only laser models that are best suited for simple black-and-white printing. However, the P3012DW is the better model, with a faster printing speed, automatic duplex printing support, and an Ethernet port for easy setup with your local network. On the other hand, the P2502W has difficulty handling sheets and occasionally spills them from the output tray. Unfortunately, both printers are difficult to set up, and their mobile apps are hard to use.
The Brother MFC-L3770CDW Laser and the Pantum P2502W are both laser printers, but the Brother is an all-in-one that prints in color, whereas the Pantum is a printer-only unit that only prints in black. The Brother is far better for most uses, as it has a high-resolution flatbed and a fast-scanning duplex ADF. It prints significantly faster, supports automatic duplex printing, and has an Ethernet port. On the other hand, the Pantum printer is a good choice if you're on a budget, don't need to scan, and only need to print lots of black and white sheets in bulk. It produces more black sheets per cartridge, and its cost-per-print is much cheaper, but this model has issues handling and printing sheets.
The Pantum P2502W and the Kyocera ECOSYS P2235dw are both printer-only laser units that can only print in black and white. The Kyocera printer is better, as it yields significantly more pages at a much cheaper cost-per-print, prints much faster, and supports automatic duplex printing. Also, it has an Ethernet port for a stable network connection, and the printer can print directly from USB flash drives. However, the Kyocera printer's drum unit is separate from the cartridge, so it's an extra part you have to replace. On the other hand, the Pantum supports Apple AirPrint, and its cartridge is much easier to replace, but it has issues handling and printing sheets.
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