For the most part, you can leave dot-matrix printers out of your equation. They're slow, loud and lousy for graphics. Inkjet printers are, for most homes, the best bang for the buck. Don't even think about color laser printing unless you're willing to pay more for the printer than you did for your computer. But the primary benefit to a laser printer is that it's usually pretty fast.
Lasers can double that or better.
If you generate a lot of paper, and color is unimportant to you, a laser printer may be a good bet if your budget allows it. The cost of ownership is something to consider, too. Bi-directional printing is the ability for the printer to send information back to the computer, as well as receive it. Your parallel port must be able to handle it, as well as the printer. And you'll need a bi-directional cable to tie them together.