Advertisment

HP’s Laser Printer

author-image
PCQ Bureau
New Update

The latest range of workgroup laser printers from HP, the LaserJet 4100 series replaces the 4050 series. This series has four different models, each with some slight difference, but the same base unit. We received the LaserJet 4100 TN for review. 

Advertisment

Getting the printer out of the box and ready for installation is relatively simple, but you do need two people to place the printer on top of the extra paper tray. Once that is done, place the toner cartridge and you are ready to go. The printer can be directly connected to a PC through the parallel interface but if you plan to share it with users on your network then it’s a better idea to install it on the network through the Ethernet interface on the printer. The printer has a built-in 10/100 Base-TX network interface for this, and an additional slot where you can add another network interface for multiple networks. 

The 4100 TN has a 250 MHz processor, which enables the printer to process print jobs quickly. It comes with 32 MB memory, which can be upgraded to 256 MB. More memory is useful if you work with large and complex files. You also have the option of adding an extra hard drive. This is handy if you plan to use it over the network–it will have more space for queuing documents to be printed. This space is also used to store printer fonts. Another useful feature of the printer is the option of attaching an optional IR receiver can be used for wireless printing from portable devices such as PDAs, notebooks, and mobile phones. The printer has a total paper input capacity of 1,100 sheets, 500 each in the two paper trays and 100 in the multipurpose tray. The multipurpose tray is used for printing on envelopes and other special media. You can add another tray bringing the maximum capacity to 1,600 sheets–less frequent paper refills–in case your workgroup has high printing needs. The printer has a maximum resolution of 1200 dpi, and has a rated printing speed of 24 ppm. Although this model does not come with a duplexer (standard with the 4100D TN), you can get an optional one, which will allow you to print on both sides of the paper. 

Snapshot

Price: Rs 111,602



Features: 24 ppm, 1200 dpi, 32 MB RAM, built in 10/100 network interface, parallel interface, 1,100 sheets input paper capacity, 150,000 pages per month duty cycle


Pros: Good performance; low cost of consumables


Cons: None


Contact: Hewlett-Packard. 


Tel: 011-6826000. 


Chandiwala Estate


Maa Anandmai Marg


Kalkaji


New Delhi-110019. 


Website: www.hp.com


E-mail: tarunjeet_sarao@ hp.com 









Advertisment

To test the printer’s performance in quality and speed, we installed it on a separate network through its Ethernet interface, so undue network traffic wouldn’t hamper the tests results. A PIII 700 MHz with 128 MB RAM and an Intel i740 display card with a clean install of Windows 98 SE was used as the client machine. Tests were done using MS Office 2000 and Corel Draw 9. 

Setting up the printer’s drivers is very simple. It has an installation wizard that searches your entire network for printers to install. Specify an IP address for the printer and you’re done. The first test we did was for text quality. The text was clear and readable right down to point size 2, and there were no jagged edges even at larger font sizes. Next, we tested the time for printing the first page of a multi-page document. In a multi-page document, the first page takes the longest to print, as it also includes the document-spooling time. Here, the printer took just above 12 seconds matching its rated time. To check its print speed, we printed a multi-page Word document. The printer matched its rated speed of 24 ppm. The print quality was also good with smooth line art and curves, and no banding in fountain fills (A fountain fill is a smooth gradient of gray shades, and a good printer reproduces these shades very smoothly). So in the performance department there is nothing to worry about at all. 

The printer’s toner cartridge costs Rs 4,900 and has an expected toner life of 10,000 pages at about 5 percent coverage. This brings the cost of toner per 1000 pages to Rs 490, which is pretty good. Overall the LaserJet 4100 TN is rich in printers and performs well too. So if you are buying a laser printer for your workgroup, this is a good choice to make. 

Sachin Makhija at PCQ Labs

Advertisment