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Specs
Type: coloration laser printer
Functions: Print solely
Connectivity: Ethernet, USB, Wi-Fi
Data storage slots: USB Host
Print pace: 33ppm
Max paper dimension: Letter/A4
Print high quality: 600x600dpi; 38,400x600dpi (enhanced)
Memory: 512MB
Apple AirPrint: sure
Consumables included: 4 x set-up cartridges (1,200 black, 1,000 coloration pages)
Dimensions/Weight: 421 x 427 x 288 mm (WxDxH)/36lb/16.3kg
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw (or 4202dw within the UK) is an office-oriented coloration laser printer able to quick high-volume printing. It improves considerably on the HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw with sooner print speeds, elevated paper and toner capability and an upgradable modular design.
This makes it well-suited to a busy workgroup of round ten individuals, however I’m positive its slick and comparatively compact design will even enchantment to home-based staff. For me, the improved black print high quality is an attraction, whereas its considerably costly toner cartridges aren’t, so let’s see the way it performs total.
HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Design and construct
Crisp corners, strict symmetry and refreshing blue panels make sure the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw stands out from all the opposite off-white workplace printers. It’s compact sufficient to share your desk at dwelling and its modular design may be expanded with the addition of a 550-sheet paper tray to go well with a rising enterprise.
The blue drawer on the backside can maintain as much as 250 sheets of Letter or A4 paper, the usual quantity, whereas the blue panel above reveals a 50-sheet multi-purpose tray, which is extra helpful than the same old single sheet. The output tray on high can also be deeper than most, holding as much as 150 sheets.
To entry the toner cartridges, you press a button on the facet of the printer to make that blue panel hinge all the way in which open. Another tiny flap on high of the printer hides a useful USB Host port. Always a welcome characteristic. All different ports are hidden on the rear panel.
Despite being a reasonably expensive step up from the HP Color LaserJet Pro 3201dw, there’s nonetheless no touchscreen, only a four-line LCD with a rotary dial beneath it. Some customers may like this retro design alternative, however I discovered it annoying. Overall, I feel the design and construct high quality evokes confidence.
HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Features & specs
HP has endowed this mid-price printer with loads of options and a fairly excessive specification. It can duplex print, in fact, and has dual-band Wi-Fi 5 with AirPrint and Mopria compatibility. There’s a USB Host port along with the same old sq. USB-B port and HP has even-thrown in a USB-A to USB-B information cable.
It has vast media compatibility with 33 decisions showing on the menu once you come to establish the kind of paper you loaded. It can take any dimension sheet as much as letter, authorized or A4 with the heaviest paper it might deal with being 200 g/m² which is definitely pretty skinny card. It has HP’s Wolf Pro Security software program inbuilt and an enough 512MB reminiscence.
The print pace is given as 33 or 35ppm (pages per minute) relying whether or not printing on Letter or A4 paper and that was broadly confirmed by my testing. That’s about equal to the Xerox C320, however slower than HP’s black and white printers.
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw can take giant cartridges able to holding sufficient toner for as much as 7,500 black and white pages and may be expanded to carry as much as 850 sheets of paper if you happen to purchase the additional paper tray. That sort of capability ought to meet the wants of any SME (small to medium enterprise) and HP suggests a month-to-month responsibility cycle of as much as 50,000 pages.
HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Setup and operation
With the set-up cartridges already pre-loaded, this printer is nearly able to print out of the field. The setup information runs to 5 pages, however you received’t want it. Just load your paper, activate and comply with the on-screen prompts. I discovered that initiation took longer than regular due to the dial interface. Like a secure cracker, you must flip it this manner and that to enter each letter of your wi-fi password. Unlike a few of HP’s printers, there’s no inbuilt Bluetooth handy the setup of this printer straight to the HP Smart app in your cellular gadget.
The subsequent mannequin up on this collection is the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4301dw multifunction printer, which does have a touchscreen, and I can see HP’s logic. A single-function gadget doesn’t have sufficient settings to justify the expense of a touchscreen. But that doesn’t cease most rival printers at this value having one.
The free HP Smart app for Android or iOS provides you a substitute for the dial interface, however you’ll nonetheless must scroll by way of the paper varieties on the machine every time you turn media.
HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Performance
The HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw carried out very nicely in my checks, reaching sturdy print high quality in all classes, however most notably with textual content paperwork. Black textual content on plain paper seems to be particularly darkish and crisp with unusually sharp definition.
This have to be right down to HP’s 6-bit decision enhancement know-how (RET) which has the impact of boosting the native 600x600dpi engine to a claimed 38,400×600 in greatest black mode. Basically, with 64 ranges of grey (6-bit), the printer is multiplying 600 dots x 64 to present you 38,400 dots.
Mixed coloration paperwork additionally look spectacular, because of the vivid nature of HP’s LaserJet toner. It’s utilized evenly too, so there’s much less of that banding you see when shading blocks of black or stable coloration. Photographs additionally fare nicely right here, particularly after I switched to laser picture paper.
Laser picture paper is just barely heavier and glossier than common paper, which is one motive lasers aren’t pretty much as good as inkjets on the subject of photographs. The different motive is you possibly can at all times see the dots that make up the 600×600 dpi laser picture and that’s nonetheless the case right here. Even so, this laser printer is healthier than most and definitely adequate for printing eye-catching photos on brochures and handouts.
HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Consumables
The consumables value for the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw is aggressive for monochrome prints, however barely increased than common for coloration prints. And there’s solely a restricted quantity of pre-loaded toner. It ships with 4 setup cartridges which ought to yield as much as 1,200 black or 1,000 coloration pages, which is about half the toner you get in HP’s normal carts.
The further high-yield carts, nevertheless, can ship as much as 7,500 and a pair of,200 black and coloration pages respectively and it’s these costly carts that give the bottom value per web page (CPP). With the black cartridges having a a lot increased yield than coloration, however small distinction in value, you’ve monochrome pages with a fairly good CCP of round two and half cents and coloration pages costing greater than 15 cents.
HP makes use of software program to dam any cartridge and not using a real HP chip, so I wouldn’t suggest shopping for cheaper third-party toner. Given the prime quality of its monochrome output particularly, the reply is to purchase this printer if you happen to print predominantly in black and white.
HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Maintenance
Like different low-maintenance laser printers, the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw combines the optical drum with the toner cartridge, so drum substitute is just not a consideration. On the draw back, it explains why the price of its cartridges is comparatively excessive.
HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw: Final verdict
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There’s so much to love concerning the HP Color LaserJet Pro 4201dw. Its slick and compact design, the fast duplex print price and the improved black print high quality for a begin. Having two paper inputs may be very handy, whereas the choice so as to add a 3rd is wise future-proofing for a rising enterprise.
I’m not so eager on the rotary dial interface — I might have most well-liked a touchscreen — and it’s a pity it might’t deal with paper heavier than 200 g/m². An even bigger concern is the comparatively excessive value of HP’s coloration cartridges, however that also doesn’t put me off.
The prime quality of its black and white output and the extra aggressive value of its black toner make this a great printer for anybody who must print a excessive quantity of predominantly monochrome pages.
For extra top-rated choices, take a look at my guides to the best home printers and the best laser printers I’ve examined.