Product reviewsHP LaserJet Pro M201dw Duplex Mono Laser Printer

Good Laserjet Printer

I looked around hard for a printer to replace my ageing Laserjet 4M PS. I needed at least 600dpi plus resolution enhancement for pcb toner transfer to make circuit boards. When I compared features old and new the M201dw was a close alternative but excelled in page speed, memory and price. The dw version has a similar back hinge cover which I use for straight through paper feeds on the old 4M. The M201dw has much more memory, a faster processor, smaller size footprint and is lighter and quieter.

Connectivitiy was really good. I use wired Ethernet for Home Office, usb is fast but I haven't tried wireless yet because I want reliable comms every time! Output print quality is excellent and superior to the old 4M when I compared test prints to regular paper with a microscope. I also print to photo glossy for pcb work and those results were excellent.

The M201dw has many paper thickness options to choose from . In fact it can handle thicker paper weights than the 4M. The M201dw ships with a medium usage toner cartridge, but a higher capacity cartridge is available. There are 2 paper slots and the bottom slot holds about 250 sheets 80gm, compared to 500 sheets on the 4M.

The Laserjet 4M wasn't a duplex printer. The M201dw does good duplex printing and is very fast. I've permanently set the default options to Duplex which suits small Home Office where I try to produce less paper. There have been some negative reports about paper jams. I haven't found this yet and haven't tried thicker media like envelopes, card or label sheets. Having run and maintained the Laserjet 4M for many years i am fully aware of the need to use good paper and not store it in a damp area.

The M201dw has good Eco power features. You can turn off the printer if you want but its standby power is very low and it comes out of standby to print from wireless or network very quickly.

I found a few downsides. The supplied CD was very slow to read in my burner before the first screen came up. I had already looked on my Win7 platform and didn't see a MS driver, understandable because this is a fairly new HP product. I went with the HP CD install and regretted it afterwards. As well as essential drivers, you get a nice web interface type GUI 'toolbox' which allows the default settings to be done remotely. Unfortunately, there is also phone home aspects to their software and annoying screen popups asking if you want your cartridge 'validated' as genuine. I can appreciate HP may see problems on printers using non-OE cartridges and they make disclaimers about warranty, but they should consider that some users may want to make their own choices. This printer cartridge is used in a few other HP printer models, so it should be around and available for a while. I don't know what the expected fuser ribbon life will be.

In the end I uninstalled the supplied HP printer software Suite, used MS Windows update to update the driver store and installed the basic generic drivers. You can also choose the 'Install driver from other disc' and find them on the HP CD root without installing the full HP application. When I need other print options I can set them up from MS printer properties.

It is early days, but so far I have been very impressed with this printer performance for its price.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: pre-owned | Sold by: electrical_bargain