Small Office Printing Solution (HP Laserjet 2300)

Member Name: andycharger

Product:	HP Laserjet 2300
Date:	26/07/04 (1622 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great performance, Reliable

Disadvantages: Compatible toners

With old age affecting its performance, it was time to send the old HP Laserjet 2100 to the graveyard. True it was jamming with a frequency of 1 page in 4 and had not had a maintenance kit stuck in it for years but it was still struggling for life in the corner of one of our offices.

However, customers documents cannot be sacrificed any longer and it was time to find a replacement.
With the unrealistic budget of £150, I had to find a networkable Laser Printer. With a visit to the MD with a catalogue and a heavy dose of cost reality, he stretched his purse strings to the full asking price of £458 for the 2300.

How did I persuade him? Well, I told him how essential reliability,performance and quality is. Something the 2300 delivers.

Firstly, what is it?
Its a Network Laser printer. About the size of the old Laserjet 4s. Square in shape and about 40cm on all axis. Made is Milky-beige, it blends nicely with most office hardware.
Made from hard plastic, it has a rugged feel that matches its predecessors. It is also a Monochrome printer so it only prints in Black. No colour here but its not a colour printer price!

Networkability?
Yes. Thankfully it follows on from its parents by having a Network Interface unit. This is not part of the actual printer. Instead the "Jet Direct" unit is a bolt on extra. This is what costs the extra money when you buy the networkable version. A cost difference of nearly £160!
The Interface allows a typical Network Connection with an RJ45 connector (little square plastic clip a bit like a modem lead) that most modern networks use.
If you dont have a network and want to connect directly to a PC, there is also the traditional Parallel socket too as well as USB connectivity.

Paper Capacity?
It comes with a built in Paper Drawer capable of handling 250 sheets. You can also buy additional drawers that clip on to the bottom of the printer to handle different paper requ
irements such as headed paper,etc. These can hold up to 500 sheets and cost up to £250 extra. There is also the "flap down" front which comes with an envelope feeder and paper holder.

Printing Properties?
Fantastic. It reckons it can churn out up to 24 Pages a minute but I would say its nearer 10 in the real world. That is if you want anywhere near a decent quality print level. It is capable of printing up to 1200DPI as well so sharpness and clarity of text is superb.
Its typical monthly estimate of performance is roughly 50,000 pages so it is built for a steady workflow and demand printing.

Toner?
Replacement toners can be purchased for as little as £56 for a Black HP branded replacement. They claim to output up to 8,000 prints but experience would say far less. They do need a good shake now and again. High yield cartridges are available for similar money but are unbranded and not recommended. We tried one in our printer and it reported an "unsupported Toner" error. Perhaps HP are wising up to after market toners.

Display?
A nice clear LCD display means that errors,status and lots of other messages can now be read. Unfortunately the older 2100 relied on a series of blinking lights in a particular sequence to inform you of problems. Now you have a massive menu with lots of commands to help you with issues as well as monitor the printing, jobs and performance.

Typical Application?
I have a team of 8 staff using this printer on the network and it copes very well. They are high users of the printer and it is quite capable of performing all that is asked of it.

Overall?
A great printer at an affordable price. This is a great solution for small businesses.
Misco have this printer on a great deal right now. www.misco.co.uk

Summary: