Laser printers like the HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf monochrome printer which we’re about to review, probably have the upper hand over Inkjets when it comes to delivering quick and cost-effective photocopies. Swift photocopying figures amongst the general requirements at workplaces and the technology utilized in laser-type devices seems to offer a nice advantage, though there’s a considerable price to pay. With that being said, picking up a printer of this sort can really burn a hole in your wallet and they may not be as compact as you’d like them to be. Well, let’s hope the price tag affixed on this piece of machinery is worth all it has to offer.
Specifications:
A multifunction printer (MFP) clearly isn’t your everyday basic photocopier. It comes bundled with various enterprise-oriented features for accomplishing everyday tasks such as printing, copying, scanning and faxing documents. And based on the specifications sheet, the HP printer on our desk appears to have a rather impressive list of offerings. It can apparently churn out black and white documents at up to 25ppm, approximately 8.5 seconds for the first page on normal and A4-sized sheets at 600 x 600 x 2 dpi. For paper storage, it comes equipped with an input tray capable of hoarding a maximum of 250 sheets, a 1-sheet priority tray and a 35-sheet automatic document feeder.
The HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf can hold a total of 100 sheets in the output bin. Supported paper sizes include A4, A5, B5, C5, DL and 16k dimensions. Moving on to its scanning capabilities, the MFP houses a flatbed scanner which can replicate documents at a maximum resolution of 1200 dpi with a 24-bit depth and at the same time, achieve a total speed of 15ppm. The faxing function is quite efficient as well. The device delivers storage of up to 400 pages and a transmission speed of 3 seconds per sheet at a maximum of 300 x 300 dpi. Powering these aforementioned offerings is the Freescale Coldfire V5X processor that’s clocked at 500MHz along with 128MB of built-in memory.
Design:
As we’ve already pointed out, a compact size for printers of this sort is a bit of a tall order. Now we’re not saying that they aren’t getting any smaller. But with multifunction offerings, the chances of drastically slimming down might be a bit narrow for now. While we’re discussing mass, this monochrome copier measures 17.4 x 13.5 x 14.7 inches in terms of dimensions and weighs a whopping 11.7kgs. Even though the HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf appears to have a complex design when it comes to aesthetics, it’s rather streamlined, if you were to ask us.
Starting from the top, the MFP is equipped with a document feeder input tray for copying sheets, followed by the output bin just below. On the lower part of the panel, we ran into the lid for accessing the flatbed scanner which shares a common surface with the control panel. Moving on to the lower half of the printer, the main output bin for printed copies rests just below the control panel and is accompanied by the power button that’s placed on the left corner, as well as a priority input tray in the center. Connectivity features like the USB 2.0 interface, 10/100 Base-T (RJ-45) Ethernet socket, fax port and power connector are allocated to the rear, along with the serial number and product model label.
Usability and Performance:
Now that we’ve been made quite familiar with the printer’s capabilities, it all comes down to whether it can perform as well as HP says. Starting off with usability, from printing out files to scanning documents and making copies of pages, the HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf does it all smoothly and quick, exactly the way an office environment would require. The control panel flaunts an assortment of buttons through which you can carry out faxing operations, adjust photocopier settings like page size, brightness or number of copies to print and so on, as well as tweak system settings.
With a top speed of 50 sheets in a minute, the first print takes approximately 5 to 7 seconds, after which pages are churned out ever second or two. Talking about the output quality, the photocopies and prints we obtain lack crispness, especially when it comes to printing documents with graphics. Well, HP has apparently made the idea clear – it has chosen speed over quality for the M1536dnf. Moving on to the network capabilities, setting it up is a piece of cake. It’d be good to note that all the concerned PCs need to have drivers installed in order to remotely detect the printer. And on the bright side, the HP ePrint feature works like a charm.
Pros:
A rate of 50 pages per minute and the first print in less than 7 seconds is quite impressive.
The printer’s multiple functions of printing, copying, scanning and faxing documents make it a viable pick for small enterprises.
HP ePrint renders it convenient to print out documents from almost anywhere and takes barely a minute to print once an email is sent.
Cons:
The prints lack crispness and graphics appear faded out and smudged.
The printer doesn’t have plug and play capabilities. So drivers have to be installed on each PC that needs access to the device on the network.
Verdict:
All in all, the HP LaserJet Pro M1536dnf makes a really good pick for office use. From quick prints to scans, this piece of machinery can do it all smoothly and swiftly. Taking this into consideration along with the various other offerings and capabilities, we’re giving it an 8.3 out of 10 rating. You can shell out $269.99 for a unit after a $50 instant rebate, through the company’s US website.