Quirky -- But Does the Job
Written: Apr 19 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Paper Handling: |
 |
|
|
Pros: 600 dpi, quick, text and graphics print well, accepts variety of media, horizontal paper tray
Cons: Only Windows compatible, a bit noisy, no On/Off button, no manual paper feed slot
The Bottom Line: Inexpensive and prints well. Experienced setup problems, but now the printer works and does a good job. Not my first printer choice. Determine your printing needs before buying this one.
|
|
|
| dlstewart's Full Review: Hewlett Packard LaserJet 1000w Printer |
The Printer Gods are laughing at me. I know it. When will the printers in my life stop dying?! The first printer to go is the one I use at my home office. After much research, I replaced it with a HP LaserJet 2200dse printer. (I love the HP 2200dse. Excellent printer.) The second printer to die is the one I use at work, and unfortunately, I didn’t have any say as to which model printer I received as a replacement. I like HP laser printers ... and that’s the brand the purchasing department buys. However, I did not want an HP LaserJet 1000. I’ve read that the HP LaserJet 1000 series printers are known to have problems.
How this all began ...
I had been using an HP LaserJet 1100 printer, which after two years of moderate use developed paper feeding problems, which resulted in horrific paper jams. The purchasing department told me they did not send printers out for repair. They had to order a new one.
The First Installation of the Printer
The new printer arrived. Installing the HP LaserJet 1000 printer is simple ... getting it to work was a bit trickier. First, it is easy to install the printer software from the CD. Just follow the instructions on the screen. Next insert the toner cartridge into the printer. The paper tray with cover (called the Input Tray) has to be snapped onto the front of the printer. It’s a quick process: slide the tray into position, insert the paper, and place the cover on the tray. Next, connect the USB cable and then connect the power cord. You are ready to print ... well, you should be ready to print ... if it works.
This is where I ran into difficulties. The printer printed text without problem. It printed quickly, producing sharp looking text. However, when I tried to print graphics, the printer refused to print them. The printer even considered lines in spreadsheets as graphics and would not print the lines. I tried every troubleshooting technique available. For instance, I updated the print driver from the internet. I reinstalled the software. I checked all the plugs and connections. I made sure the software programs I use were enabled to print graphics. Nothing worked.
In an ironic twist of fate, I learned that the paper-jamming HP 1100 that I had previously used had been sent out for repair. I was able to reclaim it. The HP 1000 printer went onto a shelf in the purchasing department.
Take Two -- Another Printer Bites the Dust
A few months later, the HP 1100 printer developed even worse paper-jamming problems. It died with no hope of it being sent out for repair. With no other printers available, and the purchasing department reluctant to purchase another printer, I had no choice but to reinstall the HP 1000 printer. When the printer wouldn’t work properly, I visited the internet and obtained the latest printer driver. The Printer Gods smiled on me. The printer decided to work. It prints beautiful text, and also prints graphics ... even the lines in my spreadsheets.
However, when the purchasing department wanted to see inside the printer to note the toner cartridge number, the door where the toner cartridge is housed would not open. I tried to open it – no luck. Another woman tried opening it – no luck. A man tried opening it, and continued to pry at it with his fingers when the door refused to budge. Finally, after numerous tries, the door opened. We opened and shut the door many times, each time with the door reluctant to open again. The door opened easiest when equal pressure was applied to both the right and left sides of the door. I was concerned that this would be an ongoing problem, and it is, but the purchasing department told me to keep the printer and be careful when opening the door.
Paper Feed Options
The paper tray holds up to 250 sheets of 20 pound paper. Paper guides that slide back and forth in the tray fit against the paper to guide it into the paper intake slot. The paper tray will accommodate up to 8 1/2" x 14" paper. It will also hold envelopes. Note that when 8 1/2" x 11" paper (or envelopes or smaller size paper) is in the tray, the green tinted plastic cover will sit protectively over the paper. However, when the tray is holding paper larger than 8 1/2" x 11", the cover does not protect all of the paper. For example, when the tray is loaded with 8 1/2" x 14" paper, two inches of paper is left uncovered.
When printing, the paper is pulled from the paper tray, fed through the printer, and is ejected into a holding bin on top of the printer. The bin is not big enough to hold the entire length of 8 1/2" x 11" paper, so two inches of paper drapes over the edge. If the paper is left in this position for any length of time, the paper tends to curl. Also interesting to note is that the bin holds less paper than the Paper Tray (the bin only holds 125 sheets). Since I rarely print documents over 125 pages in length, this isn’t a problem for me.
A door at the back of the printer opens, providing a straight printing path. There is no bin for the printed sheets to slide into using this method, and the door is not wide enough to hold the sheets (the door measures 3 1/4" deep when opened) . As a result, the paper feeds through the printer and slides out the back, landing on the desk or floor. The printing manual recommends using this straight path for printing envelopes, transparencies, when using heavier paper, or any material that tends to curl when printed. (I print on business envelopes made of quality paper. I print them one at a time placing them in the paper tray -- I don’t produce mass mailings; just single letters to individuals. The envelopes print fine when I place them in the paper tray, not using the straight through paper path.)
The Paper Tray -- Only One Way to Feed Paper
If I had to choose one thing to complain about, it would be that the only way to feed paper into the printer is to load the printer tray. There is no manual feed slot. I print on a variety of media, and this limitation is inconvenient. For instance, I usually keep the tray loaded with 8 1/2" x 11" white paper. When I need to print on different paper, I have to unload the paper tray and insert the new paper. Even when I just want to print one letter on a piece of letterhead, I have to open the paper tray and insert the letterhead. When printing an envelope, I have to unload the paper tray, insert the envelope, print the envelope, then reinsert the paper into the tray. There is no way to insert a single piece of paper without using the paper tray. Granted, it is easy to open the paper tray and swap papers in and out of it. But during a busy work day, it is time-consuming having to fuss with the paper tray. (The HP 1100 had a manual paper feed slot allowing the user to insert different types of paper so that the printer tray didn’t have to be unloaded.)
Print Quality & Special Features
The HP 1000 prints exceptional text at 600 dots per inch. HP states that their 600 dpi is equivalent to the appearance of 1200 dpi. To save toner, the printer can be set to 300 dpi. Even though this is a black and white printer, even the graphics look nice when printed at 600 dpi. The machine prints a pleasing range of gray tones. I’ve printed from color photographs on this printer, and they look good in black and white. I wouldn’t want to frame them, but the printed photos show detail and are clear.
It is easy to print watermarks using this printer. The feature is a bit buried, and even the manual doesn’t explain it well. For example, say you want to print the word “draft” in a watermark on a document. When you are ready to print the document, click on File and Print (in your software program). Then click on the tab marked Printer. Another screen opens. Click on Properties. Then at the bottom of this screen, click on Printing Preferences. Click on the Effects tab. This is where the watermark option is located.
It is also possible to print multiple pages on a single sheet of paper (called N-up Printing). To find this feature, follow the above steps. Instead of clicking on the Effects tab, though, click on the Finishing tab. This option allows 1, 2, 4, 6 or 9 pages printed on a single sheet of paper.
Printer Manual
The machine comes with a brief "Getting Started Guide". There is an electronic manual on the CD. However, the purchasing department took the CD so that I don’t have access to that manual. There is extensive printer documentation available on the HP website. I printed the HP LaserJet 1000 User Manual, which is 99 pages and includes a Table of Contents as well as an Index. The manual comes in PDF file format (Adobe Acrobat Reader is needed to view the file). It’s a good idea to have this manual as it includes the setup of the printer, details the various printer features, gives instructions on how to change the toner cartridge, how to clean the printer and clear paper jams. There is a section devoted to troubleshooting the printer as well as contact information should you need HP customer service assistance. Here are directions for locating the printer manual on the HP website.
Go to http://www.hp.com then in the search box at the bottom of the screen type: laserjet 1000 printer manual -- another screen appears, and one of the first options is: manuals for hp laserjet 1000 printer. Click on this link. Links to the manual appear.
What I Like
* Prints fast (even the first page)
* Print is always sharp and looks great
* Prints on a variety of media
* Paper tray is horizontal so paper stays flat
* Power Save Mode
What I Dislike
* No ON/OFF Button
* Printer tray juts out into my work area
* Paper Tray Cover does not enclose the paper tray (the end is open to dust and humidity)
* Paper Tray Cover sometimes not easy to fit into place
* Paper bin is too small to hold the full length of an 8 1/2" x 11" sheet of paper
* No manual feed paper slot
* Toner Cartridge door tricky to open
* A bit noisy (in open area not as noticeable)
What Comes in the Box
* HP 1000 Printer
* Toner Cartridge
* Getting Started Guide
* Software & Electronic User Guide (on CD)
* Power Cord
* USB Cable with Pod
* Input Tray
Summary
Would I buy this printer for my personal use? No. For one thing, I don’t believe the HP LaserJet 1000 printer has the stamina to handle all the printing I do in my home office. The printer is not as sturdy as other models, and the paper tray has a “cheap” look and feel. The company paid $200.00 for this printer. Toner cartridges average $65.00 each and yield about 2,500 printed pages. If someone doesn’t do heavy volume printing, then this printer is an inexpensive investment and will do a fine job. However, for anyone producing massive print jobs, I would investigate other printing options before purchasing the HP LaserJet 1000 printer.
I hope you have found this review useful.
Enjoy your day!
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com
Printer Specifications
Printer size: 16.3" Wide x 10" High x 19.1" Deep
Weight: 16 pounds
Print Speed: 10 pages per minute (ppm)
Print Resolution: 600 dots per inch (dpi)
First Page Out: in less than 15 seconds
Paper Trays: 1
Paper Tray Capacity: 250 sheets of 20 pound paper
Output Bin Capacity: 125 sheets of 20 pound paper
Duty Cycle: 7,000 single-sided pages per month
Memory: 32 KB ROM / 1 MB RAM (cannot upgrade)
Port: USB (no parallel port support)
Platforms Supported: Windows 98, ME, 2000, XP (no other operating systems)
Windows 98 requirements: Pentium 90 MHz processor / 32 MB RAM
Windows ME requirements: Pentium 150 MHz processor / 32 MB RAM
Windows 2000 requirements: Pentium 233 MHz processor / 128 MB RAM
Windows XP (Home Edition 32 bit) requirements: Pentium 233 MHz processor / 128 MB RAM
Above systems: Need 15 MB free hard disk space
Energy Star Compliant: Yes
Warranty: One Year Limited Warranty
Printable Media:
envelopes, labels, transparencies, cards, custom-sized media
letterhead and preprinted forms
will print on paper with 100% recycled fiber content
Minimum size: 3" x 5"
Maximum size: 8 1/2" x 14"
Media Weight:
Output Bin 16 to 28 pounds
Straight Through Media Path 16 to 43 pounds
Please read my other reviews:
HP LaserJet 2200dse Printer
Belkin UPS for Home and Office
Logitech Cordless Optical Keyboard & Mouse
QuickPad Pro Laptop
Sandisk ImageMate Flash Card Reader
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 200.00
Operating System: Windows
|
|
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2008 Shopping.com, Inc.