HP LaserJet 1018 Printer:Inexpensive Laser Printer, Home Users Welcomed!
Written: Mar 12 '08 (Updated Mar 18 '08)
Product Rating:
Ease of Use:
Paper Handling:
Pros: User Friendly, Cost effective, good overall value, small size
Cons: Some Jamming, cheap looking in some respects.
The Bottom Line: Overall this printer is competitive with today’s market and should facilitate your home office while offering you a cost effective solution to basic printing needs.
DeRango's Full Review: Hewlett Packard LaserJet 1018 Printer
I wish I could say "Anyone" looking to purchase inexpensive basic laser printer should look no further, but I was surprised to find out that the HP 1018 LaserJet is not Mac Compatible. Nevertheless, at under $100 I couldn't pass up the opportunity as a PC user to take advantage of quick text printer, at a cost effective price point. I’ve personally been a fan of HP printers and usually rank most of them as a recommend, although I do like to point out the flaws associated with any product as a warning to potential buyers.
Out of the Box
Included with the printer is all the basic installation software, 1 black (Q2612A) print cartridge, power cord, and 1000-page HP Color LaserJet black print cartridge (approximate page yield based on five percent coverage). The HP 1018 gets some serious credit for ease of use. Unlike most printers, there are no fixed installation procedures that you have to follow. You can install the drivers first or let the machine prompt you for them. The printer includes a startup guide detailing steps and instructions to help those who are Computer Illiterate. Similar to other manufacturer’s there is a need to remember the model numbers of your ink cartridges. The software is unable to detect the type of consumables installed automatically. Just a quick reminder, the printer cable is NOT included in the box, so be sure to either have a USB 2.0 cable on hand or purchase one before you bring it home.
Personal Experience
I found the printer to be quite versatile, when it came to paper handling. Letter, legal, executive, postcards, envelopes. Paper (laser, plain, photo), envelopes, labels, cardstock, transparencies. I did find that the printer’s bottom loading tray seemed to have trouble when using envelopes and cards as they either jammed or feed incorrectly when placed as a group, to alleviate this I would feed one at a time. The bottom feed tray only handles about 150 sheets of paper at a time, which again is gear towards a home user, rather than a ream or 500 sheet loading capacity of a higher end laser.
The printer is not perfect as sometimes it “jams” occasionally, but the speed of the printouts on draft mode (lowest quality setting) kick out in seconds, higher quality will cost you more time, but the results are apparent. The printer spools information from the source at a decent rate, thus keeping the printing process at a heightened performance. Its performance can be compared to a laser printer that you can find for 300-400 bucks at times.
I did find that the printer’s durability is questionable as printer larger volumes of work seemed to compromise the quality of the output. For example I had several large projects which included a TON of printing pages and pages of text, it was almost as if the printer got “tired” and the quality of the prints took a dive… Almost like breaks on a car “fading” on a hot summer day. So I disagree with the printers claim of “Small Business” I personally think it makes a great home use, inexpensive, simple little printer which is cost effective when printing home based projects or business letters.
I tried several other papers including transparences, which by the way included pie graphs and charts, they actually came out better than expected. The text was readable, clear, and un-smudged. (Impressive indeed) I would also give kudos the printer’s claim of pages per minute, as the speeds were somewhat of an typical laser printer, (i.e. not slow on warm up nor on multiple pages it just continues to feed at a good rate.), however I don’t want to give you the impression that it is blazing fast or completely able to handle any large task you give it.
Construction Specifications
The construction of the printer shell and case is made entirely of hard plastic, which has proven quite durable. However the buttons do require some finesse while trying to press and use them, they have always been somewhat particular in the way you apply pressure to them. This causes a bit of frustration when I press a command and it skips the print or causes an incorrect variable or final resultant. Due to the smaller size it pretty much fits anywhere.
HP Website & Support
I felt it necessary to give HP kudos on the assistance it provided when I was trying to update my personal wireless network to include both computers on the same system. I found a firmware patch online at the HP site which allowed me to quickly correct the problem and get back to working with my printer from both units. I also found that the manufacture had a 1-800 number that I could call incase I had additional problems, or email them for a fast response. HP has done well at the main website, which answered questions and provided the ability to purchase additional peripherals I may need in the future.
Bottom Line
The HP 1018 is a good buy for any home users looking to pay a cost effective 3.5 cents a print. I would highly recommend staying under the duty cycle of 3,000 pages a month and buy an extra cartridge from the get go as the one that comes with will burn out quick. This printer will meet most of your personal needs from a home user’s standpoint, but would not meet demanding needs of a small business, nor is it network ready. The paper handling is flexible enough to cover a wide array of personal printing demands, but limited when it comes to handling larger paper sizes such as 11 x 17. Due to it’s smaller size it should fit anywhere easily without being a nuisance. I think the printer does a good job of warming up quickly, and printing at a decent rate of speed without hanging up that often. The processor speed compliments the overall performance of the printer even when printing many pages in a row. Overall this printer is competitive with today’s market and should facilitate your home office while offering you a cost effective solution to basic printing needs.
Features & Specifications Monochrome Laser
Connection Type: USB 2.0
Maximum Standard Paper Size: Legal
Rated speed at Default Resolution (Mono): 12 ppm
Duty Cycle: 3000 pages per month
Input Capacity: 150 sheets
Network-Ready: No
Duplexing: No
Cost Per Page (Mono): 3.5 cents
Printer Speed: Up to 12 ppm
Recommended monthly print volume: 250 to 1000 pages (This is KEY & TRUE)
Monthly duty cycle: Up to 3000 pages (Don’t Recommend)
First page out: Less than 10 sec (Found to Be Fairly Accurate)
Processor speed: 234 MHz
Warranty: One-year limited warranty
Software included: Host-based
Dimensions
14.6 x 9.5 x 8.2 in
11 lb
Minimum system requirements PC: 233 MHz processor with 64 MB RAM, 150 MB hard disk space, CD-ROM drive, USB port
NOT MACINTOSH COMPATIBLE
Compatible Operating Systems Windows 98 SE; Windows 2000; Windows Me; Windows XP Home; Windows XP Professional; Windows Server 2003; Windows Vista(TM) Ready
Up to 12 ppm Letter Print Speed with 100-sheet Output Bin 150-Sheet Input Tray and Single-Sheet Priority Input Slot 1200 dpi Effective Output Quality ...More at Amazon Marketplace
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