Pros: razor sharp text, fast, build quality for $149 is great, duplex, low noise, reliability
Cons: tool box is a joke causes problems, no USB cord, support is menu driven
The Bottom Line: If you print both text and graphics but no photos, then for a student or personal home use this is the bomb! My last Hp lasted 8 years! no repairs!
pepper45322's Full Review: Hewlett Packard LaserJet 1012 Printer
OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
I purchased the Hp 1012 to replace my older Hp 6L which lasted for 8 years (no paper jams, absolutely no problems). I considered the Hp 7690, Cannon 860i and Hp 5650 inkjets because I plan to make photos. Why go laser? Well, I am a professor and need to make crisp text versions of tests. The text quality of the Hp inkjets was very good. Almost laser quality. The problem is that inkjets need ink replacements so frequent that it gets on my nerves (I have Hp 990 at work). The Hp 1012 ink drum last about 2000 pages at $69 which sounds like a lot but cheaper compared to inkjets. Inkjets are slower about 4-6 PPM, which drives me bananas.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX AND INSTALLATION ISSUES
The impressive quality of the 1012 is the build is solid but the foot print is small (14 inches for length). The box is nicely packaged and there are diagrams that show step by step how to put it together. You get in the box the printer, a full ink cartridge, paper tray cover (solid build), power cord, CD Rom). Hp recommends that you install the software BEFORE you plug in the printer. I did this and then the software alerts you to plug in the printer. There are two options for installation, default (minimal) and custom (for advanced users only---I could not figure it out). One word of warning...turn off your firewall and anti-virus. You will have the option to install a web based tool box, which is worthless in my opinion and uses tons of disk space (46 MB) and memory. Tool box installs a java runtime and tomcat web server that is always running and caused my cursor to jump. I uninstalled just toolbox (it includes Java) by placing the CD Rom in tray and then via program "add/remove". I recommend a person select the default installation and when prompt to install tool box, decline this option.
PERFORMANCE DAZZLES!
The 1012 printer is super fast about 14 text pages per minute with low to moderate sound. At first the paper looks curved coming out of the computer but straightens out. The cool thing is you can manually do duplex or 2-sided copies! There are two paper trays, tray 2 is main and tray 1 (holds about 150 sheets) just above is priority (holds 10 sheets or so). They recommend media weight of 20lb. I am a xerox fan for paper. When 2-side option is checked via preference option, a pop-up menu instructs you to place the even copied sheets in the priority tray with same orientation, then magically both sides are copied. Easier than it sounds really. You can print up to 10 envelopes fairly easily. The printer has a cancel button and a green feed button. The texts is razor sharp, graphics are quite good but of course no color. Print quality is 600 DPI or 1200 DPI with RET (enhancement). I could not tell the difference so I use default 600. There is 8 MB of memory and the computer serves as a host for the printer so it shares the pain of power so to speak. First page is less then 5 seconds for me. The printers processor is 133 MHz. It supports USB 2.0.
CONCLUSIONS
The cost of printer is $149 but you need to purchase a USB (no parallel port) at $24. Hp is a big corporation so support is like talking to men on a distant planet. I purchased the unit at officemax, which provided a service plan of replacement without questions for 2 years just $20. My last Hp 6L lasted 8 years then just died, so if this unit does half as well, its worth the money. I plan on purchasing the Hp 5650 for photos only. It is only $129! My thinking is for $300 I get the best of both worlds for the cost of the Hp 7960. I recommend that you see the printers in person and look at the quality of texts. The Cannon 860i is quite good with cheaper ink (6 individual cartridges but I hear the Ink tank can go bad and it is non-serviceable! If you have not seen the stunning picture quality of todays inkjets, you will likely be amazed, I could not believe it. One final note, the 1012 is for personal use and not business because its just a little thing.
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