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When it comes to selecting a printer, the natural first choice is a color one. With prices steadily lowering and quality appreciably higher than before, there are obvious incentives to purchasing an inkjet printer. The quality of prints produced by the current crop of inkjet printers are for the most part even, provided you set them at the optimal settings and purchase photographic paper. Even if you don’t, the new lines are producing sharper results than previous models. The notorious weakness that inkjets had when producing sharp text on regular paper is a thing of the past on most midrange printers. The only downside to inkjet printers has been the cost of ink.
As quality with inkjet printers has appreciably risen, the price of inks has as well. As the price of printers has decreased, the unfortunate side of inkjet printers is that they consume a great deal of ink. With inkjet cartridges coming in at $15.00 to $30.00 a pop, those amounts add up fast when you realize how short the life expectancy of a printer cartridge actually is. Another added cost is that the new photo image quality color printers often require several color cartridges to produce high quality images. If you produce a lot of photographic prints at the higher settings, your operating costs for a modestly priced printer escalate quickly.
One way around reducing printing costs is considering a laser printer. The advantages of laser printers is that their actual operating costs are lower. The toner cartridges that they use last as long as six to seven months, sometimes even a year, depending on your printing needs and can start at about $50.00 per cartridge. With lower costs for operation and fast printing, there are some advantages to these printers.
Another big advantage is that they print faster and the technology seems to change at a slower pace. Because of that, support for older Laserjet printers lasts longer and their life expectancy is longer as well. My old HP Laserjet from the 90’s is still supported in Windows XP. It works like a charm. The only disadvantage is that it can choke when printing files from certain applications. Aside from that, it has managed to hold up well.
The only drawback to Laserjet printers, aside from the fact they print in black and white only – except for the very high end Laserjets that can print in color, is that they have always been more expensive than inkjets. When inkjets usually ran in the $150 to $200 range, Laserjets were in the $350 to $400 neighborhood.
Now, Laserjets that were in the $350 to $400 range are now coming at $200, which marks a serious pricing departure. It was only a matter of time before HP, the dominant name in printers, would enter the competitive price points of a number of lower priced models. Clocking in at about $199.99, HP’s Laserjet 1012 is poised to be competitive with the new fleet of reasonable priced printers. At price points like this, Laserjet printing has now entered the ranks of midrange inkjet printers.
Like a much updated version of the older HP 5L, the 1012 is a space conscious Laserjet that is designed with the small home office, or cramped dorm room, in mind. Lighter in weight and smaller in size than other printers in this class, this is one unit that resembles a scaled back version of the network laserjets one would find in any networking environment.
Much like the HP 5L, the differences are appreciable. It has been a while since I have worked directly with new Laserjets, so I am surprised by what has changed, and what has not. The good news is that this printer holds up well when compared to older more costly models.
While inkjet technology seems to be updated on a constant level, Laserjets have been more steady. With a traditional ability to remain supported long after their production has ceased, most are very long term investments. Time will tell if that is the case with the 1012, but this is one model to take seriously.
The stats, as presented by HP on the unit, are very much in line with real life situations. Printing 50 pages with full graphics and text came out at a brisk pace. The stats that this printer can produce 15 pages per minute are in keeping with my experiences. Naturally, this depends on how many graphic images you have and text per page. In my time working with the unit, 15 pages, and even a shade higher, per minute were consistent time and time again.
Start up time on the 1012 is rapid. The unit moving from a cold start to printing is much faster than most inkjets. The claims that it is faster, cooler and less noisy than others are consistent with real world operation. When compared with my trusty older HP printer, the differences in speed, noise and operation between the older and the newer were alarming. The advances made in printer technology have taken a proven effective technology, Laserjet printing, and put real power in the actual operation.
Unlike some lower cost printers, the 1012 comes with an off and on switch. Should things go wrong, this is one feature well worth having. My only qualm with the unit is the placement of the button. Located at the back of the printer, it is a bit difficult to locate. This becomes even more apparent in relation to the main buttons, all conveniently located on the right side of the top of the unit.
Paper loading is accomplished via a front loading tray. The non retracting tray, a feature that is becoming more and more common on HP printers, holds 150 sheets. The output quality is 600 by 600 dpi to an effective output of 1200 dpi. In terms of quality output, the HP is more or less in the same area as older printers. In this case, this is a good thing.
The paper cycle for the unit is 7,000 pages per month and the 1012 does have 8 MB of RAM, not expandable. Working with programs that are graphics intensive, namely InDesign, Quark, CorelDRAW and Illustrator, the HP had no difficulty working with complex files. Text was uniformly crisp, sharp and even time after time.
The amazing form factor of the 1012 has to be seen to be appreciated. Much lighter than other Laserjets I have ever seen, nearly anyone can lift it without straining. With a width of 14.6 inches, a depth of 9.1 inches and a height of 8.2 inches, the unit presents a nice compact feel that is stylish while remaining very tight.
Supporting Windows 98 through various versions to Windows XP, it is versatile for those operating Macs as well. OS 10.1 and OS 9 are supported in addition to the above Windows versions. If you are using a traditional printer cable, be warned that this model uses USB only. The cost for the toner cartridges is at about $78.99 each. Included with the printer are the following:
Setting up the unit is a painless easy step by step operation. There were no conflicts, problems or set up issues with the 1012.
Taking price, size and quality into consideration, HP’s 1012 is one value packed printer worth taking very seriously. If you are printing mainly text, and color is not an issue, HP has created the ultimate price point aware Laserjet that continues a long tradition of long lasting printers.
When it comes to printing, HP has always had a solid reputation. This is particularly true with their Laserjet units. Where other companies entering the arena have come and gone, or produced truly lackluster units when trying to be price aware, HP has managed to merge a decent price with an above average unit.
The only downside to the HP 1012 has to do with gray tones. While it can produce clear and crisp text quickly, the gray tones are just a bit less than what they could be. While images have never been a strong point with Laserjets, particularly in this class, if black and white images are essential to you, then you may want to consider an inkjet. This was a weakness with the HP 5L, and it is still an issue with this unit.
Aside from that weakeness, the HP 1012 is an admirable addition to a long line of solid products. For those of us who have kept Laserjets long after they have been discontinued, this is definetly a unit to consider if your current unit is not keeping up with the new demands of memory and technology.
As pleased as I have been with my older HP printer, I have to admit I must concede that this is a superior product. Less expensive that my older unit, faster, less noisy and far more capable of printing from the newer releases of graphics software. I would happily turn in my old HP for this incredibly good buy.
If your budget is in the $200 area, you cannot possibly go wrong with this overall impressive offering from HP.
Talk to Kurt in Graphics Unleashed Forums
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