HP LaserJets in General
I have had wonderful experiences with these types of printers and am conviced that there isn't a better product out there than HP LaserJets. If ever I had to get on my soapbox for a product that hasn't saved my life (see my Subaru Forester review:
http://www.epinions.com/content_33911574148) then this is the time. I have worked several jobs, which have driven me to the conclusion that HP LaserJets are a product that most people should have. I did some freelance computer repair and setup work for people when I was in high school and a little bit more when I was in college. Occasionally I would be hooking up their new computer to an old HP LaserJet printer from the early 90's and even the late 80's. Being the curious sort I am, I asked them how good it was. They couldn't give that machine enough praise. Their LaserJet was the reason they stuck it out with their personal computers. It actually made life much easier for them and as an added bonus, their printer has survived all these years.
While at a summer job working at Staples, it became more apparent how great HP printers were. One lesson I learned from retail is that no sale is ever "over." That is, whenever there's a problem people always come back to the store to talk with you instead of contact the manufacterer or even worse contact the service technicians that came with their extended warranty. HP LaserJets were my friend at Staples because I rarely had to deal with a customer who bought an HP LaserJet printer other than to recieve thanks for selling it to them. They were easy to install, easy to use, and they almost never broke down.
The HP LaserJet 6P
After my experience at Staples, I realized that I wanted a LaserJet for college. I didn't do any color printing and I wanted something reliable and something that would last a long time. My dad knew that I felt this way and he got me this printer. My dad had the 5MP, which was just like the 6P only it had more fonts and additional features I didn't need, and he was very happy with his.
The HP LaserJet 6P takes up about as much desk space as your computer monitor, however it's only about 6-8 inches high. However for wherever you're storing it, you'll want to leave about six inches of space on all sides of the printer except for the front, which you should just leave open. This is for getting at the power button, cables and paper tray and feeder expansions it has. You want to leave the front open because that's where the paper tray comes out. I suggest a small flat surfaced table for this device.
The printer comes with several places in front and back where you can feed it different stock (thickness) paper. Thicker paper like card stock, you don't want to put in the paper tray because it will bend it all around and probably get jammed or curled or something worse. The 6P has a feeder that allows it to go in straight the entire way and come out the back. In the front there's a feeder for letters and other odd sized paper. The original paper tray itself holds about a 200 sheets of paper, which is almost a half a ream. It's not very much, but it works for what I do. Other newer models will probably hold more paper.
The HP LaserJet takes a toner cartridge that costs about $80 but it will last about 7500 pages. If you have a Sam's Club/Costco/BJ's membership, you can get the cartridge for $65 the last time I checked. This almost pays for the membership itself. The toner cartridge is easy to install in the front. It just slides right in. Make sure to look at the directions in installing it if you haven't done so before. You might end up forgetting to take off the plastic strip or something else. This is a pretty good value when compared to inkjet printers. They host half as much for black ink, but last only 500 pages or so. The ease of use it very good compared to other laser printers. Xerox made a comparable printer, but I rarely sold one because the toner cartridge was so had to install and the printer software was so hard to install.
What Does It Come With?
Like most printers, it doesn't come with a cable to connect to your computer. This is pretty standard for just about all computers, so you'll have a vast selection of printer cables. It's almost a given that you have to get a 1284 compliant bi-directional IEEE cable. If you don't get this type of cable, then the printer will either not work correctly, or just print really slowly. You know you have the right cable if it's about as thick as the printer power cord (the one that plugs into the power outlet). There are a few different kinds of 1284 IEEE cables. The gold ones are more expensive, but offer better connectivity. My personal experience is that they either it connects or not, and if it doesn't you take it back. Either way, a regular 6 foot 1284 IEEE cable will cost you about $20, anything better might run you upwards of $30.
Don't worry about picking up a toner cartridge. It comes with what's called a "starter cartridge". Supposedly this "starter cartridge" only has half or less than half the life of a regular toner cartridge. I'm still on my starter cartridge and I've printed around 4000 pages and it's still going strong. Don't rely on my opinion though because these starter cartridges tend to vary quite a bit, but you should get at least 2000 pages out of it. Either way, unless you're doing heavy printing right from the start, hold off on a new toner cartridge for a while.
The printer also comes with printing software. There's a photoshop like program in there along with printing drivers for just about everything you can imagine. The installation CD is easy to use and my wife can even install the printer if she wanted to. Not too much else on there too. It's all pretty much drivers and that's about it. There are some other programs on the CD that seem to not have much use and I can't remember what they do.
Finally, I recommend getting a cleaning kit. The best way to ensure that your printer will be around for 10 or 15 years is to take care of it. Staples usually carries these kits for around $10-$20 I don't remember how much exactly. If you don't use something like this, you will get paper jams from time to time. With it, I doubt you'd ever see one. They really are worth the investment.
Is There Anything I Don't Like About It?
Believe it or not, I actually do not like some things about this printer. First and foremost is the paper tray. It's not very well designed. When I take it out to refill the paper, I dread trying to get it back in. It's a pain to try and slide it back in. The best chance in getting it back is to put the printer on a flat-surfaced desk or table and try your luck in sliding it. By all means, don't try and tip it up to see where the runners are for the tray. I've tried that, and it's a bigger headache than what it's worth.
The printer doesn't come with a lot of neat software. As I mentioned above, it's all practical application type stuff. Then again, what else are you going to be using this for? Why would you want an enterprise level photo editor for a small business type laser printer? Still, with the amount you pay for it, it would be nice to get something more in terms of software in return.
HP may make good printers, but relations-wise they are not a great company. Firstly, if you ever get a problem for which you have to call their tech support number, I hope you don't have anything to do for the rest of the morning/afternoon/evening. You're likely to be on hold for a good hour or two. Luckily I haven't experienced this, but I've heard some rather nasty horror stories. That and fellow coworkers at Staples discouraged people from calling them unless they're really desperate. The HP website isn't much better. Sometimes I lose CDs or disks with drivers on them for printers and whatnot. Getting those drivers on the HP website can be a real nightmare. Instead of downloading the drivers and installing like most companies, HP executes an install script straight from the website. What this means is that if you're computer can't handle it; you won't get your drivers installed. Then, if you somehow get it to work, if you need to install it again, you'd have to go back to the website and back to square one. I wish there was a more manual method for this, but for some reason they don't give you that option.
So Why Are You Reviewing A Printer That's So Old?
When my dad got me this printer, it set him back a good $600. It was a good investment though. It's still with me 4 years later and runs fine. My point is back then its price was $600 now it might be half that much. If this printer is available refurbished or even used off of ebay or another site, I say it's well worth it to buy it. I can't speak too much for HP printers in the past couple years because as soon as I got this printer I stopped following their performance in the marketplace. However, I can speak for one if you're looking to get a good deal. This is a good deal ... even if you get it for $600 new and right out of the box today it's still a good deal. As I go through computers, this printer shows no signs of slowing down or showing its obsolescence. If you get this printer, think of it like a new car rather than a computer part. If you don't get this printer, you should still go with an HP. I don't think you can really go wrong with them.
