HP's LaserJet 1200se boasts output speeds of over 15ppm and a 10-second fuser warm-up time, which should put this AU$765 printer on top of the high-speed list among black-and-white office laser printers. Real-world tests showed that the 1200 is right on the money.
Although OCR scanners and network options abound, the 1200 seems best suited as a low-cost small or home office standalone laser printer for the chronically fashion conscious rather than a busy office workhorse.
Over the years, we've noticed that Hewlett-Packard doesn't just produce high-quality printers, they breed them in huge herds, in every imaginable shape, colour, and style, for uses ranging from mundane to industrial strength. Most of these are fantastic examples of engineering prowess and classy style, and a select few are stellar enough to live on and on for years (the LaserJet 4 series comes to mind). This month's crop of trendy-shaped new lasers, the 1200 Series, promises high speed, unsurpassed quality, and expandability the likes of which small-office printers have never seen.
The 1200se produces high-quality prints, is fully expandable, and can be set up in minutes. Our test unit was so easy to install we didn't even realise the software had finished its driver dance until the system rebooted. Nothing could be simpler than popping in the enclosed toner and paper cartridges, attaching a USB cable, and plugging away, leaving us with a total out-of-the-box to printing samples time of less than five minutes. We wish every printer went through setup and installation this easily--a perfect example of how to do it right, and other printer makers should take heed.
Once installed, the 1200se looked somewhat out of place among the hard-edged printers, computers and monitors of our office environment. True, the curves and subtle flowing lines do mesh nicely with HP's line of PC systems and monitors, but the shape does take some getting used to. Fortunately, the 1200se is compact and light, and fits on most desktop surfaces with ease. The print monitor software is almost cute in its simplicity, never failing to remind us smugly that we'd let the paper run out or that there was a jam.
When we fired up the 1200se for our standard slate of print runs, we were expecting speedy results, especially with the claimed 15ppm speed and the 10-second warm-up time (a unique feature of this line of laser printers, which preheats the fuser drum and eliminates the biggest delay when printing from a laser printer). What we got were surprisingly average results-11.5ppm in best-quality mode and a dismal 4ppm in single-print mode, even when selecting the lower-quality output. We appreciate the 10-second warm-up goal of the 1200se, especially for single page prints, but we'd suggest that HP look more toward its very own 4100 and 4500 lines of laser printers, both of which printed first pages in five seconds or less from a cold stop (and we're not sure what makes them faster, since they use the same Instant-On Fuser technology!)
Once we got the prints finished we were greeted with the usual perfection that is HP laser printing. Resolutions of 1,200dpi result in only the darkest blacks and crispest text, as is usual for HP laser output, and photo quality was clear and free of lines. Although our base 1200 lacked many frills, optional OCR scanner and copier add-on units are available, as well as external network print servers for workgroup sharing.
The 1200se certainly is priced right for busy home use or small office, and performs faithfully and quickly. If you're opting for quality over sheer print speed, you may well consider the HP LaserJet 1200se.
--by Phil Lacefield Jr.
HP LaserJet 1200
Company:HP Australia
Ph:13 13 47
Price: AU$765
Rating:
13%
1%
