HP Color LaserJet 4550dn

WHAT'S HOT: At 8.1 text pages per minute, the Color LaserJet 4550dn doesn't win the color laser performance race, but it's fast enough for an office setting. We also like the 4550dn's even text and its ability to print clean narrow parallel lines. It produces bright but not oversaturated colors that look realistic, with smooth textures and good detail.

HP gave the 4550dn the same crystal-clear on-board menus and buttons that HP lasers are known for, and the company wrote one of the best online manuals we've seen in a while (though the 64-page, paper Getting Started guide is merely adequate). Clearing jams inside the printer should usually be easy because most of the interior slides out of the case on rails.

WHAT'S NOT: Gray-scale graphics appear dark, dotty, and lacking detail--the 4550dn is not a good choice for monochrome graphics. Some elements of its design seem ill-considered, too. For example, when you open the rear panel to remove the fuser (which you have to do only every 25,000 to 100,000 pages depending on how much color you use in your documents, or to clear some kinds of jams), you can scrape your wrist against the sharp edge of the strap holding the panel on; the auxiliary feed slot is certain to gather dust because it enters the printer at almost a 90-degree angle and has no cover; and the LCD, though brightly lit, is mounted low and almost vertically on the side of the printer, so you must crouch to read it. We have few complaints about the driver software, but for some reason its watermark feature lets you choose from only a few basic colors. Finally, the fan is noisy enough to interfere with a telephone conversation.

WHAT ELSE: The $3769 price tag sounds rather high these days, but we tested the loaded model, which includes an add-on 500-sheet paper feeder, a duplexer, a network interface, and plenty of memory. If the standard 250-sheet main tray and 150-sheet auxiliary tray are adequate and you don't need the duplexer, you can pick up the 4550dn for $2369. Don't plan on parking the 4550dn on a flimsy shelf--it weighs 170 pounds. The weight also means you won't be able to turn it easily, so--as you should with any color laser--you should put it on a freestanding table where you'll have plenty of room for feeding heavy stock to the straight path, which exits at the rear.

BEST USE: The 4550dn comes with lots of extra features. It makes most sense for an office that keeps several kinds of paper available, prints double-sided jobs to fold into booklets, and regularly uses other advanced printing capabilities.

SUMMARY

HP Color LaserJet 4550dn Rated 16 ppm monochrome/4 ppm color, standard 128MB of RAM, 2400-by-2400 maximum resolution, 900 sheets input, 250 output. $3769 800/613-2222 www.hp.com