Printers

HP LaserJet 1200

At a Glance

HP LASERJET 1200 15PPM 1200DPI PSL5E/6 (HP (Hewlett-Packard)-C7044A) $95.01(Lowest Price)

HP LaserJet 1200The LaserJet 1200's text-printing is quite fast for a SOHO model, though it's slightly slower over a USB connection than over a parallel connection. At 11.7 pages per minute, it wouldn't look out of place on the corporate chart, though you'd have to spend an extra $200 for an ethernet interface ( PC World did not test ethernet performance). However, two PCs can share the 1200, one connected to the parallel port and one to the USB port, or for an extra $200 you can put the printer on an ethernet. Plus, it prints crisp black text with clean shapes and good detail, as well as clear, detailed gray-scale graphics.The 1200 feels like a discount job from start to finish. It has no power button. The documentation, which is short on detail about using the driver and troubleshooting the printer, doesn't live up to HP's usually high standards. The plastic lid that covers the paper tray proved difficult to remove and replace, and another plastic flap, which needlessly covers the data cable and power cord where they attach to the printer, was also difficult to remove and required too much force to replace. The driver lacks a restore-defaults button. And considering the printer's speed, increasing its 260-sheet paper capacity would be useful, but there is no optional paper feeder.The LaserJet 1200 costs $399; for an extra $130 you can order the multifunction version, the LaserJet 1220. The LaserJet 1220 can copy with or without being attached to a PC and can scan to a PC in gray-scale (not color), but it does not fax.The 1200's text speed and print quality, plus the ethernet option, gear it for a small office that prints text-intensive documents, though its limited paper capacity could be inconvenient.399Rated 15 ppm, standard 8MB of RAM, 1200-by-1200-dpi maximum resolution, 260 sheets input, 125 sheets output.399800/752-0900www.hp.com