HP HP CLR INKJET CP1700 (HP-C8108A)

WHAT'S HOT: Its support for 13-by-19-inch sheets of paper makes the CP 1700 good for heavy graphics use, and an optional duplexer ($130) permits you to generate comps of a whole form without taping pieces together. We liked the unit's clean black text; its ability to print narrow parallel lines cleanly; and the subtle, very detailed gray-scale and color photos it produced. It prints text over a USB 1.1 connection at a reasonable 5.4 pages per minute, though its 1 -ppm graphics speed might try your patience, especially if you use HP's $200 adapter to put the CP 1700 on an ethernet network. (PC World did not test the CP 1700's ethernet performance, but in most cases an ethernet connection runs somewhat slower than a direct USB 1.1 connection.) More paper-handling pluses include a hand-feed slot in the rear to handle media that shouldn't bend as it passes through, and a 10-sheet bypass feeder that lets you print on letterhead without emptying the main tray. More than one user can connect using USB, parallel, and ethernet at the same time--the CP 1700 manages the print queue, aided by 16MB of memory. For heavy use, you can add an optional 250-sheet paper tray ($130). HP's ink costs, specified at 2.1 cents for black and 8.4 for light-duty color, are among the lowest we've seen for an ink jet printer.

WHAT'S NOT: The CD 1700 comes at a stiff price ($499), so make sure you need its specialized talents before pulling out your checkbook. The tabloid-size paper tray is immense, and we found adjusting it for various sizes of paper somewhat clumsy--the sliders move reluctantly and the stops are poorly labeled. The accompanying printed documentation is brief and uninformative; the on-screen help files are better, though not superdetailed. For some odd reason, the driver's watermark feature can print in only a few basic colors.

WHAT ELSE: The CP 1700 has a built-in infrared port, so notebook wielders can zap files to it without hooking up cables. An LCD on the control panel informs you about error conditions and ink status.

UPSHOT: The costly 1700 offers a lot of capability, but you should consider it only if you need a printer that can handle outsize paper.

SUMMARY

HP Color Inkjet Printer CP 1700 Rated 8 ppm monochrome/7 ppm color, ink jet, 16MB RAM, 1200-by-1200-dpi black, 2400-by-1200-dpi color maximum resolution, 150 sheets input, 75 output. $499 800/752-0900 www.hp.com