HP LaserJet 3800N Laser Printer (22 PPM, 600x600 DPI, Color, 160MB, PC/Mac)

HP Color LaserJet 3800n Review

by Paul Jasper

- The HP Color LaserJet 3800n looks identical to the cheaper Color LaserJet 3600n, but it has a faster processor and more memory inside. It's also a true PCL printer and supports PostScript emulation, instead of relying on your PC's processing power to print from the Windows GDI. The inclusion of a processor translates into faster text printing, but color pages actually print slower than they do from this model's sibling, the 3600n. Unless monochrome text speed is of the essence, it may be hard to justify the $999 3800n's $200 price premium over the 3600n. The 3800n's vertical one-pass engine keeps the unit's physical footprint small (15.8 by 17.7 inches). The front of the machine folds down to make changing toner cartridges easy. The full-size black and color cartridges that the 3800n ships with are rated at 6000 pages each (the 3600n uses 4000-page color cartridges). Though they're expensive--$133 for black and $170 per color--each incorporates a fresh drum unit, so that expense won't sneak up on you over time. No other parts require regular replacement, so the 3800n is easy to maintain and there are no hidden costs. The estimated per-page costs are 2.2 cents for black-and-white and 10.7 cents for color.