HP LaserJet Pro 100 Toner Cartridges

HP 100 Printer Review

With a price that sets a new bar of affordability for multifunction color laser printers, the HP LaserJet Pro 100 is one of the best values on the market for home office or personal use. This machine offers an array of functions, features and connectivity options that will appeal to most users. Built-in wireless and wired networking makes it easy to share the 100 amongst multiple computers, but the standard USB and ePrint capabilities allow for connection to devices ranging from digital cameras to smartphones.

The printing and copying functions have the same production rate which is about 16 pages per minute for black-and-white documents and 4 pages per minute when using all colors of HP 100 toner. The average time it takes to print the first page ranges from 15 to 30 seconds, however, which is a bit slow. The scanner can also process documents at a fast rate because the 30-sheet automatic document continuously feeds pages through when necessary.

Cyan, magenta, yellow and black LaserJet Pro 100 printer toner is used in this machine and creates a color depth of more colors than the eye can see. Unfortunately, this unit is more known for its functionality and affordability than its output quality. The maximum resolution that can be created using the HP 100 toner is only 600x600 dpi, which could be disappointing for complex color graphics or images.

The black LaserJet Pro 100 toner cartridge can yield up to 1,200 pages before expiring while the color toners can render about 1,000 prints. To purchase replacement printer toner, many online stores will offer competitive prices, though some users have complained that the overall cost per page is relatively high. To counter this, buyers should consider remanufactured HP 100 toner cartridges, which cost about half as much as the OEM equivalents and come with a quality guarantee.

This unit includes many traditional features that make it an ideal printer for personal or office use. For instance, the maximum prints per month are 20,000, though HP recommends not exceeding 1,000 for optimal lifespan. There is a 150-sheet input tray and a 50-sheet output tray, both holding a variety of media types and sizes. Duplex printing is possible, but it is a manual process with the HP 100. The processor is 600 MHz and the memory is 128 MB, both sufficient for office use.

A compact, 35-pound laser machine that has the ability to serve as a scanner, copier and printer would be a perfect addition to offices with limited space or even a home environment. The LaserJet Pro 100 will work with most major operating systems and offers decent speed and quality for a low price. Overall, it is a value that is hard to pass up.