HP LaserJet Pro P1100 Toner Cartridges
HP LaserJet Pro P1100 Printer Review
Expert review of the HP LaserJet Pro P1100 printer
Our Verdict:
The HP LaserJet Pro P1100 is a monochrome laser printer intended for basic home use. It prints at a rate of 8 pages per minute, has an optical resolution of 300 dpi, but enhances that so that the dpi is effectively 600. HP P1100 toner cartridges yield 1,600 pages, and Hewlett Packard rates the monthly duty cycle at 7,000 pages. You must adjust most of its advanced options via the computer, and HP includes an excellent range of software for Windows and Macintosh computers. You can also access all of the basic functionality that is on the control panel via the remote-front-panel software.
Design
The HP LaserJet Pro P1100 is a squat, rectangular device that has a small footprint and is lightweight. The P1100 is typically all black, but is also available in a less common all-white version. The P1100 is network-ready, and has built-in Ethernet. The P110w, which looks the same, also has Wi-Fi. The P1100 has a thin, retractable paper input tray at the bottom and an output feeder with angled output tray up top. It's a solid design internally that isn't prone to paper jams, and is relatively easy to clean and access for changing out the HP P1100 toner cartridge.
Advantages
The best advantage that the HP P1100 offers is its user-friendliness. Hewlett Packard intends this for the home user who wants a basic, convenient printing experience. Thanks to the Smart Install feature, the HP LaserJet Pro P1100 laser toner printer really shines in this regard. Even compared to most plug-and-play printers, this one is exceptionally easy to use, and in most cases, you can simply plug it in, install nothing, and use it well enough. The P1100 is also effective in terms of cost-per-page because of the low-cost consumables. The basic P1100 isn't a workhorse, but for what it's intended for, it delivers, and HP has built it well enough for it to last a long time for the user who takes care of it.
Disadvantages
The biggest disadvantage when it comes to the HP P1100 printer is performance. The P1100 is noisy, it prints slowly, and the text quality isn't particularly high. To be fair, this is an economy machine, and it delivers exactly what you pay for. That's perfectly fine for the home user who just wants a printer to use occasionally to print out directions or even a book report. But beyond that, the unit falls short, and it certainly won't stand up to office abuse.