CNET editors' review
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CNET editors' rating:
stars
Very good
Detailed editors' rating
- Reviewed on: 03/03/2005
- Released on: 10/06/2004
The control panel's turquoise and salmon buttons are easy to understand. A brightly lit LCD helps you adjust paper handling, print an event log, and clear paper jams. We were struck by the high-pitched, claptrap sounds made as we opened and closed the trays and the drawers; but despite these sound effects, the components don't look or feel flimsy. Still, the HP 2420d's overall appearance is staid and straight out of cubicle-land. Few workgroup laser printers offer innovative design, but compared with this HP, we appreciate the Lexmark T430dn's lower-slung profile and shiny chrome control panel.
The HP LaserJet 2420d can expand to fit some business needs. If you plan to share this printer with more than one computer, don't bother tacking on a print server for $300 to $500; instead, buy the network-ready HP 2420dn off the bat for $900. For a reasonable $149, you can add one 500-sheet input tray to the HP 2420d to hold a maximum of 850 sheets. Lexmark's trays cost more, but you can fit up to 1,100 pages in the T430dn.HP's print drivers cover rudiments such as number of copies, paper size, the addition of watermarks, and resolution adjustments. But the Lexmark T430dn lets you make a bevy of image-quality adjustments, plus it enables bonus confidentiality and account tracking features that appeal to businesses.
The HP 2420d comes with 48MB of RAM and has a maximum 304MB, which is good. If you buy the networkable version of this model, the 2420dn, you get 64MB of RAM with a maximum of 320MB, the same as the Lexmark T430dn. However, an extra 256MB DIMM for the HP runs $599, less than half of what Lexmark asks for the same amount of RAM.
HP's Toolbox software lets you track printer status over a network and request e-mail alerts when errors occur or supplies run low. Some of CNET's users have complained that the Toolbox software is bloated; we didn't encounter problems on our test bed in CNET Labs. However, we decided to explore the matter further by installing the HP 2420d on another Windows XP computer, which ate up an agonizing half hour. Yet our next installation attempt on the same PC worked seamlessly and took less than five minutes.
According to HP, a replacement toner cartridge lasting 12,000 prints runs $206, or about 1.7 cents per page, an average value. The Lexmark T430dn has the same cost per page if you use that vendor's cartridge-return discount, or 2 cents per page at full price.
SpeedThe HP LaserJet 2420d turned in zippy speeds of 21.6ppm (pages per minute) for text and 18.22ppm for graphics--a hair behind the Lexmark T430dn but still ahead of the Brother HL-6050D. Quality
The HP LaserJet 2420d's text print quality was good overall, with a delicate crispness. Beginning at a 4-point font size, however, the quality degraded and individual letters suffered a moth-eaten look. If you don't need a roomy multipurpose tray, you may want to consider the cheaper HP LaserJet 1320, which delivers excellent text. Continue reading
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