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How do I know if I need a LaserJet printer?
HP Laserjet printers are workhorses designed for the long haul - that is, they can turn out a high volume of pages per month. So, if you are looking for a personal desktop or a shared office workhorse, an HP LaserJet may be the best option. Another factor of importance to both the home and business user is the handling of envelopes, cardstock and other non-traditional media, where Laserjets are perfect for any size job.

What are the key considerations in choosing a LaserJet printer?
Resolution: The standard resolution in most laser printers today is 1200 dots-per-inch (dpi). This resolution is well suited for normal everyday printing including small desktop publishing jobs. A high-end production printer might have a resolution of 2400 dpi. Some laser printers still use a resolution of 300 dpi. This resolution can cause jagged lines to appear on the outer edge of an image. Hewlett Packard created RET (Resolution Enhancement Technology) to correct this. RET inserts smaller dots at the edges of lines and to smooth the rough edges. RET does not improve the resolution, but the document looks better. If you purchase a printer with 300 dpi, make sure it has RET.

Printer languages: Printer Control Language (PCL) is the standard printer language for Hewlett Packard and most other laser printers (which are mostly HP-compatible). PCL is used for printing letters, database printouts, spreadsheets, and simple graphics. Postscript printers or printers that can emulate postscript are used with desktop publishing software and drawing packages. Postscript capable printers are the norm for Apple Macintosh printers. A laser printer that uses PCL can be upgraded to Postscript by installing a software driver provided by the manufacturer of the laser printer. The printer might require more memory when upgraded to use Postscript. This is because a laser printer needs the entire image in memory before printing, and a Postscript printer requires more memory to process than a PCL printer does. The application being used must support Postscript in order for the laser printer to print Postscript documents.

Paper handling: Paper handling is important when shopping for a laser printer. Most laser printers use letter-size, cut-sheet paper. Additional paper trays or feeders can be added to increase the capacity or variety of media. High-end production printers use continuous sheet paper. Laser printers can print on a variety of papers sizes, types and weights such as transparencies, adhesive labels, and card stock. A laser printer with duplex printing can print on one side of the paper, turn the paper over, and print on the other side. Most laser printers, however, use simple printing with manual duplex printing. Manual duplex printing is achieved by changing the print options in the printer's properties or printing one side and taking that same paper and reinserting it into the printer to print on the other side.

Memory: Most LaserJet printers come equipped with enough memory to meet the needs of normal printing or sharing of a printer over a network. It is important to select a LaserJet printer that allows for easy expansion of the printer's memory so you can adapt to changing printing environments.

FPOT (first paper out time) and warm-up time:
A final consideration in purchasing a printer is FPOT and warm-up time. When a laser printer receives data from the computer to print, it takes 5 to 30 seconds to prepare the printer to print a new job. This is in addition to the time it takes to actually print the document. The warm-up time is important. When the printer is turned on, it needs time to warm up the fuser to operating temperature. If the printer has a standby mode or is turned off between printing jobs, the warm-up time becomes even more important. LaserJet printers that have "instant on" fusers are designed to reduce FPOT.