LaserJet P1005

A decent effort by HP

PC World

  • Review
  • Specs
  • Images
  • User Reviews
  • Buy Online

HP and Brother have been fighting over which of them can produce the best budget mono laser printer since the days of old. Ever since HP's LaserJet 1020 faced off against Brother's HL-2040, Brother has been the reigning champion. With the new LaserJet P1005, HP attempts to claim the crown from Brother's refreshed HL-2140. However, with the Brother unit managing faster print times and better consumable costs, HP's efforts are still insufficient.

Pros

  • Good quality printing, easy toner replacement

Cons

  • Somewhat slow, relatively expensive

Bottom Line

HP’s LaserJet P1005 puts its best foot forward. But it’s crippled with slower performance and a more expensive price point than the Brother HL-2140. It’s a good printer, but it simply isn’t competitive enough.

Would you buy this?

  • Price

    $ 179.00 (AUD)

Special Offers

Still, HP has made a good effort. Simplicity is the key in mono lasers, and the P1005 certainly succeeds with this. The printer's footprint is small even for a mono laser printer, and it is easy to fit in cramped spaces. However, there is a trade-off — whereas Brother's HL-2140 allows for 250 pages in a closable paper tray, the P1005 fits a relatively meagre 150 pages in a tray that must remain open during use.

Connection is limited to USB 2.0. We would have preferred an Ethernet connection for home and small office networking, and the printer's initial price point certainly justifies its inclusion. Nevertheless, given that the P1005 is pitted squarely against the HL-2140, we're not surprised that Ethernet connectivity is reserved for a more expensive model.

Toner replacement is simple, following the same method as Canon's Laser Shot LBP 3100B — lift up the paper output tray and insert toner. The P1005 will run at an average 6c per page, slightly more expensive than the 4.8c per page accomplished by the HL-2140 but still cost effective.

Speed is this printer's biggest problem. The P1005 only manages 15 pages per minute at its fastest. There is no draft 300dpi mode as found in most laser printers. The speed is adequate for 600dpi printing, but the unit simply doesn't cater for those situations where speed takes priority over quality. Thankfully, printing at 1200dpi doesn't slow it too much more; it averages12ppm at this setting. These speeds, although unrivalled by inkjet printers at the same price point, are easily surpassed by Brother's printers.

The P1005 does provide excellent quality text. Text is clean with no abnormalities, although it is comparatively bolder than the HL-2140 — this makes text slightly fuzzier in dense documents. We prefer the Brother's print quality, but both are more than adequate for standard use.

Keep up with the latest tech news, reviews and previews by subscribing to the PC World newsletter.

Be the first to comment.

Post new comment

Users posting comments agree to the Good Gear Guide comments policy.

Login or register to link comments to your user profile, or you may also post a comment without being logged in.

Most Popular

Tethering tutorial: How to use your iPhone as a modem
Capacitive vs resistive touchscreens
LCD vs plasma vs LED TVs buying guide
How to pick the right size TV for your living room
Google Wallet makes payments possible through Gmail

Best Deals on PCWorld

Printers & ScannersView all »
NotebooksView all »
Desktop PCsView all »
TabletsView all »
Software and ServicesView all »

Resources

Printers & Scanners Product Finder
Find the product you're looking for with our Printers & Scanners search tool.

Latest User Reviews