HP LaserJet M1522n

The mono laser multifunction market is hardly sparse and the LaserJet M1522n is yet another option added to the pile. While it does print slightly faster than its main competitors, inaccurate printing and poor scanning make this multifunction an easy device to pass by.

Picking up where the LaserJet M1120 MFP left off, not much has changed with the M1522n. The printer retains the same bulky design; this is accentuated by the newly added automatic document feeder. An Ethernet port is also a new feature, as well as a memory upgrade from 32MB to 64MB. These features have helped make the M1522n effectively double the price of the LaserJet M1120 MFP.

Paper tray capacities are adequate for its price point, but there’s still room for improvement. The two input trays hold a total of 250 sheets, and the output tray has a capacity of 125 sheets. The paper output design resembles the one we abhorred on Brother’s MFC-7440N, but it appears HP has put enough effort into design to make it slightly more bearable.

The M1522n can handle a monthly duty cycle of 8000 pages, with a toner cartridge generally lasting 2000 pages. Overall, the device will run at an average 5.2c per page; a reasonable cost that approaches the efficiency of the Brother MFC-7440N.

Oddly, the M1522n lacks an integrated fax, perhaps a sign of the technology’s waning importance. Then again, business functionality is lacking in other areas too — although the unit has a 'Scan To' feature, it lacks the secure print functions found even on cheaper, inkjet multifunctions. Given the M1522n’s Ethernet connectivity, this is perhaps the most noticeable feature missing from the unit, and one that certainly makes the unit unappealing.

Thankfully, build quality is decent. The M1522n arrives in five separate pieces and must be assembled by the user, but once these pieces are attached they’re fairly sturdy. A quick-release switch opens the printer’s top half to facilitate easy toner replacement.

Printing speed is the M1522n’s greatest strength. It offers two quality settings, 600dpi and 1200dpi, but it will print at an average 24 pages per minute regardless of the quality setting. The speed is fairly good for its price range and it easily outpaces its major competitor, Brother’s MFC-7440N.

Although we didn’t expect the print quality to match the likes of HP’s top-notch LaserJet P4015n, the M1522n struggles to compete with even the MFC-7440N. The printer's output is readable and clean, with no aberrations or skewing of text. However, the text is noticeably bolder than the output produced by the Brother, making it less accurate and harder to read overall.

Scan quality is one of the M1522n’s major failings. Image scans are overexposed, washing out colour and leaving results highly inaccurate. Text scanning is also extremely blurry, particularly when mixed with highlighted backgrounds. The M1522n’s poor scanning makes it inadequate for even general use, let alone use with optical character recognition (OCR) software.

Although the M1522n’s scanning is inadequate for most uses, the unit is a decent multifunction for general small office printing duties. Unfortunately, with its initial price point set higher than all of Brother’s equivalent products, the M1522n simply isn’t the best choice, regardless of its printing speed.