For less than $1,000, the HP Color LaserJet 3600dn printer is an affordable printing package. It is especially designed to cater to the needs of offices and power users alike. The printer also performs well in terms of speed and quality, with the HP Q6472a toner offering just what an office needs. Ever since its initial release in 2006, it has been a constant top seller in its class. Let us find out what makes this printer a cut above the rest.
We will start our review by looking at its internal components. The LaserJet 3600dn uses a powerful 360 MHz and 128 MB memory. The combination of both makes it one of the fastest laser printers in its class in terms of processing. What really makes the printer stand out is its memory, which is twice the regular size of other laser printers in its price range.
The HP Color LaserJet 3600dn printer has a maximum resolution of 600 dpi x 600 dpi for both monochrome and color. This is pretty much average for a color laser printer in this class, but the addition of the HP ImageREt 3600 adds a little value to it. HP ImageREt 3600 is the company’s award winning image enhancement technology. This image enhancer is more than capable enough to correct color depth, contrast, and even a little pixilation.
One of the most common problems with laser printers is their size. Some of them simply take too much space. However, the HP LaserJet uses only around 17.7 x 15.7 inches, therefore making it one of the smallest color laser printers in its class. This is great news for people who have very limited space.
In the front of the HP, a simple LCD tells you what it is doing. It can also indicate specific errors like toner cartridge problems or paper jams. It also has two paper feeders with adjustable paper guides. Both paper feeders can take a combined total of 350 sheets. The adjustable paper guides are very useful smaller media types, such as a 3.5 x 5 photo paper.
With a whopping monthly page cycle of 50,000, the HP LaserJet 3600dn is an attractive printing solution for any medium sized office and budget conscious power user. HP even added duplex printing capability. If this were not part of package, it would cost around $200. The duplex printing gives the HP LaserJet a lot benefits and price value. It also boasts a 10/100 Base-T Ethernet port. Once connected to the network via a CAT-5 wire, the printer configures itself to the network in a matter of seconds.
Quality and speed are two essential elements that should never be broken into two categories. As for speed, the cyan Q6471a compatible toner cartridge is significantly faster. It was able to print 17 pages under a minute for both grayscale and color. This is quite fast for a laser printer in its class. When it comes to printing quality, the HP is just about average. The prints for text and images were clear, but there are a few inconsistencies in the contrast. However, the color depth was great because of the HP ImageREt. In addition, it is compatible with Mac Os, Linux, and Windows-based computers.
There are only a handful of duplex ready laser printers available in the market and this offering from HP is definitely one of the best. It performs very well, the LaserJet 3600dn toner offers sharp results, and the printer does not crack under heavy printing loads. The quality of HP Q6473a is certainly well known and having enough toner on hand to allow those unexpected big jobs is a smart move.