HP LaserJet Pro P1102w

Comment

I BOUGHT my HP 1102w about five years ago. It replaced my model 1012, which was very similar. The older machine lasted but a few years. The replacement ended its service life in an even shorter time. I had hopes for the "wireless" feature, which came with the new machine. A few hours of fruitless experiments dashed those hopes. I connected the USB plug and that was that. FIRST THE GOOD: The print is surprisingly sharp. The speed of rasterizing and output is admirable. The price is right. I LIKE the open paper drawer: I can easily load in a few pages for a quick job. Envelope loading is also fairly easy. To avoid confusing the sensor, remove paper before inserting envelopes. Printing *standard,* number 10 envelopes causes the printer to grind and complain. But the envelopes usually come out fine. There might be a little stray toner and some curled paper, but the result is usable. With the right software, you might be able to print short envelopes, such as number 6. Oddball envelopes (such as greeting card envelopes) might be more difficult: With these, positioning type in the right place is tricky. (Microsoft Word has custom settings that might help.) USB CUTOUT. On the printer cabinet, I like the small cutout for the USB connector. The cutout makes the connector easy to plug in or remove. (Some printers actually dont have this appreciated feature.) The cutout eases jimmying the cable, which becomes necessary when documents refuse to print. NOW THE BAD: In many ways, this machine is the "little print-engine that could." But its toy-like. Youre kidding yourself if you depend on it for anything beyond casual use. Even so, it will wear out in record time. Despite occasional and undemanding use, my printer died after about two and a half toner cartridges. The output paper table is flimsy and particularly annoying. Only two scrawny plastic tabs hold it in place. The table tends to fall off. When it does, it often pries the cartridge door open. The open door sets off an annoying error that stops the printer. Of course, printouts fly in every direction. Such events become more common as plastic parts loosen with wear. WIRELESS, HA! As many have reported, the wireless capability is a major disappointment. We never managed to coax this printer to work with cell phones. When the 1102w drops into "sleep" mode, it vanishes from the network. Try to find it! Sometimes a print command over the USB can arouse the printer. Sometimes, even the USB has no effect. And there goes the admirable speedy output! What if one needs a print for an immediate meeting? That situation initiates FWM (Frantic Workaround Mode): Start jiggling the on-off button. Disconnect and reconnect cables. Cancel and resend documents, etc. A computer reset plus a long wait is often necessary. Under your breath, grumble a few Saxon expressions. Maybe theyll serve as incantations to the Data Demon and revive the machine. No? Miss the meeting. Your boss is giving you the hairy eyeball. Throw up your hands in dismay. Never mind the HP manual. Its hopeless! (What else would you expect in these days of IT illiteracy?) To the uninitiated, the process recalls Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection Remastered . (Mr. Fawlty had no end of equipment problems. If hed owned an 1102w, all of these troubles would have befallen him.) DOES ALL THE FIDGETING produce results? Sometimes YES! But in those less patient, more frenzied times (when you most need results), NO! Documents can disappear into a data black hole and never be seen again. In the most recent instance here, the black hole claimed the printer itself. Maybe a transient hit the wee HP and an invisible fuse popped. Ill never know. (HP doesnt reveal fuse locations. Dont bother researching in the book or on the Web. HP fuse locations are as secret as nuclear codes.) HP, RIP. After two and a half toner cartridges, fade to black forever. Ironically, the cadaverous printer remains shiny and new. Id like to say "it was fun while it lasted." Instead I say this: I was about to rectify the matter with TBM (the big mallet). This mallet is the universal fixative. I reserve it for use with delinquent IT products. The 1102w denied me that final pleasure. Summing up: Despite its cherubic cuteness and snappy print output, the 1102w is the opposite of dependable. I replaced it with an M402dn ( HP LaserJet Pro M402dn Monochrome Printer (C5F94A#BGJ) ), which definitely isnt a toy. I hope it will have more stamina. I hope I dont rue the day I bought it. Stay tuned. Meanwhile, three stars and two big mallets for the HP1102w.

Show more

Comment

A year and a half ago, I bought HP Officejet Pro 8500, an all-in-one desk jet printer. I dont have school-aged kids and I do most of my printing at work. So I used the printer sparingly. I learned that when I did need it, the ink would dry up! And a full set of HP 940 cartridges costs around $85! Shame on you HP! I read somewhere that the inkjet printer fluid is the most expensive substance in the world per ounce. It is even more expensive than gold! I tried researching on ways I can refill the cartridges but I didnt find a good or reliable way. I decided that I was done being gouged by HP for the cartridges so I researched on the internet and it seems like the cheapest way to go was to just get your picture prints from various local or online stores and then print your home stuff on a laser printer. I then tried to research on wireless laser printers. I know that HP being HP, it would still try to gouge me on the toners and in fact, the toner for this printer is expensive. So I decided that one of my criteria for my new printer is that Im either able to find an easy way to refill the toner or find a good third party compatible toner. And guess what, there are 4.5 star rated third party toners in Amazon for this specific printer. A two-pack costs around twenty bucks. TWO TONERS FOR 20 BUCKS! I was also looking at an entry-level Brother wifi enabled laser printer. That one had automatic duplexing and I actually liked it better but it did not have a highly rated toner from a third party. Isnt it sad though that the main criteria I had to use was a availability of refills or a non-branded toner? I purchased 1102w and was pleasantly surprised about its small footprint. I wasnt thinking about it when I first bought the printer but I realized that this unit also is compatible with Apples Air Print. Sadly, the latest firmware was not installed so I had to download a firmware update utility from HP. And I had to delete the printer as a wireless printer and add it again as a wired printer because I read online that you can not update the firmware wirelessly. But after updating the firmware, I was able to print from my iOS devices. This is a nice bonus. We are an Apple household and I knew from other reviews that HP didnt document wireless printing (on OS X) very well. Fortunately, I just followed the steps outlined in the October 30, 2010 Amazon review by R. Ruiz "Bohemian Bon Vivant" and I was able to set-up wireless printing in OS X Snow Leopard in no time. I am not sure if this will work for OS X Lion. Overall, the HP 1102w is an inexpensive wireless printer that has excellent (and and cheap) third-party toners available.

Show more

Comment

The only reason I bought this printer was because my old HP 1012 LaserJet wouldnt work on my new Windows 7 PC. With that said, as a satisfied HP customer for over 10 years, I was drawn to purchase another LaserJet despite some of the negative reviews on this page. I figured that if the overall rating was 4 Stars, then Id go ahead and give it a whirl. When it arrived the other day and I compared it to the old 1012 printer, it was obvious that HP had taken some cost out of the old one, which is fine as long as the printer works properly. Setting it up was very easy because I use printer as a hard-wired (i.e., USB-based) device instead of a wireless installation. The driver software loaded quickly and the unit was ready to print in just a few minutes. The print quality is very good, and the speed is definitely faster than my dinosaur 1012. Two things I dont appreciate about this printer, but they are not enough for me to give it a less than stellar review. First, come on HP, whats with the "intro" cartridge that only supports about 700 pages? Just include a standard cartridge and raise the price a reasonable amount to cover the cost. Second, when configuring the "printing preferences" the choice for "EconoMode" has text under that says "(May Save Print Cartridge)." Really HP? In the case of the old 1012 it was obvious that EconoMode saved toner so that qualifier wasnt included in the software. This makes me wonder if clicking on that box actually does save toner, and if not, then whats the point of even saying it? Even with those drawbacks Im still inclined to give this puppy four stars, however, I will be sure to update this review if I find issues with this product going forward. UPDATE - 4-12-14: This printer does a nice job on full pages, but its really lousy printing #10 envelopes. The addresses are barely visible at all. Nice work HP engineers! My old HP 1012 printed envelopes beautifully. I changed my rating to 3 Stars because of this.

Show more

Comment

I have had an older version of this style of HP LaserJet (Model P1006) for several years and have had no problems with it. I ordered this newer model because it is wireless. We have four computers scattered around the house and wanted to be able to print from any of them. The first Pro P1102 I ordered arrived damaged. The box had a couple of holes punched in it and the hinges on the top lid were broken. I contacted Amazon for a replacement the same day the damaged one arrived. The replacement arrived two days later with no charges to my account. I have 30 days to return the damaged printer. It took me less than an hour to set it up and have it printing wirelessly from all four computers - two XPs, one Vista, and one Windows 7. Some reviewers complain about the high cost of the LaserJet cartridges, however, InkJet cartridges cost more per page. A HP-85A replacement cartridge for this printer costs $69.00 for 1600 pages for 4.3 cents per page. A HP-74XL b&w cartridge for my wifes InkJet printer costs $42.00 for 750 pages for 5.6 cents per page. Generic cartridges for both printers can be purchased for less. My wifes printer also requires a color cartridge in addition to the b&w cartridge. I love the b&w LaserJet. If I want a color photo, I put it on a flashdrive and print it at the local grocery store for 24 cents and dont have to bother with the slow speed and other color ink jet problems. This LaserJet will print a page from standby in less than 10 seconds with the succeeding pages printing in less than five seconds each. One must wait much longer for my wifes InkJet to initialize and print. This LaserJet also came with a USB cord if one wants to run on USB.

Show more

Comment

I am a horribly impatient person, and I tend to get frustrated very easily when things take longer than I expect, or do not go how I have planned. So, when I bought a Yudu machine and tried to print transparencies on our Epson, I just about had an apoplectic fit when I found that the Epson would not print transparencies, and there was no way to trick it into doing so. I spent almost half an hour trying different configurations, schemes, and actions to get it to print, but finally after my husband checked the Epson FAQ page (Question: Will this Epson print on transparencies? Answer: No) I gave up and sat down in a grumpy heap and pouted. My dreams of making myself a faux vintage Peter Gabriel shirt were nearly dashed. My husband, ever the patient man, rolled his eyes and suggested that I look for laser printers, and directed me to Amazon. I was interrupting his gaming with my tantrum, and he figured we could use another printer regardless, to handle our volume of monochrome printing we do monthly. I then began my search. I was determined to buy something cheap, but not too cheap - that would print clearly and sharply, but also had a decent price for replacement toner cartridges. I threw many options at him before finally narrowing it down to this printer and a Brother model. The Brother was substantially cheaper and had good reviews, but couldnt verify if it would print transparencies or not. The HP didnt specifically say that it would, but hinted around at it very generally. So, I decided to take the risk. I ordered it with our prime account, and received it the next day - so the shipping was super duper fast - we hadnt opted to pay for one day. It was packaged well, and easy to set up - it was literally a plug and play, and got itself working so quickly I was rather amazed. (Be aware though that you need a USB cable with it - we luckily had one in our cord stash, but it didnt come with one). Within a few minutes, I was gleefully printing out my proposed tshirt ideas and compiling my Yudu portfolio. It prints fast and clearly, even on transparencies. I was worried about smudging issues since the transparency surface is quite smooth, but there wasnt any smudging, even directly off of the tray. We printed 600 pages of open source rpg manuals as well (all the same evening we recd the unit), and it works like a champ. So - its worth it. Its a great addition to our home office, and absolutely saved the day. Peter Gabriel shirt dream realized! (I will attach a picture as soon as the screen is done burning!)

Show more

Comment

I ordered the HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Printer (CE657A#BGJ) for our office. The primary users of this are our company owner and the employee who assists him with billing. The purpose of this printer was to be able to have one closer to her desk so she doesnt have to walk across the building every time she prints an invoice, and also to prevent both of their print jobs from being held up by print jobs by the rest of the team upstairs. This little printer does just the trick. It is nice an small, so it fits well in the limited space we have in the reception area, but it is powerful enough it prints all of their documents quickly and well. Set up was easy. The software walks you through configuring it for your wireless network, and I had no issues installing it on the Windows PCs we needed it on. After the printer is configured, users can easily install the printer on their desktops by pointing their web browser to the IP address for the printer, and using the install wizard there. The boss also has a MAC computer and an iPad and has been able to configure both to print to this printer using Airprint. The Airprint functionality required a firmware update for the printer after I received it, but the firmware was easy and quick to install. Airprint was an unexpected bonus - we didnt even realize the printer did this until it arrived and I read the manual. The boss was so tickled by this feature that he had me find him a good multifunction HP printer that also had this functionality and he bought that for his home. The HP LaserJet Pro P1102w printer has been a good purchase for our office, and prints documents very well. I highly recommend it.

Show more

Comment

***Update 4/1/2011*** I have installed a few more of these and have used the wireless for some of the setups and it seems to perform fairly well. No drops from the wireless network and is pretty easy to setup to joina wireless network. Just note that you need WPA security at a minimum for the printer to work wirelessly. Original Review: I have purchased 2 of these for customers that needed a replacement for an older model HP laser printer. This laser printer seems to be comparable to the older 1005/1006 and 1100 series of laser printers they appear to have replaced. The only difference appears to be this model adds wireless. Print quality, toner cost per page doesnt seem to have changed any over the last several models of this series. You get a typical starter cartridge that is about 60% full and software still includes tons of bloatware for a low volume desktop printer. Pros: * Inexpensive small footprint laser printer * Quick first page printing Cons: * Why does HP continue to want to install so many programs for a simple laser printer? If you dont know how to install the software, you end up with a huge customer participation program that sends you usage to HP, a driver update program that has never worked in the 12 years I have been installing these and a desktop manager that runs at startup when all you can do is print. Why do we need something running to help us print to a basic B&W laser printer that will print just fine with the drivers installed without the program running at start-up. I find this aggrevating especially when you install HP software on a laptop. When you are away from the printer, it takes longer to boot because the HP program is searching for the printer it cant find. HP used to provide corporate drivers that were just the drivers, which is all you need. Not available with this model, so you cant avoid the bloatware. The wireless seems like an afterthought. This is the only entry-level laser printer HP offers, so if you are in an office environment, you probably dont even need the wireless. I guess I wonder why they didnt add an Ethernet card instead. Yes, I know many routers have USB ports for printers, but those are typically harder to configure, where the Ethernet connection is more universal for small business networks or typical home networks where you already have a wireless router with a 4 port switch. Conclusion: It is what it is. A basic, no frills B&W laser printer with decent print speeds. I have been buying these for years and they serve their purpose. Remember, you get what you pay for. If you just need something on a desk to print an occasional email or invoice, it will meet your needs. If you will use this as a primary printer for a desktop or small office, I would recommend looking at some of the mid line laser printers with larger paper trays, larger capacity toner cartridges, etc. A few more dollars get a lot more features.

Show more

Comment

I own a computer repair business. We have sold nearly 50 of these in the last year. They are incredibly easy to install. Simply plug in the included usb cord and the onboard mass storage device is automatically installed and the driver installation begins immediately. It can easily be configured on your wireless network during the installation. This is even easier if you install first to a computer that is already connected wirelessly to your network. The printing is lightening fast and very economical. The toner is reasonably priced, and produces crisp printing that you generally only see on much higher end machines. Even though it comes with a so-called starter toner cartridge, it lasted forever. The spool up when printing wireless is nearly instantaneous. I can not say enough great things about these very compact, excellently priced units. Out of the 48 we have purchased - we had one that was producing a fuser type artifact on the page. Solid dark vertical line on the middle-left of the page. I received a replacement within 24 hours. Other than this one issue, they have been flawless, and had not one issue. Several of these are in Doctors and Dentists office, where they are printing 50-200 pages/day.

Show more

Comment

If you want to spend 45 minutes each time you want to print just one piece of paper and you dont mind turning it on and off and on and off and on and off and opening the lid and resetting the ink cartridge over and over and over then go ahead and buy this piece of junk. The price is very high ($200.00 +) for a printer that is absolutely awful.

Show more

Comment

I purchased this printer refurbished in 2011 for only $50!! It has worked great since then. I always have had problems with printers- both cheap and expensive ones. Every once in a while this printer doesnt print, but I found out these rare errors are software related. Re-plugging the printer cable into the computer always fixes these issues. No need to troubleshoot or re-install software. My favorite part of this printer is how long the cartridges last and how affordable they are. One cartridge lasts for 5000 sheets and they cost around $10 for a refurbished cartridge. I loathe the fact that the average printer requires ink cartridges which only last a few hundred sheets; those ink cartridges literally cost more than gold in weight. This printer and the refurbished toner cartridge has saved me lots of money over the past 3.5 years.

Show more