HP - LaserJet Pro M283fdw Wireless Color All-In-One Laser Printer - White

This is a very solid laser printer! It does several things really well, and when it comes to the core functionality of printing, you will not be disappointed! Setup: Setup was very easy and straightforward. The quick start guide provided very clear instructions, and unpacking the product was easy. Just had to pull off some tape and plug it in. The toner was already installed and ready to go. Connecting to WiFi was super quick and easy, and installing on my computer was a breeze. Print Quality and Performance: When it comes to the quality of prints and the speed at which this printer prints documents, you will not be disappointed. As I would expect from a laser printer, text and other content printed is very crisp and high quality. Additionally, the print speed of this machine is great! I printed a 4 page document using the automatic duplex (double-sided) printing feature that this machine has and it printed in around 45 seconds. Compared to my other printer which is an inkjet, this printer prints much faster and at a noticeably higher quality. As far as colors go, this printer also does a great job. I printed several documents with colors and was quite impressed with the quality of the colors printed. Sometimes laser printers can struggle when it comes to color, but the colors that were printed from this machine looked realistic and of great quality. Scanning: Overall, this printer does a great job at scanning. I tested using the document feeder for scanning and it scans super fast, which is a really big plus! The quality was also great. That being said, there are a few capabilities/improvements that I wish this printer had when it comes to scanning. First of all, it does not have automatic duplex scanning. I believe there may be a manual option for duplex scanning in Windows, but I have a Mac and did not see this option in the HP Smart app on my Mac. There is a way to scan documents to PDF and then combine and re-order them to your liking in Preview on the Mac, but that is not as convenient as automatic duplex scanning. This is not a huge deal, but it would have been a really beneficial feature to include with this machine. Additionally, while I do really like HP’s scan to email feature, it seems that this capability is long overdue for an upgrade with better integration with email services like Gmail. In order to get this feature to work, you have to set up an app-specific password for the printer to access your Gmail account, as well as enable “Allow less secure apps”. While it works great once set up, these steps for configuring are both less than optimal when it comes to security, and they are complicated for most people to set up. I have an HP inkjet printer that is over 6 years old that required configuration for this feature in the exact same way, so I was hoping that by now this would have been improved. Size and Looks: This is a very big printer! Be prepared with a large space to put it. Additionally, it is very heavy. Considering that this is a color laser printer, it makes sense that it is big and heavy, but you definitely want to make sure you have somewhere to fit this beforehand. If you are looking for a compact printer, this is not the printer for you. When it comes to looks, the printer looks very clean and professional. Other Features and Thoughts: 5GHz WiFi: I was really glad that this printer comes with dual band WiFi capability. It is great that I can connect this wireless printer to my 5 GHz WiFi network. It seems that many printers still come with 2GHz only, so I was really glad to see 5 GHz on this printer. I noticed that when printing to this machine, it seemed to receive and start print jobs very quickly, and I think the 5 GHz definitely contributed to how quick this machine received and completed print jobs. Touchscreen: The touchscreen on this printer is a great addition and works really well! Touchscreen printers are so much easier to set up and maintain since you can input and update WiFi settings as well as other important settings quickly and easily right on the printer itself. Machine Software and Firmware: As I mentioned, I have an HP inkjet printer that is over 6 years old. The interface on this printer looks very similar and must be based off the same software, which feels a bit dated to me. It’s not bad, but I would have expected something more recent on a brand new HP model. The local web interface for configuring features and changing settings on this printer looks especially dated. Despite the dated software on the machine, it interfaces very well with the HP Smart software which is very modern. It also works with all of the latest features, including ePrint, AirPrint, etc. So, overall, the software on the machine is more than sufficient. Reliability and Build Quality: In all of my testing, this printer was very fast and reliable! The software and firmware are reliable and it handled all print and scan jobs very quickly. When it comes to build quality, this machine feels like it is a really solid and well-made machine, so I would expect it to last a long time. That being said, I wish that HP offered a better standard warranty than just 1 year. This machine is not cheap, and I would have liked to have seen more from HP showing that they stand behind their product. Toner Cost: I looked at the pricing on toner for this machine, and it is expensive! A 3150 yield black toner cartridge alone will run you almost $100 from HP. So, definitely keep that in mind. While this is an expensive printer, I do feel that it is well-made and built to last, not to mention that is does an awesome job when it comes to print quality. Conclusion: Overall, this is a great printer! My biggest disappointment with this machine is the lack of automatic duplex scanning capability, but other than that, it handles all core functionalities incredibly well. Pages printed are crisp and of great quality, printing and scanning was really fast, scans came out in great quality, and the printer was very responsive. Additionally, it includes automatic duplex printing capability, which is a really important feature to have. When using the duplex printing, it was really fast as well. This printer also goes above and beyond other printers with 5GHz WiFi capability. I do feel that HP could have used newer software and improved the scan to email capabilities on this machine, and I do really wish automatic duplex scanning was a feature, but overall this printer does a great job and has all of the most important features I would expect in a great laser printer. I would definitely recommend this machine to those needing fast printing and/or high quality printing capabilities. I could definitely see it being a really great addition to a home office or small business.

Verdict: we love this printer! It’s now installed over Wi-Fi on all the computers in the house. With 4-in-1 functions, fast duplex printing and ADF scanning, it is a workhorse machine for any household and even small businesses. However, I am dreading the replacement cost for the toner, which will likely come sooner than we expect since it’s so easy for everyone to print now. Initial impressions. It is heavy! Yes of course, it’s a big printer, but it’s heavier than I expected. Definitely follow the recommendation that is on the flyer as soon as you open the box on how to remove the printer from the box, especially if you are alone. The touch screen is beautiful and bright (and it rotates!), giving the impression of high tech. My previous printer still had a black and white screen with buttons on the side… This is a nice upgrade. Setup. Besides having to rearrange some things to fit this printer in our office since it was bigger than the old one, setup was easy. Make sure you set it up on a sturdy table or desk; as already mentioned, it is heavy! The toner was already installed (note that these are “introductory cartridges” good for 1350 color pages and 700 black pages). The printer has many, if not all, connection options (Wi-Fi, USB, Apple AirPrint, etc.). I always dread the software installation for printers because something always goes wrong, but to my surprise, I had no issues! Download was easy and installation didn’t run into any issues. We connected through Wi-Fi and in just a few minutes the printer was up and running. Printing. Printing is much faster than our old HP. It will be fast for most people too, unless you compare it to a full-size copier. The black and white printing is comparable to our old HP LaserJet printer (black & white only), but now having the color option is fantastic. And front and back printing? Yes! Up to 21 ppm, so pretty good. Scanning. I tested the scanner with the document feeder and I was impressed by the speed and reliability of the operation. No paper jams, no bad fuzzy scans, or issues with the document format on the computer. It used to be so hard to scan reliably, but not anymore. It just works, and you can select any format you want, including PDF. Please note that it will not scan duplex; this is not a problem for us but consider your household or small business needs. The printer will email your scans but it requires a specific setup. I was expecting an easier feature like on my work copier where I can just enter an email when I scan and it automatically sends it there. If I do much more scanning, I may go through all the steps to set it up. Toner. More so than our old HP Laserjet, the toner is expensive… Really, in my perspective, this is the only drawback of this machine. Make sure you check the prices before buying this printer so you know what you are getting into. I don't really understand why it is so expensive. On the plus side, it is really easy to switch out the toner, the tray just comes out with all the toner cartridges. Things I like: - All-in-one powerhouse printer! Yes, it’s big and heavy but for most it’s the only machine you’ll need - Duplex color laser printing! - Print from your smartphone! And any Mac or Windows computer - Many connection options for your computers and network - Fast and quality prints - Automatic document feeder allows for easy (non-duplex) scanning - Scanning is reliable and makes choosing the document format really easy - Easy setup! This is not a “give-me.” Software installs and printer networking is usually a pain, but this setup was not. Thank you! - It has a fax (!!), which actually comes in handy once in a blue moon Things I don’t like: - Toner is very expensive - Duplex scanning would have been great but not such a big deal for us - Scan to email feature could have been better implemented Overall, this is a fantastic printer. I would recommend it if you want a solid printer for your home and you are ok with the features and cost of the toner. I would rate this printer 5 stars if it wasn't for the toner cost, which I think is a significant consideration in purchasing this machine. Otherwise, this printer is HP quality and reliability all the way.

Overall, the M238 is very good multi-use device. However, there are some issues that prevent it from being great. PROs: * Set up is very easy. Just follow the onscreen instructions, and it’s ready in minutes. * The primary paper dispenser (designated #2) is easy to access and offers a variety of paper size options. * Printing a document is quiet and very fast, be it color or b&w, including two-sided printing. * Scan function is also quiet, fast, and produces good quality reproduction. * Touchscreen control panel is large enough for easy reading. * The operational software HPSmart is easy to use. * Unless you are a high demand user, the toner cartridges should last quite a while. That’s a good thing, because replacements are expensive. CONs: *There is second paper dispenser (designated#1), and you must look for it, because there is no diagram of functional areas. The numbers embossed on the printer front give a clue that there should be another dispenser. When it’s found, DO NOT try to remove it for loading it, as it is designed for hand feeding individual sheets. Again, there is no documentation regarding its functionality; so, being used to multi-sheet loading, I removed. By removing it, I learned the composition is very thin plastic and is a chore to get reinserted. I was afraid it would break before I got it back. So, you can insert single paper sheets or single photo sheets, which is not ok if you need to print more than one or two items. * While the M238 duplex prints, it does NOT duplex scan. So, using the document feeder for scanning two-sided documents requires manual input, essentially doubling scanning time. If you have a large multipage document, you cannot load and go. You must turn over the document, and then send it back through. That can be tedious, even more so than the single sheet printer feed. * Photo printing is awful. Colors are washed out, even on high gloss paper, and the printed picture looks like a photo from many years ago that was exposed to light. Also, when a picture is printed, it exits into an area inside the printer. To retrieve it, you must lean over if sitting in a chair or standing, stick your hand inside an open area recessed in the printer, and then pull out the picture. That wouldn’t be so bad if you received a proper print. * For the cost of the printer, one would expect it would not lack any functionality and that ALL work product would be excellent. BOTTOM LINE: If you don’t care about quality photo printing, this is an excellent printer. If you don’t mind manually scanning two-sided documents, this is an excellent scanner. However, without those caveats being disclosed, I would not recommend it to a friend.

Set up: The initial set up for this printer was easy to understand and was very quick. It took less then 5 minutes to get it set up and printing. Size: This printer is quite large! We needed to give up a lot of valuable desk real estate to upgrade from our simple inkjet to this laser jet printer. If space is limited, this may not be the printer for you. Looks: I appreciate that this printer is more of a whitish gray plastic. Our previous ink jet printer was shiny black plastic and it would very quickly become dusty. Also, the glossy surface would show smudges and fingerprints. This material shows less dust and doesn't smudge as easily. Thankfully I wont have to dust it off as often. Printing quality: I was impressed by the printing quality. I intend to use the printer for crafting & diy projects - So, the first test was printing onto waterslide paper (which I compared to the same image previously printed with an inkjet). The quality and color was virtually identical. As someone who works with waterslide paper often-I would recommend this printer for those who work crafting projects. Speed: I scanned and printed 20 copies of a full page black and white documents. The printer took about a minute to scan the page in, and took a little less than two minutes to print 20 copies. The process was very easy to understand and was quick. Even those who do not consider themselves particularly tech savvy will be able to use this printer. Overall: I was very impressed by this as an entry level laser printer. The speed and quality seem very high for the price of the product and I would recommend this printer to anyone looking for a laser printer in this price range. CAUTION: Be aware that the replacement toner is VERY expensive. Typically I purchase generic toner from whatever website offers the best price. BUT, there are several warnings that generic cartridges may not work. It appears as though HP goes out of there way to ensure that only licensed toner will work. As the printer is connected to your wireless network - it sounds as though Over The Air Updates may be used to ensure that generic cartridges do not work. Please look up the replacement toner to ensure you understand how much you will be paying for replacements. (I now understand why some people literally purchase a new printer every they need new Toner or Ink).

This HP Color LaserJet Pro M283fdw is a very well built, feature rich printer as you have come to expect from HP. Unpacking and setup: This is a fairly heavy printer (just over 40lbs) and taking it out of the box is not that difficult if you follow the instructions. It can be done by one person, but may be easier if someone else was holding the box while you're pulling on the plastic bag to slide the whole unit out with the box laying on its side. The setup is quick and easy, you don't have to mess with the toner cartridges cause they're already installed. Downloading the full Software Suite (240MB) from HP's website took longer than expected, but it was probably some Internet congestion, etc. The Hardware initialization and Software install took about 5 minutes but may be faster on a newer PC. Once completed, and setup on the wired network, a print out came out automatically with the web printing email address and information on how to print from anywhere. Connectivity: This printer has it all. You can connect it directly via USB cable. You can wire it to your network via Gigabit Ethernet cable or you can set it up over dual-band Wi-Fi, either 2.4GHz or 5GHz which is great if you have many Wi-Fi devices on your network. There is also a front USB port. Printing Performance: I was impressed how quickly the printer wakes-up and is ready to print, almost instantly. I'm used to laser printers taking a while to warm-up before the first page comes out. It's rare that in such a home-office friendly package, it also prints double-sided (duplex), which is just as fast as printing single-sided with the added advantage of saving paper. On average I got about 20 pages per minute in mixed black and white, color and duplex modes. Print quality is crisp and color reproduction is quite accurate to the naked eye. HP Smart App for Android: I was really excited to very easily be able to print directly from my smart phone. Once you install the App it will prompt for additional HP Driver software which is also freely downloadable from the Play Store. The app gives you many options to print documents, photos, scan, copy, etc. I chose to print a photo from my local Gallery, though it gave me an option to print from Google Photos or Amazon Photos, if you have those Apps installed. Even though I did not use photo quality paper, the images and colors still came out really good, just not as shiny as it would be on photo paper. Scanning/Copying: Tested a simple document scan from my PC and again it was very intuitive, lots of options as to what file format to save the scan to PDF, JPG, and many other popular formats, or directly to email. Touchscreen LCD: There is a 2.7" tilt-able color LCD screen that is very intuitive and easy to navigate for settings and to manage the core functions of printing, scanning, copying or faxing. Overall this is an excellent printer, versatile and very well built. It is heavy and larger than your typical home inkjet printers of basic B&W laser printers, but that's to be expected for such a feature-rich workhorse. Make sure you check the dimensions before you buy one. It fits well in my home office furnished with matching Ikea furniture and custom built white PC tower :-)

As far as quality and what this printer does, it is top notch. The print quality is excellent and the best way I can desribe it is smooth and vibrant. Unboxing it you find a solid and heavy unit. Which is nice and gives it a high quality feel. Setup is easy and hooked up to my wifi network easily. Instead of the usual software drivers that are simply downloaded, you have to download the HP Smart app, at least on my MacBook. Some might consider this a negative, but the app isn’t that bad, and it does make scanning a lot easier. Also, it was nice, and an unexpected surprise, not having the printer wanting to waste ink printing a "calibration" page. The touchscreen controls works well, but it is a bit small. I had to be extra careful typing in my wifi network info as the buttons are so tiny. The single sheet feeder is a small feature but very welcome. I print a lot of labels and its so nice just slipping one in right before I have to print one versus messing with the paper tray when I don’t want to just use the regular paper. The scanner is also top notch. I scanned in a bunch of 4x6 pictures and the scan quality is excellent, and even if you don’t like having to download an app to use the printer, it’s worth having for how easy it makes scanning. The document feeder makes it even better. I was able to place a stack of pictures on it and it pulled them in and scanned them all. The app then lets you make any edits needed one by one, and when you’re ready to save it creates individual files for each photo and puts them in a single folder. Before this I had a dedicated scanner and had to do one picture at a time. I can’t tell you how amazing this is for me and a HUGE timesaver! Now for the bad parts. The light on the power button. This may be nitpicky for some, but it’s a major annoyance for me. When the printer goes into sleep/standby mode, the light on the power button starts blinking. If the printer isn’t within eyesight this isn’t a problem, but where it is in my office I can’t help but see it, and it’s not only annoying but extremely distracting when I’m trying to work. I ended up having to get a piece of electrical tape to cover it, which doesn’t exactly look very good or professional. It would be nice if there was a setting to disable the blinking when in standby. And for my final issue. This is the first laser jet printer I’ve owned that uses toner cartridges. These cartridges are EXPENSIVE! Make sure you factor that in. As of the time I’m writing this review, the full set of 4 cartridges (black, cyan, yellow, magenta) cost over $280!! That’s more than 60% of the price for this entire printer! It’s almost better to just buy a whole new printer once you’ve used up all the cartridges. If you don’t use the color ones much it won’t be as big of a deal, and the black cartridge is supposed to yield about 1350 pages, so the sticker shock won’t be as bad if all you need is black. Overall though, based on over a week of use, this is the best printer I’ve owned, and just the time it’s going to save me scanning pictures in makes up for some of the other costs of ownership.

Starting with the ease of the Best Buy online order process with same day delivery, it was a great experience. The printer itself works great and for my company well worth the price. We just had too many issues with inkjet printers, so the color laser is much nicer. The printer worked out of the box once I set up the wireless printing capabilities. I definitely recommend this product, I’m just hoping it holds up well over time.

The directions for installing this printer are flawed. It shows and asks you to go to the home screen, but gives you no directions on how to get there. The first screen displayed is a default settings screen. Being a NON-Tech person, I had no idea what to do. I did love HP Technical Dept. It did take the lady an hour to help walk me through, how to set up, but it works great!!! Plus the HP Technical Dept. followed up with me about a week later, to make sure the printer was still working, & if I had any other questions, or concerns. Love HP!!! Some plastic parts on machine are a little flimsy.