HP LaserJet Pro 100 M175a review
Although the LaserJet Pro 100 is a very capable small office colour laser MFP, its running costs are too high
The 1,200×1,200dpi scanner and its driver are identical to those used by most of HP’s other MFPs. It has been overhauled to make scanning more efficient. It’s still very restrictive, though, limiting you to a handful of preset resolutions and providing few image processing or correction features. You can’t disable auto-sharpening, either, which leads to artefacts around areas of fine detail at high resolutions.
There was also vertical banding caused by the movement of the scan head at higher resolutions, and contrast is poor. Scan quality is acceptable at lower resolutions, at least, and 300dpi is more than enough for most office jobs. Colour and mono copies were good, with accurate colour reproduction and balanced greyscale tones.
The LaserJet Pro 100 is a relatively inexpensive laser MFP, and we were pleased with the speed and quality of its prints. However, it’s very expensive to run if you want to print a lot of colour, and we weren’t impressed by its flawed scans. Although it has plenty of features, most small and home office uses will be better off with a business inkjet MFP. The outstanding Epson WorkForce Pro WP-4535 DWF costs £60 more, but it’s much cheaper to run and provides better all-round quality.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| Maximum native print resolution | 600x600dpi |
| Max optical resolution | 1,200×1,200dpi |
| Output bit depth | 30-bit |
Quoted Speeds | |
| Quoted speed, mono A4 | 16ppm |
| Quoted speed, colour A4 | 4ppm |
Tested Print Speeds | |
| Time for two 10x8in photos 1.0 | 53s |
| Time for six 6x4in photos 1.0 | 1m 7s |
Physical and Environmental | |
| Standard printer interfaces | USB |
| Optional printer interfaces | none |
| Size | 338x441x421mm |
| Weight | 16.2kg |
| Noise (in normal use) | 47dB(A) |
| Duty cycle | 20,000 impressions |
Paper Handling | |
| Maximum paper size | A4 |
| Maximum paper weight | 200gsm |
| Standard paper inputs | 1 |
| Standard paper input capacity | 150 |
| Maximum paper inputs | 1 |
| Maximum paper input capacity | 150 |
| Duplex (code, cost if option) | No |
General | |
| Printer technology | four-pass colour laser |
| Language(s) | HP PCL 6, HP PCL 5c |
| Supported operating systems | Windows XP/Vista/7, Mac OS X 10.5.8 – 10.6, Linux |
| Maximum printer memory | 128MB |
| Other laser features and options | £118 |
Buying Information | |
| Price | £200 |
| Price per colour A4 page | 14.7p |
| Price of 2nd paper cassette | N/A |
| Warranty | one year RTB |
| Supplier | http://www.misco.co.uk |
| Details | www.hp.co.uk |
Tested Scan Speeds | |
| Full scan area preview | 11s |
| A4 document at 150dpi | N/A |
| A4 document at 300dpi | 11s |
| 6x4in photo at 600dpi | 34s |
| 6x4in photo at 1200dpi | 1m 48s |
| Single 35mm negative at 2400dpi | N/A |
Tested Copy Speeds | |
| Time for single A4 mono copy 1.0 | 18s |
| Time for single A4 colour copy 1.0 | 36s |
| Time for 10 A4 copies using feeder 2.0 | 1m 48s |
Copy Features | |
| Maximum number of copies | 99 |
| Copier zoom range | 25-400% |
| Max mono copy resolution | 300x300dpi |
| Max colour copy resolution | 300x300dpi |
Fax Features | |
| Fax modem speed | N/A |
| Max mono fax resolution | N/A |
| Fax memory (maximum mono pages) | N/A |