| With prices dropping into the sub-$500 | | | | selected program such Word, PowerPoint, |
| arena, laser printers--even | | | | and Photoshop. You can also scan a |
| multifunction lasers--are moving into | | | | document using the bundled third-party |
| the home, but the HP Color LaserJet | | | | optical character-recognition software, |
| CM1017 MFP is too expensive for the | | | | which will produce a text-editable scan. |
| average home user. It is, however, a | | | | |
| good choice for the small or home office | | | | The CM1017's copy features are basic. |
| user who needs high-quality laser | | | | When scanning documents, you can adjust |
| prints--particularly graphics--but not | | | | darkness and scale the size from 25 |
| necessarily fast prints. For $700, you | | | | percent to 400 percent; when scanning |
| get a network-ready color laser | | | | photos, you can also color balance and |
| multifunction printer that prints, | | | | sharpen the image. One common feature we |
| scans, and copies, and includes built-in | | | | didn't find is the ability to make N-up |
| media card readers, a rarity for laser | | | | copies, which prints two or more |
| printers. We think the CM1017 is a good | | | | originals on one sheet of paper. You |
| choice for small offices that need great | | | | can, however, make N-up prints from your |
| image quality from a laser, such as | | | | PC (you can find it under the Finishing |
| realtors and insurance agents. | | | | tab in Printer Properties). |
| Design | | | | As we mentioned before, the ability to |
| The HP Color LaserJet CM1017 MFP is a | | | | print straight from a memory card is an |
| large printer better suited for an | | | | uncommon feature on laser printers. With |
| office than for a home. It sits 17.3 | | | | the CM1017, not only do you get the |
| inches wide, 20 inches deep, and 21.3 | | | | ability to print photos, but you get a |
| inches tall, and it weighs nearly 50 | | | | decent range of features to boot. You |
| pounds. The top-mounted flatbed scanner | | | | can preview the contents of your card on |
| and control panel sit atop the body like | | | | the color LCD via a slide show or by |
| a flat hat. The flatbed scanner can hold | | | | manually clicking through the range of |
| up to A4-size originals, but the unit | | | | images. When it comes time to print, you |
| lacks an automatic document feeder, so | | | | can choose among a range of print sizes, |
| it can't scan legal-sized documents. | | | | paper sizes, and paper types, including |
| Below the scanner unit is the output | | | | HP's laser photo paper. You can even |
| tray, which juts out from the front of | | | | choose to print a range of photos (by |
| the printer. The input tray pulls out | | | | photo number, not date). And best of |
| from the bottom of the printer's front | | | | all, you can print an index sheet of all |
| and can hold up to 250 sheets of plain | | | | the images on your card or a proof |
| paper. You can adjust the paper tray to | | | | sheet. The index sheet includes the |
| hold legal-size sheets. The front panel | | | | photo number, the file name, and the |
| of the paper tray houses a single-sheet | | | | date it was taken-- all great |
| manual feed slot for one-off prints. | | | | references. The proof sheet lets you |
| Adjustable paper guides let you smoothly | | | | bubble in the images you want printed, |
| feed anything from envelopes to full | | | | select your paper type (plain or |
| sheets of paper. If you need increased | | | | glossy), and a select a layout (from one |
| paper capacity, you can purchase a | | | | image per page up to six images per |
| second 250-sheet tray. | | | | page). Then you simply scan the proof |
| The CM1017 serves up four media card | | | | sheet, and the printer takes care of |
| slots on the right side of the printer. | | | | printing the images for you. These |
| The slots accept most major types of | | | | aren't photos you'll necessarily want to |
| cards. The printer's control panel | | | | frame and hang, but the ability to print |
| resides next to the scanner bed. A | | | | good-quality photos on a laser printer |
| 2.4-inch color LCD flips up and can be | | | | is a very useful tool for some offices. |
| tilted to optimize the viewing angle. | | | | Replacing spent toner cartridges is a |
| Constantly displayed on the LCD are | | | | simple task on the CM1017. Simply flip |
| icons that indicate the toner levels, so | | | | open the front panel and pull out the |
| you can avoid a last-minute dash to the | | | | used cartridges individually. A new |
| office supplies store to finish a print | | | | 2,500-page black cartridge costs about |
| job. A bevy of buttons let you initiate | | | | $75, while each 2,000-page color |
| photo print, scan, and copy tasks | | | | cartridge (cyan, magenta, and yellow) |
| without touching your PC, as well as | | | | costs about $83. This puts black prints |
| navigate the printer's various menus. | | | | at around 3 cents per page and color |
| Features | | | | prints at about 15.4 cents per page. |
| Although multifunction laser printers | | | | These numbers are a bit high when |
| are generally office-oriented, the Color | | | | compared to nonmultifunction color laser |
| LaserJet CM1017 MFP lacks fax | | | | printers and are also higher than the |
| functionality, which may be a deal | | | | per-page costs for the Epson AcuLaser |
| breaker for some offices. On the other | | | | CX11NF. Clearly, HP should work on |
| hand, it does provide a feature that's | | | | high-capacity cartridges for this model. |
| relatively uncommon among laser | | | | |
| printers: media card readers for | | | | Performance |
| printing photographs. You can print | | | | It's difficult to make direct |
| decent-quality photos on plain paper or | | | | performance comparisons for the HP Color |
| on HP's laser photo paper, a feature | | | | LaserJet CM1017 MFP, as we haven't |
| that can be useful in certain industries | | | | reviewed a color laser multifunction in |
| such as real estate or insurance. | | | | quite some time. The last one we |
| The CM1017 comes with a 300MHz processor | | | | reviewed was the above-mentioned Epson |
| and 94MB of RAM standard (upgradeable to | | | | AcuLaser CX11NF. Still, the numbers |
| 224MB). It sports an Ethernet port for | | | | speak for themselves and what they say |
| networking, or you can attach it | | | | is, if you do a lot of printing and |
| directly to a PC via USB 2.0. Duplex, or | | | | print speed matters, this is not the |
| two-sided, printing is a manual | | | | machine for you. HP rates this machine |
| operation, as the CM1017 lacks a | | | | to print eight pages per minute in both |
| built-in duplexer. | | | | mono and color, so it's not intended to |
| When scanning from the printer's control | | | | be a speed demon. In our Labs' tests, it |
| panel you have a couple of options: You | | | | printed black text at 6.81ppm, black |
| can save the file to your PC in a number | | | | graphics at 6.31ppm, color text at |
| of different formats, including TIFF, | | | | 5.91ppm, and color graphics at 6.16ppm. |
| JPEG, and PDF, or you can attach the | | | | It scanned a grayscale document at a |
| file to an e-mail. Using HP's Solution | | | | rate of 3.39ppm and a color document at |
| Center software, you get more options, | | | | 2.61ppm. To compare, the Epson CX11NF |
| including the ability to scan into a | | | | churned out black text at 18.44ppm. |