The HP Color LaserJet 2840 is a color laser printer with multifunction features designed for the small to medium office environment.  Its print quality is excellent in both monochrome and color, but its slow speeds may be a problem for high-volume offices.

The design of the HP 2840 is pretty straightforward.  As with most multifunction devices the 2840 has the appearance of a laser printer with a scanner and copier placed on top.  Unlike many multifunction machines, however, its scanning mechanism doesn’t jut out from the top in an awkward way, which gives it a more sleek and compact look.  It is fairly large, measuring 19.6 inches by 20.9 inches by 22.4 inches and weighing 75 pounds. 

HP 2840 toner cartridges hold 5,000 pages for black and either 2,000 pages for color or 4,000 pages for color, depending on whether you choose the standard or high-yield cartridges.  For users who do not do a lot of color printing, the choice of a smaller color cartridge might be beneficial, though the high-yield cartridges are more economical in per-page costs.

Print quality is excellent in both monochrome and color, and is one of the 2840’s best features by far.  Text printing is sharp and defined, and is readable even at small font sizes.  Color printing, normally disappointing in a laser printer, is surprisingly good.  Color prints on standard paper are better than most color laser printers on the market, and color prints on glossy paper are so good they are approaching inkjet quality. 

Print speed is the HP 2840’s major downside, however.  Monochrome prints are fairly speedy at 20 pages per minute, but color prints are a much slower 4 pages per minute, due to the printer’s four-pass printing engine.  Granted, printers with single-pass engines cost much more than the price point of the 2840, but there are much faster four-pass printers available.

Overall, the HP Color LaserJet 2840 is a very well-designed color laser with some nice multifunction features included.  Users who want better-than-average color laser prints will be pleased, if the slower printing speeds don’t turn them away

The HP Color LaserJet 2840 is a color laser printer with multifunction features designed for the small to medium office environment.  Its print quality is excellent in both monochrome and color, but its slow speeds may be a problem for high-volume offices.

The design of the HP 2840 is pretty straightforward.  As with most multifunction devices the 2840 has the appearance of a laser printer with a scanner and copier placed on top.  Unlike many multifunction machines, however, its scanning mechanism doesn’t jut out from the top in an awkward way, which gives it a more sleek and compact look.  It is fairly large, measuring 19.6 inches by 20.9 inches by 22.4 inches and weighing 75 pounds. 

HP 2840 toner cartridges hold 5,000 pages for black and either 2,000 pages for color or 4,000 pages for color, depending on whether you choose the standard or high-yield cartridges.  For users who do not do a lot of color printing, the choice of a smaller color cartridge might be beneficial, though the high-yield cartridges are more economical in per-page costs.

Print quality is excellent in both monochrome and color, and is one of the 2840’s best features by far.  Text printing is sharp and defined, and is readable even at small font sizes.  Color printing, normally disappointing in a laser printer, is surprisingly good.  Color prints on standard paper are better than most color laser printers on the market, and color prints on glossy paper are so good they are approaching inkjet quality. 

Print speed is the HP 2840’s major downside, however.  Monochrome prints are fairly speedy at 20 pages per minute, but color prints are a much slower 4 pages per minute, due to the printer’s four-pass printing engine.  Granted, printers with single-pass engines cost much more than the price point of the 2840, but there are much faster four-pass printers available.

Overall, the HP Color LaserJet 2840 is a very well-designed color laser with some nice multifunction features included.  Users who want better-than-average color laser prints will be pleased, if the slower printing speeds don’t turn them away