The LaserJet 4050's standard 500-sheet paper tray slides into the front of the printer; paper follows an S-path through the printer and ejects face-down into a generous 250-sheet output bin on the top of the unit. Alternately, you can flip down a tray in the rear of the printer that handles 50 sheets. The printer's front also hosts a flip-down, multipurpose feed tray that can handle 100 sheets of ordinary paper as well as media ranging from 3-by-5-inch cards to legal-sized paper. The tray's adjustable guides automatically center the paper.

Toner cartridges slide effortlessly into a large opening on top of the unit. This opening, along with well-marked access levers, also lets you access the entire paper path. Hewlett-Packard's TonerGauge tracks the number of printed toner dots and sends an accurate reading to the control panel and the management software.

The menu structure is immediately understandable and the control panel easy to use. On the control panel, three LED indicators show the printer's online status, activity, and error conditions, while a series of buttons on the right allows you to maneuver through the printer's scrollable menus. The LaserJet 4050N's online help system allows you to scroll through troubleshooting solutions on the control panel.

The LaserJet 4050N comes with interfaces for parallel, serial, and 10/100 Base TX as standard, but 10-T/10-2 LocalTalk interfacing is available as an option. The LaserJet 4050N's fast infrared receiver in the rear is handy if you have a compatible notebook and like the idea of printing wirelessly from across your office.

In addition to font and macro storage, a hard disk enables the LaserJet 4050N to perform several types of jobs: Private Printing, Proof and Hold, Stored Jobs, and Quick Copies. Private Printing enables users to encode a print job with a PIN number and release the job at the printer by entering the code. Proof and Hold is a feature bound to save paper--it prints the first copy of a document and only prints the subsequent ones after you look at the proof and release the job at the printer. Quick Copying lets you print up to 999 additional copies of the last job without reloading the source application. Stored Jobs can live at the printer, and you can print them on demand from the control panel without any PC involvement.

Given 4050N's impressive features, its fast 17-page-per-minute, jam-free printing, its network interfacing, and its strong manageability features, we think this is a fine business printer.

Pros:

• Strong manageability features
• Excellent control panel
• Prints up to 17 pages per minute
• Innovative workgroup options

Cons:

• Printer cable not included

The first one I have had for 3 years and it works as good as the day I got it. I use it for between 20 and 200 pages a day EVERY day. The Extended life toner cartridge seems to last FOREVER. The network feature was quite easy to setup through NT, XP, and 2000 using the standard Windows Drivers.. Heck I didn't even need a driver disk - How cool is that?

The second and third ones are general office printers which handle 200+ pages a day. Again easy network configuration and never a problem.

I don't [care]what the resolution is, or that fact that is spits out 16+ pages a minute - All that matters for me is that it works, I don't ever have to fix it, and it's super fast. I work in a wood shop and I swear this thing sits under 1/2 inch of dust. I blow it off with an air hose once a month and that is it. The manual feed works great too.

One more thing - In the seemingless infinte printouts we make - we have never had one jam... Not ONE.

Stop looking and buy this printer! You will not forgive yourself if you pass it up.

I would and will buy this printer again.

Matthew