SMEs looking for a capable and reliable monochrome office printer can consider HP’s Laserjet Pro P1606dn as a serious contender to fill that void.
 
Functionality
 
The P1606dn, nicknamed the Mantis, is an average sized (387 x 284 x 246 mm) black and white printer, able to churn out pages at a maximum of 25 ppm. This compares favourably to other monochrome printers we''ve reviewed such as the Canon i-SENSYS LBP 3010 Mono Laser Printer and the Samsung ML-2851ND, with the HP looking a bit more capable to withstand a few knocks and bruises. The quality of the print jobs at either 600 dpi or HP FastRes 1200 resolution are very good, with the speed at which printing jobs are completed impressive considering their quality.

Duplexing and other features

To save paper the HP includes duplex mode, whereby the P1606dn prints on both sides of the page automatically. You can also select EconoMode on the print setting via the software, to save some toner. Apart from your toner and paper cost going down, you also save power with the Mantis' Auto-On/ Auto-Off feature, which even turns the printer's LED lights off, dropping power consumption to 1.6 Watt. 
 
HP’s P1606dn can be connected to the network via a 10/100 Ethernet port at the back of the printer, but there's no USB slot for printing directly from your USB memory stick.
 
Paper handling
 
Like most printers the P1606dn is capable of printing on paper, envelopes, labels, cardstock, transparencies as well as postcards. There is a paper tray at the front of the printer that holds an average 250 (A4) sheets and another feed slot on top of that which handles special paper such as the envelopes. This printer has a duty cycle of up to 8 000 (A4) pages per month and comes with a one year limited warrantee.  
 
Final Word
 
HP’s LaserJet Pro P1606dn boasts all the features that the home- and SME user will need from a no mess, no fuss monochrome printer. The P1606dn will only go on sale from about June, so there's no details on pricing available yet.