HP ’s Color LaserJet CM1017 MFP is a welcome summation to the multifunction universe . It ’s sleeker than many of the other printers in this category , and nicely designed overall . But there are trade-off : These let in a want of fax feature and want of an automatic document feeder ( ADF ) for copying long documents . But these compromise would be acceptable for some small business office or home office user if it were n’t for its other major defect : hurrying .
This simple machine is very slow . A single - page , plain - text text file printed at a comely focal ratio , but everything else — be it a photo print , scan , or written matter — take much longer than the other laser we tested . To be fairish , the LaserJet CM1017 has a nail down locomotive speed of eight pages per minute ( ppm ) , and we were equate it to printer such as the Epson AcuLaser CX11NF ( ) and the Brother MFC-9420CN ( ) , which are engineered to give rise 25 to 31 ppm . Still , the fact that it was as ho-hum as some of the inkjet modeling we try , does n’t get out the good impression . examination via Ethernet instead of USB improved a few printing times but failed to turn the lunar time period .
All the print , scan , and copies come in out looking OK . Printed school text was very sinister , kinky , and clear . Curved and diagonal logical argument depict some jaggedness . Color image looked rude and fat , despite some job : shadows faded to blacken too tight , and unintended moiré patterns showed up in some arena . Scans and copy tended to look dark and rough than print , but nothing out of the ordinary for this course of study of merchandise .
Installation quirks
Our former experiences with the Color LaserJet CM1017 MFP involved a few bumps . First , the instalment CD we incur did not work with Macs . harmonize to HP , this job was detected and set before product unit ship to stores . A firmware trouble underreports the available memory ; the company is working on an upgrade , but it was not useable at the time this printer was being tested . There ’s also an error in the drug user guide about the maximum computer memory ; it ’s 224 MB , not 354 MB . The repose of the installation process ran smoothly . The frame-up documentation and candle - free-base User Guide are exhaustive and understandably illustrated .
The machine ’s innovation is simple . Everything you use oft — the input and output trays , plus the toner - cartridge accession door — is on the front of the machine . The slight , plastic output tray sticks out and just begs to be break off ; a replacement is available for free under warranty , or for a minimum Leontyne Price afterward .
Lovable control panel
The Color LaserJet CM1017 MFP ’s control panel is refreshfully simple . It groups each set of functions together and makes menu - surfing easy with separate sailing and natural selection buttons . The full - colour LCD is another plus : it offer graphical representation of data such as toner - cartridge levels , as well as slowly - to - read menu lists . Two memory - card time slot on the side of the MFP ( a feature article unwashed to inkjet - found manakin ) rent you work out with your digital photos directly from the machine using LCD - based prompts ; the include HP Photosmart Premier software lets you manage those photos on your electronic computer .
Scanning bid a few complications for Mac drug user . From the control panel , the Start Scan push button mold only with direct ( not networked ) connections . The Scan To push button lets you send a scan via your nonremittal e - ring armour practical program or , if the MFP is networked , to a specific computer . Unfortunately you ca n’t post a CAT scan to a specific file destination ( as Windows user can ) . The installed HP Director software , which make out most scanning tasks , lack a preview - scan function . You have to read an integral page at your choose closure even if you need just part of it — meaning you may waste a band of clip scanning unwanted areas . HP says it designed this feature to make scanning simpler for beginner , but we ’d favour shorter scan times .
timed trials: print
Scale = minute : second
timed trials: scan
jury tests: print
Scale = Superior , Very in force , Good , Fair , Poor
jury tests: scan/copy
specifications
Macworld’s buying advice
While the HP Color LaserJet CM1017 MFP is well designed and easy to expend , its slow stop number makes it a toughened sell . you could get a comparably fast inkjet for much less money , or for about the same terms , you could get a much faster coloring material - laser MFP that believably also has fax feature and an ADF . We were also discomfited with some of the complexness we bring out in hear to rake . Some patient individuals may still want Color LaserJet CM1017 , but we can give it only a qualified recommendation .
[ Melissa Riofrio is a independent author specializing in printers and MFPs . ]
