Customer Reviews

HP LaserJet Pro P1102w Printer (CE657A#BGJ)

5 star:		(151)
4 star:		(71)
3 star:		(18)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(42)

 

 

I purchased this printer through a local retailer and was debating between the HP and a similarly priced wireless printer from Brother. The replacement toner cartridges are a bit more for the HP, but then again, they come with the drum assembly built in. This greatly reduces maintenance and potential hardware failures.

Setup:
As for setup, under Windows it's a snap. Put the CD in and follow the directions.

Under Linux (I'm using Ubuntu 10.04 (Lucid Lynx)) the install was easy. I visited [...] web site and downloaded the drivers. From there, I just followed the directions on the web page and it works like a charm.

I've not used it with a Mac, but I did note that OSX is listed on the box.

Printer quality:
As for the printer itself. It has a very small footprint on the desk when the paper trays are not extended, and a small one when they are. It has excellent monochrome print quality and is very fast. As with all laser printers, the ink is waterproof once it's on the paper. I'd recommend it any day of the week.

The printer's body feels solid when you handle it. The input trays are similarly solid. The output tray feels a bit light, but as long as you aren't abusing the tray, it'll be more than sufficient.

HP Experience:
For me, HP printers are generally very reliable and always has good driver support both under Windows and Linux.

At my house in the country my deskjet printers got so little use that they were dried up when I did need them, so when I saw this Laserjet for $99 I jumped on it. The toner cartridges can be pricey at $65 or so, but it's cheaper than replacing dried up deskjet cartridges for me, and I don't need to print color.

Considering that in the early 1990s when the first home laserjet from HP sold for just under $1,100, and business models sold for about $3,500, this still seems like a bargain to me.

It also works well (and better than my wireless Lexmark printer that lasted all of two months, and that wouldn't print anything if any of the cartridges were empty (if one color was gone, you couldn't even print black).

Here's how to install the printer on a Mac with OS X (10.6) (if needed):

1. Click Finder on the Dock
2. Click APPLICATIONS under PLACES
3. Click SYSTEM PREFERENCES
4. Click PRINT & FAX
5. Click OPEN PRINT QUEUE
6. Click PRINTER SETUP
7. Click the UTILITY tab
8. Click OPEN PRINTER UTILITY
9. Click the HTML CONFIG button
10. Click the NETWORKING tab
11. Click WIRELESS
12. Click INFRASTRUCTURE
13. Select your wireless network under AVAILABLE NETWORK NAMES (SSID)
14. Click the << button (to the left of the network names list)
15. Scroll down to AUTHENTICATION and click the choices after SECURITY MODE
16. Choose the type of security you're using (WEP or WPA/WPA2)
17. Under the AUTHENTICATION heading above this, click in the box following WEP KEY 1 and enter your network password
18. Click the green APPLY button
19. In the information box that appears and says, "Changes have been made ..." click the green OK button
20. Close the HTML CONFIG UTILITY window by clicking the red button at the top left
21. Click the OK button in the HP LASERJECT PROFESSIONAL P1102W box
22. Close the HP LASERJET PROFESSIONAL P1102W box by clicking the red button at the top left
23. In the PRINT & FAX box click the choice for the HP Laserjet PP102W
24. Press the minus sign to delete the printer
25. Press the DELETE PRINTER confirmation button
26. Click the plus sign button to re-add the printer
27. Scroll through the list and click on the printer name HP LASERJET PROFESSIONAL P1102W for which KIND (in the next column) says BONJOUR
28. Click the ADD button

That's it. Simple and reliable. And without the Lexmark issues.

I bought this yesterday and have already used it to print well over 100 pages of double sided text. Thus far, I'm satisfied.

Positives:
- Easy installation; very few steps and very clearly explained in brief instruction manual
- Product is well packaged and it seems to be a fairly study design
- It runs quietly and prints quickly
- I haven't had any significant problems connecting to my wireless network or printing

I wouldn't give it any negatives, but be aware of one quirk with the software...

When you do double-sided printing, it is manual. This means that you print the even numbered pages, then remove the stack and place it back into the tray. At this point, you are supposed to press a "continue" button in a dialogue box that pops up on your screen. The problem is that if you attempt to do any work in another window, then that dialogue box disappears and you cannot press the continue button. There is no way to get it to reappear that I am aware of. It just disappears and you are left with a stack of even-numbered pages. The dialogue box will also disappear whether you do anything or not if the printer is on standby when you send the print job. So, if you want to print double-sided, make sure to turn it on (not standby) first. Otherwise, you'll again have a stack of even-numbered pages.

Although this printer has many laudable features, it has a significant problem that potential purchasers should be aware of.

I purchased this printer for school. I often print papers of 40-90 pages in length. I thought I would be able to use the printer's manual duplexing feature to help me save paper by printing on both sides. The HP software makes this easy. It will first print the even-numbered pages, then you just put the pages back in the paper bin, and it prints the odd-numbered pages on the reverse side. And you use only half the paper. Unfortunately, with the longer papers, something goes wrong when it pulls in the paper to print the odd-numbered pages. The pages stick together, and I end up with a paper where the pages are badly out of order. So much so that the document is unusable. So, it ends up wasting a lot of paper and toner. And it seems the longer the document, the more likely it is to be a problem.

And it's really too bad because the product is pretty good in every other respect. The first page comes out unbelievably fast, even when the printer is asleep. The speed of the printer is good. And, strangely, the paper handling in the first six months I've had it -- aside from the duplexing problem -- is good. It hasn't jammed. The print quality is also just what you expect from a printer. On Windows 7, setup was easy. I use the wireless feature, and have had 0 problems with that.

The toner is more expensive than I would like. But maybe that's just the way all printers are these days. The starter toner cartridge really is quite small, and I needed a replacement very soon after I purchased the printer.

I have had this printer for three days. I purchase local at brick and mortar store due to better pricing. It was purchased to serve as a backup printer to my Canon MX870 inkjet printer. You need a backup laser printer when you have a 9 year old printing everything that comes to her mind to an inkjet!

My setup consists of two laptops computers running Windows 7 plus one Mac running OSv10.6. Before installing the printer, I did some reading online and read about how easy it was to perform a WIFI set up for this printer in Windows and how hard it was to set up in the Mac.

First, I set up the two Windows 7 laptops. Set up was very easy. You plug in the included USB cable to the laptop and the printer runs its own installation program. Windows drivers are preinstalled on the printer and are downloaded to the laptop. During installation, you are prompted to select WIFI. In my case, as I have a secured network, so I was prompted for the network password. Once entered, the printer connects to the network and you are done.

Now, installation on the Mac is another story. First, no Mac drivers are installed in the printer, so installation is performed from an included CD. However, you still need to plug the printer to the Mac using the USB cable and complete a USB installation. Then you need to delete the printer, disconnect the USB cable and then add the printer as a WIFI connection. The problem is that this is not what the included instructions say!

More detail on the Mac installation can be found in the HP Customer Care website. Look for a document titled: "Macintosh: Installing the Product Software in Mac OS X v10.6 for a Wireless Network Connection".

The only drawback is the cost of toner and the expected yield from a toner cartridge, which is rated at only 1,500 pages. Other wireless laser printer in the same price range, like the Brother HL-2170W and the Samsung ML-2525W yield an estimated 2,500 pages and also the toner cost is a little cheaper. However, Mac installations on these two seem to be more difficult from what I read!

The printer itself has performed wonderfully after completing the installations. I would recommend this printer to anybody looking for an inexpensive Laser printer for personal use.

I bought this printer to replace my HP 1000 Laserjet because HP provides no drivers for it for Windows 7. I was looking for an inexpensive laser printer to use at home as the 1000 had been for several years. The HP LaserJet 1102w fits the bill perfectly. It's much faster and produces clean, clear copy on most kinds of papers. When we go away for a week or more I don't like to leave things running, and the only way I could turn off the old HP 1000 was to unplug the power cord. The ll02w now has a power button! Of course, when not in use, it goes into a sleep mode that drains virtually no power, but it now can be turned off completely. The only problem I had was I had to use the install CD with my new Windows 7 machine because the computer only recognized it as a "device," not as a printer. When I installed with the CD it went right into the printer list on the control panel and worked perfectly.

Also, you might look around for a bargain price. I was going to order it through Amazon, but found it on an unadvertised sale at Best Buy for $99.

In summary, this is a compact, fast, efficient laser printer that can't be beat for general home or small business use.

Being in IT and certified on all things related to networking and desktop computing I knew going into a home printer purchase that I wanted something that can handle more printing per cartridge than what most inkjets put out. I chose the HP 1102W based on user reviews and specs.

It was a worthwhile purchase. Item comes as described and has the benefit of being a laser printer. Fast clean/crisp printing for standard home use and maybe even small office use. It prints fast after a brief warmup and the printer will go into shutoff mode when idle for some time conserving energy. I would recommend this if you are looking to do B/W one sided printing in your home.

This printer is great. The setup took a couple of minutes because my router requires a password. I had to plug it into my computer with the included USB cable.

I love the fact that the printer shuts itself off and, without any intervention, turns on and starts printing as required.

In addition, the speed is amazing. I've been used to an ink jet printer, which was speedy for an ink jet, and when I saw the first page out of the HP I thought it had just passed a blank page.

Not having to plug this into my computer with yet another cable to add to my rats nest of cables is another great feature of the printer.

I highly recommend this printer.

After reading a number of reviews discussing the difficulties with using this printer with a Mac, I felt compelled to write this review. For starters, you need to know that I am not a computer person. Computers and I normally don't get along. That is why when my PC died, I decided to get an Apple product. All of my other Apple products are user-friendly, and so is the MacBook. I purchased this HP laserjet printer becuase I was tired of the ink in the inkjet drying out. The printer has a small footprint, and it's tough to find a better value for a wireless laserjet that will be used for miscellaneous home printing jobs. With regard to the setup with a Mac, do yourself a favor and go to the Amazon.com review posted on October 30, 2010 by R. Ruiz. He sets forth 28 steps to follow after you have downloaded the software that comes with the printer. I had no idea what I was doing, but I followed the very specific and accurate instructions by R. Ruiz and sure enough, the printer was installed with wireless capabilities. Not including the time it took to take the printer out of the box and plug it in, the installation took only 15 minutes. Do not be scared off by other reviews that bemoan the difficulties with installing the printer on a Mac. While the reviews are correct that the HP software and instructional booklet are useless when setting up the printer wirelessly with a Mac, the review by R. Ruiz includes all of the instructions you need.

I was thoroughly happy with this printer for six months. Then it stopped working. Too bad I'd already bought a spare cartridge. Attempts to get service via HP were futile. So now I have a very nice nearly new printer that stopped working.