HP announced the launch of new compact models of multifunctional devices, HP LaserJet Pro M1132 and HP LaserJet Pro M1212nf, intended for users working from home or small office.

New HP Smart Install Technology allows customers to print in two minutes after connecting the device to a computer. Simply connect the printer via USB cable without using the installation CD, all the necessary software is in the device’s memory.

The new MFP also uses HP Auto-On/Off Technology providing immediate first page out in all modes of the equipment, and minimum power consumption in the “sleep” mode. In the absence of tasks, the technology automatically adjusts the power settings and sets the printer into mode with minimal power consumption. The devices also utilize advanced HP LaserJet toner cartridges, saving up to 35% energy compared with their predecessors.

HP LaserJet Pro M1132 is a solution for home and office use, for those who need fast, reliable device, which has reduced power consumption and delivers effective performance of everyday office printing, copying and scanning tasks. Instant-on Technology reduces power consumption by 50%, and the Instant-on Copy Technology allows you to save four times more electricity. HP Sure Supply Technology makes it easy to find and purchase cartridges for this unit.

LaserJet Pro M1212nf is a compact device for home or small offices, especially for companies dealing with a large number of documents and small working groups of 8-10 users wanting fast and quality results. Print speed is up to 18 A4 ppm, first page out time is 8.5 seconds, thanks to technology Instant-on. LAN connection and fax unit extend the use of devices.

Samsung Electronics introduces two new models of monochrome laser printers. Samsung ML-1660 and ML-1665 are equipped with a wide range of functions intended to simplify the management of printing. For example, through Print Screen button, users can in one touch print out what is currently displayed on the screen.

Both printers are supplied with special AnyWeb Print software, enabling instant composing and saving any web content prior to printing, simply by moving it to the special work area in your browser.

New models of Samsung ML-1660 and ML-1665 are compact, which is so ideal when working space is scarce. Printers have elegant flowing forms and black glossy finish. Special design of the output tray helps reduce noise that prevents from concentrating at business or home matters.

With print speeds of up to 16 pages per minute first page out time being less than 8.5 seconds, the new laser printers ML-1660 and ML-1665 are reliable and high quality devices for everyday use and are ideal as an assistant in study and work. Thanks to the convenient location of power button on the front panel, you can reduce the cost of electricity by turning off the printer from the power supply, leaving it to the energy-consuming standby mode.

New Printers Samsung ML-1660 and ML-1665 supports high-performance black and white Samsung toner cartridges, capable of printing more than 1,500 pages on a single refueling.

Xerox has announced sales of color WorkCentre 6400 MFP for small and medium workgroups. MFP is capable of simultaneously scanning, printing, copying and faxing to work with.

WorkCentre 6400 is distinguished by its parallel multitasking – the device can simultaneously perform all functions. This allows you to save you time users, who no longer need to wait long for printing results. In addition, the WorkCentre 6400 implements Print Around Technology. The essence of the technology is that any task that requires the use of special materials (envelopes, labels) is postponed in favor of the next job in the queue until the required non-standard material is loaded into the device.

The speed of the MFP is 35 pages per minute in black-and-white and 30 color pages per minute.

With 8-inch color touch screen display, any user may handle the management of the MFP. There is also an optional finisher and two-way Automatic Document Feeder (DADF). The device supports single-step conversion of scanned documents in PDF, DOC and EXL formats, and the support of LDAP address book makes the device suitable for use in a corporate environment.

Xerox Extensible Interface Platform, which WorkCentre 6400 is built on, significantly expands the functionality of the device due to the possibility of installing additional software.

Of the year 2006, actually.

“Whoa!” you might say, “best printers of 2006 at the end of 2009?” — “Yes, why?” we’d reply, “they are still as good as back then, yet they are now a time-proven choice for those on the look for a printing device.”

That having been said, let’s get down to our today’s participants.

The Black-and-Whites

In the Black and White Printer category the HP LaserJet 5200 was picked as a winner by voters at SmallBusinessComputing.com. This machine prints 35 pages per minute, support standard double-sided and wide-format printing, as well as the Instant-On technology, which lets the first page out in 10 seconds after you pressed the power button.

The printer uses the HP Q7615A cartridge with 12,000 pages yield that may easily cover the recommended monthly print volume of 2,500 to 10,000 pages.

The runner-up is the Samsung’s ML-2571N. This printer comes with a 400MHz processor and not expandable 32MB of RAM, which allows for 24 ppm printing speed. It has USB, Ethernet, and an IEEE 1284 parallel connector, so even old computers can connect to it.

The ML-2571N ships with a so-called starter toner cartridge, which prints only 1,000 pages. The standard Samsung ML2010D3 toner cartridge yield 3,000 pages. That’s really a standard resource for the printer of this level.

The Colors

The Best Color Printer category is presented by HP Color LaserJet 2605dn being the winner and Xerox “The Runner-up” Phaser 6120.

Why the Color LaserJet 2605dn? a) It’s a professional, network-ready color printer b) with top speed of 12ppm for black and white and 10ppm for color c) with 64 MB of built-in expandable to 320 MB memory, d) hi-speed USB port and built-in Ethernet print server, e) etc.

Each of the HP Color LaserJet 2605dn toner cartridges (cyan, yellow, magenta and black) is designed to last for around 2,000 pages and the black cartridge good for 2,500.

Our vice-winner, the Xerox Phaser 6120, also has features to bolster:

• Printing speed of up to 5 ppm in color and up to 20 ppm in monochrome
• 2,400 dpi enhanced resolution
• Standard network connectivity
• 128 MB memory as standard

There are two sets of color toner cartridges for the Phaser 6120. Color cartridges of standard yield set last for up 1,500 pages, while their higher yield sibling contain 3 times more toner for 4,500 pages. The black cartridge comes with singles yield type of 4,500 pages per cartridge.

The Multi-functions

Finally, the ones that do it all – print, scan and copy – the Multi-functions. This comes as no surprise the HP is the winner again with its Officejet 4315 All-in-One.

The HP’s jack-of-all-trades is cheap, compact, stylish and does color printing – what else is needed for a small or home office? However, it still has one drawback – the scanner is sheet-fed, not flat bed, so you can’t scan books with it. The print and copy speed is 20 pages per minute for black only and up to 14 ppm in color. According to HP, the 4315 can easily handle up to 1,500 pages a month.

The HP Officejet 4315 supplies account for a pair of black inkjet cartridges of smaller and larger yield (150 and 220 pages respectevely) and single color cartridge that lasts for 140 standard pages.

A Xerox machine holding the second prize has also become a common sight. This time it’s Xerox WorkCentre 4118. The runner-up is different from the winner in many ways. It’s a laser, and it’s monochrome, which, by the ways, generally suggests lower cost per page. It features a flatbed scanner, which does enable you to scan books and magazines. The Xerox also has a larger paper feed tray to hold 550 pages (compared to 100 sheets of the HP printer).

As any laser printing device, the WorkCentre 4118 consumes toner cartridges to makes prints. The only piece of supply required is Xerox 006R01278 toner cartridge, and you can print as many as 8,000 impressions with it.