HP LaserJet Pro 400 color Printer M451dw

HP LaserJet Pro 400 color Printer M451dw

Once you get past the unwieldy name, the HP LaserJet Pro 400 color Printer M451dw ($549 direct) has a lot to recommend it. It offers high-quality output, especially for graphics and photos, plus paper handling suitable for typical small to medium-size offices or for a micro office with heavy-duty print needs. The combination qualifies it not just as a workhorse color laser, but as one that should be of particular interest to anyone who needs high-quality output for anything from PowerPoint handouts to small runs of one-page mailers or similar marketing materials. The M451dw is the mirror image in many ways of the similarly priced Brother HL-4570CDW ($500, 3.5 stars), offering less emphasis on speed and more on output quality. Like the Brother printer, it is small enough, at 12.7 by 15.9 by 19.1 inches (HWD), to fit easily in a small office. It's also heavy enough, at 52.1 pounds, so you may need some help moving it. Once in place, however, setup is standard fare, with support for both wired and WiFi network connections. For my tests, I connected the printer to a wired network and installed the drivers on a Windows Vista system. Speed and Output QualityPrint speed is a little sluggish for the price.