It would be a stretch to call HP's Color LaserJet 3600n inexpensive, but the relatively low price tag on this network-ready color laser printer certainly puts it within reach of many home office users, as well as small and medium businesses.

If you disregard its nearly 60-pound heft, the 3600n is easy to set up, although you will have to supply your own printer cable ($20 to $25). The printer uses four cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) that install quickly.

A control panel on the top front of the printer provides convenient access to the printer menu and other controls and indicators, including a button for stopping jobs in progress. There is also a supplies gauge that lets you know when a cartridge is running low, as well as several printer status lights.

The 3600n supports print speeds of up to 17 pages per minute for both monochrome and color printing, and it boasts printing resolutions of up to 600X600 dpi for both monochrome and color. It has a 100-sheet multipurpose tray and a 250-sheet paper tray. You can add a 500-sheet paper tray ($249.99), for a total capacity of 850 sheets. The 3600n ships with 64MB RAM, which is not upgradeable.

Per-page printing costs are on the low end, at about 12 cents per page for color and just over 2 cents per page for monochrome. This is a very budget-friendly printer.

Print quality is somewhat disappointing, especially for line art, which appears a little fuzzy. Text is generally good, even at smaller sizes, although it leans toward dark gray rather than a crisp black. Detail in color images can be muddy, and colors are sometimes off-kilter, as well as overly dark. Overall print quality is suitable for most general purpose and some business use, but not for anything where color fidelity is critical.

The Color LaserJet 3600 is a reasonably priced network-ready color laser printer that can easily meet the needs of many home offices as well as small and medium businesses.

Pros:  Reasonable price and low per-page printing costs, fast print speeds, built-in network support, ships with full-size cartridges rather than starter cartridges
Cons:  Print quality is only average, package doesn't include printer cable, additional paper tray is an expensive option

Warranty
1 year limited, plus 1 year technical phone support