HP's LaserJet 4250 is a speed demon. With manufacturer-rated speeds of up to 45 pages per minute, this printer can have you meeting a deadline before you even know you have one.

Like many laser printers designed for medium- to high-volume use, the 4250 is a bit heavy (about 45 pounds) and unwieldy, although not as bad as some printers. If you're adding it to a home office, be prepared to sacrifice some desktop space (and if you choose to add some of the available options, be prepared for this printer to take over the office). Otherwise, it's easy to set up, although you must supply your own parallel or USB cable (from $12 to $20).

Print resolutions of up to 1,200X1,200 dpi deliver crisp text, even at small font sizes. Graphics output quality is only fair, which is surprising for a laser printer, particularly in this price range. Line art can be slightly fuzzy, and photos and other grayscale images tend to be grainy.

The 4250 can accept the typical variety of paper sizes and stocks, including letter, legal, envelopes, labels, cardstock, and transparencies. Unlike many laser printers designed for moderate to heavy business use, it doesn't accept tabloid (11X17-inch) paper.

Paper capacity is generous. The 4250 ships with a 500-sheet paper tray and a 100-sheet multipurpose tray. The output tray holds up to 300 sheets of plain paper. If you tend to print large jobs, you can add up to three more paper trays. Options include a 500-sheet paper tray ($249) and a 1,500-sheet paper tray ($499).

The 4250 ships with 48MB RAM, which is expandable to 512MB. If you want to add the printer to a network, several options are available, from $159 and up. If your budget can handle it, and if you have the need, a number of other expansion options are available, including an output stacker ($149), a stapler/stacker ($249), an envelope feeder ($249), and a duplexing unit ($275). Replacement toner cartridges are $150 (up to 10,000 pages) or $224 (up to 20,000 pages).

Pros: Above-average to excellent text output quality. Fast printing speeds. Generous (and expandable) paper capacity. Expandable memory.
Cons: Graphics output quality is disappointing for a laser printer.

Warranty
1 year