HP LaserJet 9000dn

During performance testing, the 9000dn proved to be slightly shy of the quoted print speed, with a basic 50-page Word document completed in 64 seconds for an average of nearly 47ppm. I couldn't improve on this, even with resolution dropped to 300dpi and the EconoMode toner-saving option selected. Print speeds for A3 were impressive though, as the printer dispatched a 30-page text document in 59 seconds. The best results were achieved using the PCL6 driver, as a 23-page heavily formatted DTP-style document slowed the 9000dn to 33ppm using the PostScript 3 driver and the FastRes 1200 simulated 1,200dpi setting.

Time to first page was less than eight seconds, and the duplex unit efficiently dispatched the 50-page A4 and 30-page A3 documents at an average of 31ppm. Overall print quality was extremely good, with text crisp and sharp at all font sizes. Graphics quality was also impressive for such a fast printer and far superior to that produced by the DocuPrint N40. The level of detail in photographic images was quite remarkable, and reports will benefit from smooth graphs and bar charts. Unfortunately, although general banding was almost imperceptible, the cartridge appeared to have a minor fault, as it left three narrow smears down the test pictures.

There's little choice at this end of the market, with the main competition coming from Lexmark and Xerox, and although it didn't quite reach the quoted speeds during testing, the LaserJet 9000dn is still the fastest by a head. Lexmark's low printing costs can't be beaten, so you're paying a premium for HP's smart toner cartridge. But the print quality on offer is excellent, and there's nothing to touch the 9000dn for its Internet-based management and monitoring tools.

Author: Dave Mitchell