Labs

HP's compact LaserJet 2605 is the cheapest single-pass printer in the group. However, it had the second-slowest print speeds in our mono and colour document print tests, at 10.6ppm and 3.9ppm. It was also the slowest to print our single page of text. The printer has only a USB Hi-Speed port and was easy to install. However, the driver set the default paper size to Letter, and we had to reset this in the printer's Properties page before it could correctly print to A4.

Like many printers here, the 2605's toner cartridges are packed into the printer when it arrives, and loading them is a matter of taking them out, removing the packing material and clipping them back in. HP generously supplies

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fully loaded cartridges with the printer, so they should last a while under light use. The drum is built into the cartridges and replaced every time they're changed. This cuts down the overall cost of consumables, but as no high-yield toner cartridges are available for the 2605 it's expensive to run if you do a lot of printing.

Although print speeds were slow, we were impressed by the 2605's print quality. Black text was sharp, and colours were dense and accurate. Our photo-quality images looked great, with precise detail and shading, although a slight blue tint gave some images a cold appearance. Detailed greyscale shading was also accurate, but very pale shades were rendered as plain white. We had difficulty printing envelopes using the priority feed slot at the front of the printer. The print quality and positioning were fine when they printed, but several of our attempts were crumpled by the rollers or caught in a paper jam.

Although the Color LaserJet 2605 produces good-quality documents, its slow print speeds, relatively high print costs and flawed media handling make it less appealing than other devices at a similar price. TallyGenicom's 8108N is better for office work on a budget, while for general tasks HP's Color LaserJet 3600 is worth the extra money.