HP Color LaserJet 2600n

*Est. $300

Pros

Inexpensive
Text print quality
Good graphics
Small footprint

Cons

High toner costs
Not built for heavy office use
A bit slow
Not great on photos

Where to Buy

for $749.99

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Reviews say the HP Color LaserJet 2600n is a good but slow budget laser printer for PCs and Macs, best for home use rather than for offices. The initial price is low, but be aware that replacing the toner costs about as much as a new 2600n. The good news is the HP Color LaserJet 2600n comes with full toner cartridges instead of the shorter-lived "starter" cartridges common to cheap printers. Another plus is a small footprint, about 16 inches wide by 18 inches deep. Reviews say the print quality is very good on text, decent on graphics and, like all laser printers, not nearly as good on color photos as an inkjet printer would be. Printers at this price are designed for personal use, not multi-user offices. For a small office, reviews suggest the Xerox Phaser 6180N (*est. $515).

The best review for the HP Color LaserJet 2600n is by the U.K.'s Personal Computer World, which compares eight cheap color printers and calls the HP Color LaserJet 2600N good but slow. Macworld's report is brief but tests speed and print quality. Oddly, Tom's Hardware includes the 2600n color laser printers in two review roundups, one of which says you ought to dump the printer when the toner runs out and just get a new one (and new one-year warranty). Some of the 90 user reviews at Amazon.com concur with that.

Where To Buy

HP Color LaserJet 2600n Printer (Q6455A#ABA)
(117 reviews) Buy new: $502.00 22 Used & new from $65.00

Our Sources

1. Personal Computer World

This eight-printer comparative review gives the Editors Choice to the Dell 3100CN because replacement toner cartridges are far less expensive than those for the HP Color LaserJet 2600n. The review says the HP Color LaserJet 2600n otherwise offers good print quality, but it's slow.

Review: Group Test: Budget Colour Laser Printers, Paul Monckton, March 27, 2006

2. Macworld Details/Subscribe

Macworld delivers brief reviews, but does test printers for speed and print quality. The HP Color LaserJet 2600n gets 3.5 out of five stars, with good text and graphics reproduction but "under-saturated" color photos.

Review: HP Laserjet 2600n Review, James Galbraith, July 13, 2005

3. Tom's Hardware Guide

This 12-product review identifies two color laser printers as being best for speed, features and cost and two others, including the HP Color LaserJet 2600n, as being the best choices for graphics and text quality.

Review: 12 Color Laser Printers Explored, Justin Korelc and Ed Tittel , July 27, 2007

4. Tom's Hardware Guide

The HP Color LaserJet 2600n has the highest cost per page (4 cents) of the four models tested here. The advice offered: Since replacing all the toner cartridges costs more than the printer, dump the old printer when the ink's gone and buy a new printer each time to get a fresh warranty.

Review: Color Laser Printers: Fast and Affordable!, Vincent Verhaeghe, Feb. 2, 2007

5. Better Buys for Business

This website is a go-to source for printer reviews based on extensive testing, but you'll have to register for a free trial subscription to read them. The HP 2600n isn't reviewed, but there's a report on an upgraded model, the 3600n (*est. $700).

Review: Printer Reviews, Editors of Better Buys For Business

6. CNET

CNet's Dan Littman gives the HP Color LaserJet 2600n an average score (about 60 user reviews score it a bit higher), saying that while the printer is inexpensive, replacement toner isn't, and while black text quality is "great," color graphics are "mediocre."

Review: HP Color LaserJet 2600n Review, Dan Littman, June 30, 2005

7. Amazon.com

About 90 owner reviews give the HP Color Laserjet 2600n a good average score, about a third rating it less than four or the maximum five stars. Most of the complaints concern heavy toner use and very high replacement costs for the cartridges.

Review: HP Color Laserjet 2600n Printer Reviews, Contributors to Amazon.com

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