- Stay productive-Print at up to 26 ppm and get a first page out in as fast as 8.5 seconds.
- Tackle multiple-page documents and two-sided prints with the 35-page automatic document feeder.
- Fax directly to and from a PC, and control fax access with assigned PINs.
- Share printing resources with an Ethernet-connected MFP.
- Handle multiple media sizes and types with a 10-sheet priority tray and the 250-sheet paper tray. HP LaserJet recommends ColorLok papers for best printing results.
Great multifunction machine! Let me break up this review in the positives and negatives:
Positives:
1) Excellent compatibility with OS X. I''m currently using 10.6.5 and right out of the box the OS recognizes the printer. But I installed the driver from the CD anyway because it comes with the scanning software.
2) The scanning software is awesome! No-frills... it just works! You can scan into tiff, jpg, pdf, etc., and customize the settings in a very brainless way. I imagine that the scanning software will be great for anyone who isn''t entirely computer-savvy. You can queue up pages to scan via software, as opposed to pressing buttons on the machine itself, in hopes that your computer understands what you''re trying to do. This may seem like a silly "positive"; I put it here because other machines (like some Canon''s) require you to do exactly that, consequently suffering from network communication inconsistencies/incompatibilities.
3) The print speed is very fast. The box quotes something like 27 ppm... I don''t know if it gets up that fast, but from startup to the first page out I think it only took about 45 seconds. Subsequent pages came out probably every 2 or 3 seconds.
4) The design is rather compact for a multifunction machine. The buttons do not feel cheap (like some of the cheapo inkjet printers). Not too bulky; not too heavy.
Negatives:
1) When doing 2-sided printing, the duplexer is LOUD. Lots of mechanical things happening that sound like this machine may be subject to wear and tear rather quickly.
2) I first hooked this machine up to my Airport Extreme via USB and tried scanning. The scanning software wouldn''t recognize the machine. So I reconnected it to the Airport Extreme via ethernet-that worked. It''s too bad because the Airport Extreme has a USB port that''s dedicated to a printer, and now I have to use up one of my 4 ethernet sockets.
3) While the design is pretty slick, I wish they built it so that the paper doesn''t stick out. I''m not a huge fan of the plastic "dust cover" over the paper tray... it looks like it can break easily if you accidentally open it up wrong. Also, there''s another tray, or fin, that you install to the front that props up the printed pages that come out-this piece REALLY looks like it will break if you put some weight on it (e.g. your cat decides to stand on it).
Nonetheless, this machine is SOOO much cheaper than other ones in its class. That saidall of the negatives seem acceptable.
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UPDATE: (3.20.11) I''ve used this machine for a few months now, and it''s starting to jam up more and more often. It seems that the jamming only happens when I''m printing double-sided. Some comments regarding the duplexer: If you plan on printing a long-ish document, like a 20 page essay, then the double-sided duplex is fine for the job. But if you''re planning on printing, say, 100 copies of a single-page double-sided flier, it would be a LOT LOT LOT faster to just handle the double sided printing by hand. Allowing the duplexer to handle this same print job took a MUCH LONGER time than when I just manually flipped to the back side for the second pass. We''re talking about 1-2 minutes if done by hand, versus about 8 10 minutes via duplexer (assuming it doesn''t jam).
So far, I''ve accumulated about 1500 pages of printing. Using "econo-mode" set to 3 (out of 5), I''ve managed to only use 20% of the stock cartridge. Not too bad.
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UPDATE: (10.10.12) If you have upgraded to Mountain Lion, DO NOT BUY THIS MACHINE!!! HP had to update their scanning software, which is a complete POS!! It takes up to 3 minutes to scan one single page black and white at 100dpi. Total garbage. What worse is that HP has not fixed this problem since their last update 4 months ago, despite countless Mac Users'' complaints. Update to 2 stars.
Buy Hp LaserJet Pro M1536dnf Now
I''m a printer technician and support over 1000 company offices, most of which use an HP multifunction printer for copies, faxing, etc. We purchased approx. 120 of these printers over a 6 month period. The failure rate of these printers is 30% and rising. If you buy this printer and make even a few copies through the automatic document feeder sooner or later you will get the dreaded "Document Feeder Mispick > Press OK to continue" message. It is caused by a defective part inside the printer which HP has supposedly fixed on the newest ones off the production line. The catch is that if you buy one of these printers and the ADF fails then you are stuck getting a refurbished printer and guess what odds are it will have the same problem within a month or two. I have documented cases where one of these printers or the refurbished replacement has lasted only 2-3 months. You would think the printer is being overused and that is simply not the case. Usage in the example that was replaced twice in the first 3 months of ownership was right at 500 ADF pages per month. So if you make say, 10 copies and fax 7 pages from the ADF every day it is highly likely that the ADF will fail within about 1 to 6 months of use. If you call in for support you will be suck on the phone for at least an hour "troubleshooting" the printer even though HP already knows it is a printer design flaw. If you buy this printer you are taking a big chance. Even if they have indeed fixed the problem on the newest printers HP has lost my company''s business thanks to all the time and trouble they''ve caused with this defective design. Maybe if HP decided to produce a quality printer product like they did 10 to 15 years ago I would consider them again. The same size offices that are still using 5+ year old HP LaserJet 3030 multifunction printers can''t get more than 6 months out of an HP M1536dnf. The duty cycle ratings on the two models are about the same so obviously the quality has slipped seriously.
Read Best Reviews of Hp LaserJet Pro M1536dnf Here
We purchased and installed this printer for a client, we tested everything and it all worked fine. Unfortunately that was the last time it worked fine. After that any time we tried to use the document feeder we got a ''Mispick'' error. The HP support person said I should clean the rollers but also admitted that we would not normally have to clean a printer''s rollers the day after we got it. I exchanged it for a new one. Unfortunately and much to my embarrassment with the client, while setting up and testing the new printer I noticed that the lid''s hinges were extremely loose, and the lid would wobble with the hinge coming off and more than an inch away from the bed. HP again acknowledged that this was not normal and offered to send a replacement. So while I can''t fault their customer service, I can''t take the risk of getting a third bad printer while my client doesn''t have a fax/copier or printer. I think this is a bad, cheap plastic printer. I would not recommend it.
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Went on the search for an all-in-one laser printer, scanner, fax, copier. Considered HP, Samsung & Brother. I bumped into the Samsung (SCX-4826FN) at the office of a facility I was working at a couple weeks ago they were not crazy about the reliability other than printing (auto-document feeder jams, paper jams every once and a while, software issues with scanning). Then I bumped into the Brother I was looking at (MFC-7840W) at a hotel business center it was not printing properly. I thought that was a bad sign. So I bought the HP M1536dnf and LOVE it. After 5 days of heavy printing, a bit of scanning, a sent fax and several copies made I can tell this thing is a work horse. The construction is solid, the software worked first time across a local area network (installed it on Mac OS 10.5.8 without a USB cable attached). Duplex printing works really well, scanning software is SIMPLE and easy to use. I''d highly recommend this unit! I''ll repost if I find any negative qualities worth noting...
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If you are looking for a well-rounded machine that can perform very very fast, prints great, and costs not so much, then this is the best one out there at this price point. I looked at many competitors, but none could touch the speed and print quality of this printer in a multi-function configuration. Once I got the machine home (I live overseas, so got this from a retailer), I was truly shocked at how fast it works. It''s comparable to printers that cost up to 10 times as much.
Now, the not so great: The scan quality of the machine is contrary to other reviews here very good. The problem is not with the equipment; it is with the scan software that HP ships with this machine. It is very weak, has limited functionality, and generates massive files when scanning at routine DPIs of 150, 200, and 300. For example, a 10-page document, text only, scanned in grayscale at 150 DPI was over 4mb. Quality was not so hot, file was huge not at all practical, especially if you are emailing it out.
There is a fix: Do not use the HP included software. It''s that easy. Here is what I did to address the problem: I used the scan function included in Adobe Acrobat (full copy, not the reader) to grab the HP twain driver, then I can control scanning from within Adobe Acrobat. That same document I mentioned above came in at about 233kb using Adobe as my ''scanning software.'' I bumped it up to color and 600 DPI for giggles and it still came in under 2mb.
Consumers: I say go for it, this machine is the bomb, even with the weak scanning software. Besides, I have given you the fix. HP: You should seriously study Canon''s scanning software. In this instance, your equipment rocks, but your software sucks.
