A Business-Friendly Ink Jet From HP

Dan Littman

PRINTER

Can an ink jet printer satisfy a busy workgroup that needs loads of color documents? Hewlett-Packard insists that its networkable Business InkJet 2250TN has the goods to do the trick, but I'm not so sure.

This printer comes packed with an ethernet interface, 24MB of memory (expandable to 88MB), two paper trays that hold a total of 500 sheets, ink tanks that HP says last for 1750 prints, and two processors for converting data into dots and sending them to the printheads. HP says that the dual processors enable the 2250TN to print black text of normal quality at 11 pages per minute. Cost of all this: $999.

Alas, on the PC World Test Center's ethernet network, this shipping version of the 2250TN dribbled out text at only 4.9 ppm--too slow for any workgroup that's actually working. The 2250TN competes with color laser printers, especially the Minolta-QMS Magicolor DeskLaser 2. But in PC World's tests, the $1100 DeskLaser 2 printed text at 7.8 ppm--that's almost 60 percent faster than the HP. The ink jet did beat the DeskLaser on printing graphics: 1.6 ppm to 1 ppm. As ink jets go, the HP 2250TN produced clean, crisp text, though it couldn't match the flawless look generated by a laser. It delivered excellent gray-scale photos, as well as graphics with subtle, lifelike textures and colors that only the most expensive color lasers can approach.

Is speed or quality more important? If your primary need is high-quality graphics, with text quality running a definite second, HP's Business InkJet 2250TN might be a good choice. All others should consider a color laser or a combination of a network-capable ink jet and a monochrome laser printer.

Buying Information

HP Business InkJet 2250TN Very good print quality, especially on photos and graphics. Expensive; slow. Might have an edge over color lasers for businesses that print a lot of graphics. List price: $999 Hewlett-Packard 800/552-8500 http://www.hp.com