The Quintessential Large (Network Attached) Workgroup Printer

At the last place I worked as a Network Administrator we put in a group of new network printers to server the need of the organization as whole. All told we had to provide printing service to some 250 people on two floors, all connected via a LAN. We decided to standardize (mostly) on the (8) Hewlett Packard LaserJet 8150n large workgroup printers.

The HP LJ 8150n is monochrome laser printer with its 150,000 page duty cycle, 1000 sheet paper capacity, 1200x1200 dpi, and 32ppm output was designed for large workgroups. The built-in 166MHz NEC VR4310 MIPS RISC processor, fast Ethernet port, versatile paper handling (the printer can handle paper sizes up to 11x17), and 16MB of RAM make the printer ideal for the large workgroup setting where fast robust printing is a must.

The HP LJ 8150n utilizes HP’s UltraPrecise toner cartridges (cost between $100 - $200.00) for sharp monochrome prints suitable for most corporate applications including PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, and other graphic and text rich content. Hewlett Packard’s FastRes printer language technology is capable of producing printouts with resolutions up to 1200-dpi. And "HP's Transmit-Once and RIP-Once technology reduces network traffic and yields multiple original prints at engine speed. The first page is out in 17 seconds or less." Add to this the ability of the printer to enter Powersave mode and you have a printer that is not only fast and efficient, but one that can help low you company’s TOC and electric bill.

The base HP LJ 8150n ships with (2) 500 sheet paper trays; a third fold-down tray is built into the side of the printer. This tray can be used to print large sheet paper are well as envelopes, labels, and or letterhead. All configuration of the printer can be accomplished via the small from panel. Personally, I found the LED readout of the panel a little cumbersome to use; getting to a menu function several menus down for instance can take a while. However once I got used to the embedded menu system, navigation was an easier proposition.

The HP LJ 8150n is a heavy printer and will require a two-man lift in order to get it out of the box it ships in and to place it where you want it. By default the built-in Ethernet adapter will utilize Boot-P (dynamic IP addressing) in order to obtain an IP address. But you can easily set up a manual address.

A few of the HP LJ 8150n’s I installed shipped with an optional Multi-Function Printer Kit (MFP) kit pre-installed (cost approximately $2000.00), which gives the printer the ability to print, copy, and convert hardcopy documents into digital formats, and then send them via e-mail. The kit is available for the LJ 8000, LJ8100, and 8150, and can be bought after-market.

The MFP kit provides the following:

o Provides reliable, convenient walk-up copying on media up to 11 x 17 inches;
o Dual head scanning capability quickly converts hardcopy documents into digital formats;
o Digitally sends documents over the network to email addresses and LANFax servers;
o Includes the 2000-sheet input tray for a total input capacity of 3,100 sheets;
o Includes the 3000 sheet stapler / stacker which provides job offset and 5 position stapling;
o Advanced MFP management includes support for print and copy tracking solutions;
o Includes a duplexer (for printing on both sides of paper), a copy connect EIO board, and an HP Digital Copy;
o Includes the 2000 sheet input tray and 3000 sheet stacker for high-volume, unattended printing, an HP Jetdirect EIO print server, and a duplexer.

The cost for the MFP kit is a little steep, but the integrated services the MFP kits bring to the table are worth the expense. We were contemplating purchasing separate inkjet multifunction’s to accomplish the same task, but in the end we appreciated the tight integration with the mother printer. And we did not have to tie up and additional Ethernet port, or install yet another set of drivers on the printer server, or user’s computers.

There are other option one can purchase for the HP LJ 8150n including a 2000 sheet tray mated with a 3000 sheet stacker, or; a 2000 sheet paper tray mated with a 3000 sheet stacker/stapler and MFP Upgrade Kit. Both of these options will take the HP LJ 8150n off of the table and onto a free standing wheeled stand of its own.

The driver that ships with the HP LJ 8150n is user friendly and givers the under user a great amount of control over the printer; e.g. which paper trays to use, print quality, print speed, print orientation, etc.

Conclusion

Our trusty cadre of HP LJ 8150n’s see a lot of action because they must support over 250 people who print to them constantly. The inclusion of the MFP kit on some of the printers only increases the duty cycle of the printer, but in no way hinder performance. If you need a versatile, fast, and reliable large workgroup network attached printer, you can’t go wrong with the HP LaserJet 8150n.

HP LJ8150n Features:

o 1200 x 1200 DPI Image Quality (FastRes 1200)
o 32 PPM (17 seconds first page out)
o Wide Format (11.7" x 17.7")
o Network Ready (10/100 BaseTX)
o 16 MB Memory (expandable to 208 MB)
o Connects Via Parallel and Fast Ethernet
o PostScript Level 2 Emulation
o Environments: Windows 3.1, 95, 98, 2000, NT4.0, XP, MacOS (8.6 to 9.X)