HP 5N Toner
LaserJet 5N Toner Cartridges

HP 5N Printer Review

The HP LaserJet 5N is a monochrome laser printer designed for the small or medium office environment. Its reliability and print quality, combined with built-in networking, make it a good choice for a high-volume office, but its slow speeds might turn some buyers away and be more interested in a unit that features better toner, such as Lexmark C5240KH toner.

One of the main things that sets the HP 5N apart from similar printers in HP's line is its built-in networking capability. The printer includes a JetDirect card with an ethernet port, allowing it to connect directly to an ethernet network and operate as a shared network printer. It can be easily shared among a large number of office users. While its networking capabilities are excellent, its slow printing speeds may be a problem when shared among too many users. It does have a monthly duty cycle of 35,000 pages, to handle high-volume printing. Its standard toner cartridges can yield over 6,000, which falls a bit short of Xerox 106R01395 toner.

Paper capacity is a total of 350 sheets. The main drawer holds 250 sheets of letter size paper, and the multipurpose tray holds up to 100 sheets, depending on the media type. If more capacity is needed, an optional 500-sheet tray can be added as an upgrade. The printer can handle a maximum paper size of 8.5 by 14 inches. It also has a manual feed slot, which uses a straight pass path for media that doesn't feed through the drawers or is prone to paper jams. The printer manages to be fairly compact, measuring 11.8 inches by 17.4 inches by 16 inches. It is very solidly constructed.

Print quality is excellent on the LaserJet 5N. Text is especially sharp and detailed, and fonts are very readable even at the smallest font sizes. Graphics quality is a little less impressive, with a number of problems such as banding showing up in prints. For better graphics, a unit that uses HP CC531A toner. Print speed for the 5N is a little slow at around 12 pages per minute.

Overall, the HP LaserJet 5N is one of the most solid and reliable printers on the market, and its networking capabilities are a nice bonus. Unfortunately, its slow printing speeds may make it a difficult choice for network users in a fast-paced environment.