Rating: 
Summary: This is a great printer !
Review: When I received this printer, there was a single orange instruction page to set it up with very few words. It goes like this, put CD on computer and run install, remove tape and plug in toner cartridge, connect USB cable and power, add paper and print away. It could not be any easier. There is a warning to load the software before connecting the printer, simple enough.When I took the printer out of the box, I managed to drop it on its side about 2 feet off the ground on to a carpeted floor. No visible damage and something I did not expect, it is working perfectly! So far the printer has been flawless, the print is very sharp and the graphics are quite nice. Not a photo printer, but if that is what I wanted I would get a inkjet. Bottom Line: Great printer, Great output, Great price!
Rating:
Summary: Superb printer by HP!
Review: I was going to purchase the HP Laserjet 1000 originally but had learned that the 1012 replaced that printer. When I got the printer, I was shocked at its small size. It is smaller than my DeskJet 940C! Installation was a breeze. I had none of the problems other people have reported. I installed mine by loading the drivers FIRST before even hooking up the printer to the computer. This is what the setup sheet said to do. After the drivers are loaded, then you connect the printer to the PC. I was so amazed at the speed and whisper quiet operation of the printer. HP uses the 1012's speed and quietness as selling points and they weren't pulling people's legs about this. This printer is absolutely fast and quiet!!! Despite it's size and many plastic parts, this printer is built to be very sturdy. HP created a winner with the 1012.
Rating: 
Summary: Great printer, once you get it installed.
Review: This printer does everything it promises, and more! The printouts are crisp and professional. And the speed is downright amazing! If you've been working with an inkjet printer, and are tired of waiting 30 seconds or more for a page with rich, black text, then this is a fantastic upgrade. On the downside, installation is not user friendly. The install program failed 3 times from the CD. You have to copy the contents of the Install CD to your hard drive and run it from there to get it to install properly. (On a Windows XP Pro system). Now that it works, however, I can't complain.
Rating: 
Summary: Can it pass the test?
Review: It all depends on the rewards of success: 1. Instructions: GET A USB CABLE! The foldout instructional booklet will only confuse you, especially when it indicates that EITHER a serial or USB cable can be used. 1A. INSTALLATION: I have this printer on my desk at work, and even the remote administrator installation (from IT) took a while, and TWICE to make sure it was done. 2. This can be noisy, for such a little machine. 3. Paper jams: having to take out the ink cartridge to remove paper concerns me. 4. FAST- it does print fast; in fact, sometimes it seems the paper may shoot across the room. 5. COST: I think HP should drop $40 off of the MSRP- it's a good printer to put with a $699 computer package, but not at $200 (MSRP) by itself.
Rating:
Summary: Small printer, Big results
Review: I have this printer on my desk and it is very quite and prints all of my printout very fast! The store rep told me that it had no warm-up time and the first page prints in 10 seconds and it does!
Rating:
Summary: pretty happy with it
Review: I finally had to get a new printer after my HP 6L died on me. With the UBS cable it works fine, but I did get confused with the missing parellel cable port. There aren't any printed directions, so you need to install the CD to get any info. Very fast set up. Works well so far!
Rating:
Summary: Decent printer once you get it working
Review: I share some of the frustration of the guy from Denver. * 1st installation CD not functional at all - D: drive could not read it. Had to go back to store where I bought it to get a new one that actually worked * mine also had no serial port but that was negligible as I use USB anyway * very difficult time getting knowledgeable HP person on phone. Like many companies they have outgrown ability to serve customer * when I bought this, three weeks ago, printer cartridge was not yet available in stores, though it looks like you can order them online off HP website Once the printer got going it was pretty good. Decent speed/print quality for the price. Beats the hell out of running up to Kinko's every time you have to print. I enjoy the printer but ideally the purchase would have been more trouble free.
Rating: 
Summary: EXTREMELY bad experience with this product
Review: The first thing I noticed about this printer is that it had no place on it to connect a serial cable, even though the "instructions" (purely pictoral - hardly any writing) and Web site product support both indicated that it should. The place where the connection should have been (as indicated by the product literature and a little pictograph on the printer itself) was nothing but a tab covered by plastic. Removing the plastic (no easy task - it was as if it had been melted over) revealed that there was no connector underneath. Not a problem, you say - just use the USB port. But I already have a free serial port cable, and I want to use my USB slots for other things, so why shouldn't I set it up the way I want? I took the printer back to the point of purchase, Office Depot, and asked them if I was just being stupid about the cable thing. They concurred that there was no input for it, and they were so surprised that they examined the other 1012s in stock. Guess what...? Nowhere to connect a serial cable on any of them. Granted, this is not a matter of life and death, but you should get what you pay for. Next, I tried to install the drivers, but I got critical errors or locked up every time. In fact, on my computer (running Windows 98) I got a page fault error the second I inserted the installation CD. (One of the sales personnel I dealt with said he'd also gotten similar errors from HP installation CDs.) I could get a little further on my wife's computer (also Windows 98) but never successfully install the drivers. If I followed the scant directions (which, by the way, SUCKED) given by HP for installing for Windows 98 (basically letting Windows "detect new hardware" and then using the standard Windows installation routine, using the CD for your file location), I would get an error that a file needed was not found on the CD. If I tried the setup program provided on the CD, the installation always hung at the "Printer detected: please wait" point. Also, the support pages on the HP Web site were useless. Every other page I tried to access yielded a message that their server timed out after TWELVE SECONDS. (The time-out was on the page's end, not one of those Internet Explorer "Page Not Found" or "Page Not Available" things.) What about phone support? Well, if I had needed 1-800 support for one of their lesser used products, it would've been my lucky day - they offer 24/7 telephone support for items such as calculators (now THERE'S a tough nut to crack). For their printers, however, which you'd imagine to be their bread & butter product, telephone support is limited to standard business hours - i.e., when you're at work and can't step through anything with the support person. Am I just an idiot? Maybe. However, Office Depot graciously allowed me to trade in this pile of junk for the comparable Brothers product, their HL-1440 laser jet, and, following the concise step-by-step instructions, I was able to install and print successfully on my first try. (And no, I am NOT a Brothers rep.) This is a new HP release and is definitely NOT ready to roll. Lest you think my problem was my Windows 98 operating system, know that HP claims that the 1012 is compatable all the way down to Windows 95. And no serial port input?? Come on. Even if USB is the wave of the future, don't claim to have a serial port input if you don't. In conclusion: if you enjoy not getting what you pay for, getting messages such as "_hpcdbb caused an invalid page fault in module MSVBVM60.dll at 017f:734a7884" (no joke, folks), and wasting hours of your time all for nothing, then this is the product for you. If you'd prefer to bring home a printer and be done with things in 15 minutes, you should go with the competition. I mean, this is a low-end model, sure, but give me a break. I guess I'll write off my HP purchase to experience. Avoid this product.
Rating:
Summary: Tempting Leap of Faith
Review: Third HP Laser in 12 years- 4ML (great, still works), 1100se (jams every print after just 75,000 prints- threw away), and now this one (very tempted to get non-HP). Out of box, quickly set up on Windows XP, very compact, better made/rugged compared with many. Print quality dissapointing- no great advances over other 2 HP's owned. Very swift printing. Paper curls a lot (perhaps particular paper stock). Compatible with Mac OS X as well as Windows (necessary as mixed home network). Overall, a good start, and hope more reliable than the 1100se.
Rating: 
Summary: Please read reviews with caution
Review: I used to be a product rep for a company VERY SIMILAR to Hewlett Packard, and I think people reading product reviews on Amazon should know something: While working there we would often go to Web sites like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and similar sites and write rave reviews about our products. Then we went and gave "not helpful" votes for other reviews that were negative. That's why when you see a well-written review here you also see many "helpful" votes, whereas when you see a well-written negative one the votes are mostly "not helpful." I am familiar with this printer, and the strong points and weak points are all well documented. I suggest you read the reviews carefully, and when a review says, "Great! The best printer ever! I experienced no problems, and everyone who did is dumb" and has 78 helpful votes, you should probably consider the source. In fact, I suggest this approach with ALL hardware/software reviews you read here. Good luck with your purchases.
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