The LaserJet 2605tn is an inexpensive color laser printer in which we find features that are not usually present in printers in this price range. For example, the 2605dtn comes standard with PostScript 3 emulation, a second paper feed tray with a 250-sheet capacity, Ethernet connectivity, duplex capability, and a built-in card reader. On the other hand, although its print quality is quite good, it is not the best printer we have seen in this regard; And as for its printing speed, although it is fast it is not the fastest.
As we have already commented, the printer incorporates a second paper tray, an aspect that allows us to have different types of paper and formats loaded in each of the trays, and therefore allowing us to save time since we will only have to select the correct tray from print dialog box. It is also possible to connect the printer to the Mac using the USB 2.0 port or the Ethernet connection. Both connections worked fine during our tests. In addition, the printer supports Apple’s Bonjour connection protocol, so it automatically appears in our list of printers.
Although not the fastest printer, the 2605dtn completed most of the tests (a 10-page Microsoft Word document, a 22MB Photoshop file, and four pages of PDF) in about half the time used by others. Models. Print quality was quite good with clear, legible text even at the smallest sizes. Despite some colored text, green in particular, it was a bit staggered in our tests with the PDF document, but it seems to be a fairly common case for printers in this range. The printer also performed well in our photographic assessment tests, where we did not see any banding on the color gradients. However, the colors tended to be a bit reddish, also reproducing certain halos of white around some objects.
Speaking of photos, the 2605dtn includes a card reader that allows images to be printed directly without having to go through the computer first. The slot supports CompactFlash, SmartMedia, MultiMediaCard, Memory Stick, Memory Stick Pro, Secure Digital, and xD Picture. As you insert a card, various text menus appear automatically on the small 16-character, two-line LCD. Using the options in the menus, you can print an index page of photos, assigning a number to each image. Then the menu options are used again to select one of the photos and the size of the print as well as the media that you want to use. These laser printers are no match for a good inkjet printer when it comes to printing photos with quality comparable to professional development or printing, but they are a good alternative for fast, inexpensive prints.
conclusion
While the HP 2604dtn isn’t the fastest of the color laser printers we’ve tested, its print quality, paper-handling options, duplex options, and networkability along with its affordable price make this one model turns out to be a real bargain.
Web: www.hp.es
