HP Color LaserJet CP1215
Manufacturer: HP Part number: CC376A#ABA
Rebate - Rebate amount: $0
Exp. date: 12/31/2009
$20 cash back by mail when purchased with one compatible HP LaserJet print cartridge!
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Color LaserJet CP1215 is HP's entry-level printer built to serve small workgroups, but it suffers from frustratingly slow print speeds, a missing LCD screen, and other problems. Your $299 will go much further with the Dell 1320c, another color laser with faster print speeds for the same price.
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CNET editors' review
HP Color LaserJet CP1215 price range: $189.99 - $299.00
- Reviewed by: Justin Yu
- Edited by: Rich Brown
- Reviewed on: 04/28/2009
The good: Easy installation; prints high-quality color documents; supports manual duplexing; small footprint.
The bad: Expensive; not compatible with Mac OS; slow color prints; lacks LCD display; ships with bite-size cartridges; fixed resolution.
The bottom line: The Color LaserJet CP1215 is HP's entry-level printer built to serve small workgroups, but it suffers from frustratingly slow print speeds, a missing LCD screen, and other problems. Your $299 will go much further with the Dell 1320c, another color laser with faster print speeds for the same price.
The HP Color LaserJet CP1215 is a simple, single-function laser printer designed to fit comfortably in a small business work group. At $299, its unobtrusive footprint and excellent quality color and black output would have made an excellent alternative to the pricier HP Color LaserJet CP2025n, but we can't recommend a printer this limited; on top of being incompatible with any Mac OS, all of our speed tests indicate a superslow output speed, and a severe feature drought dries up our enthusiasm. If you happen to be on a Mac, or typically print a large volume of color documents, take a look at the more cost-effective Dell 1320c, another color laser that offers faster color prints and even a single-sheet manual-feed slot.
Design and features
Like the HP CP2025n, there isn't much to say about this printer's looks, or lack thereof. The same gray-and-white shades cover the exterior, except this model is missing an LCD screen. Instead, HP includes a basic control panel on the side of the faceplate that contains all the buttons necessary to operate and troubleshoot the device: a Ready light, Resume button, Cancel button, Paper Jam light, Attention light, and a series of icons that glow to indicate low toner levels all make up the majority of the control panel, with Paper Feed and Power buttons rounding out the set. The notification lights work fine, but we found ourselves wishing for just a simple two-line LCD that could display specific troubleshooting help or detailed information about a print job.
In terms of size, the printer measures a manageable 15.7 inches wide by 10 inches tall by approximately 20 inches deep. It weighs 38.9 pounds, which is considerably lighter than most laser printers, thanks to a lack of internal autoduplexing and networking hardware.
The rest of the printer is just as simple as the front, with a small Power button on the left side and a power plug on the lower back. All the paper handling and toner access takes place up front by way of several fold-out drawers. Looking from the top down, you'll find the output tray, toner drawer, and input tray at the very bottom, which can only hold up to 150 sheets of plain paper. Most businesses, even smaller ones, prefer to use a larger capacity tray with at least a 250-page capacity that won't require constant refilling.
Installing the driver and establishing a connection with a computer is tangle-free, since this is a USB-only printer. Currently, you get no option to buy a networking attachment for the printer, so a direct connection is necessary. We'll also continue to applaud HP for the basic instructions that make it easy to set up; the driver even automatically runs an installation guide to help you along the way. Within the driver, you're given the option to change a few settings, but it's nowhere near as comprehensive as the CP2025n's customization options. In fact, the printer is fixed at a 600X600dpi resolution for both black and color. The manual color options let you choose between four color or black neutral grays to save ink, but there's no way to adjust the resolution of your prints. In addition, the drivers are formatted for all manner of Windows operating systems, but there's no support for Macs, which effectively eliminates a large number of potential buyers.
Oftentimes, manufacturers strategically keep the price of budget printers down by shipping a "starter" set of toner cartridges with the device. These cartridges typically contain a fraction of the toner levels compared with those sold on the vendor Web site, so the surprise comes after you've already purchased the machine. Unfortunately, such is the case with the CP1215; all four toner cartridges (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) contain roughly half of the standard volume of toner. Luckily, the cost of the CB540 toner series compatible with the printer is about average: $72 for the color cartridges that should yield 1,400 pages, according to the Web site, and $78 for 2,200 pages of black toner. Using those figures, since no high-volume toner cartridges are available, our calculations come out to 5.1 cents for a page of color and 3.5 cents per page of black--slightly more expensive than the CP2025n, but still affordable nonetheless. Finally, the CP1215's monthly duty cycle maxes out at 1,000 pages. Compared with the CP2025n's 40,000 pages per month, this is definitely suited to a much smaller office with proportionally lighter printing responsibilities.
Performance
We were generally satisfied and slightly bored with the CP1215 until we tested its output speed, the results of which practically wrote the review itself. As you can see from the comparison chart below, this HP is drastically outgunned by the rest of the competition in almost all of our tests, with the exception of color graphics and color text--that unfortunate loss went to the Samsung CLP-315W. The HP CP1215 didn't do much better, though, registering only 5.36 pages of color text per minute (PPM), in contrast to the HP CP2025n on the opposite end at 10.43ppm. The extreme difference in output speed is unacceptable, and you'll likely find yourself increasingly frustrated with waiting for this thing to spit out color.
Output speed test in pages per minute (PPM)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)
 |
Color Graphics | |
Presentation | |
Color text speed | |
Black Text |
As usual, we have to congratulate HP on the quality of both color text and documents. While the output speed leaves a great deal to be desired, HP still manages to present well-formed black and color text with sharp edges and even shading across dense graphics. As is typical for a color laser, the CP1215 could use improvement in smoothing out blotchy gradations, and we did see banding in some of the fine details, but the majority of the photo elements came out nicely saturated with natural color. Overall, the HP LaserJet CP1215's print quality is definitely good enough for small offices that mainly print out text with an occasional presentation thrown in, but larger offices with heavier photographic workloads might prefer the quality that only an inkjet printer can provide.
Service and support
In addition to HP's comprehensive one-year warranty, which includes 24-7 toll-free phone support and live Web chat during weekdays, HP's Web site also contains downloadable drivers, software, and manuals, e-mail tech support, FAQs, and a troubleshooting guide.
Find out more about how we test printers.
User reviews
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Prints well but cheap paper handling and no Mac driver
by wayraw99 on March 17, 2009
Pros: Good color resolution
Fast
QuietCons: Many paper jams, even with recommended paper
No Mac driver available .... very disappointing for a big company like HP.Summary: I bought this to be my family shared printer. It was frustration from the beginning with bad paper jams. When I added a Mac Mini to the family, this printer ...
Summary: I bought this to be my family shared printer. It was frustration from the beginning with bad paper jams. When I added a Mac Mini to the family, this printer had to go. I won't miss it.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Affordable, simple, great deal for $150
Pros: 1. CHEAP - we paid 149.99 - all other color lasers were $299 or more
2. Small - this printer is fairly small for a color laser and fits nicely on our PC hutch.
3. simlple - this is definitely low frills. It prints. Hurray.Cons: 1. intro carts won't last long
2. No single sheet feed tray = no envelopes - I don't need this so I don't care.
3. I hope it lasts. Some people are complaining about constant jams.Summary: I love the small size and price. This is perfect for my wife and kids and even some small business use. In the long run the ink is WAY cheaper ...
Summary: I love the small size and price. This is perfect for my wife and kids and even some small business use. In the long run the ink is WAY cheaper in a laser due to the 1000 page per cart yeild.
As a tip to all y'all, be sure to turn the "out of ink" override on. The printer will tell you that you are out of ink by the number of pages you print, not how much actual ink you have when the override is off. turning the override on will allow you to print many more pages with your color carts than if you have it set to the normal page count mode, especially if you print a lot of black and white. Hope that helps! -
A good personal printer for home
by Merkel1 on July 9, 2009
Pros: Affordable price, good quality print, uncomplicated setup
Cons: Replacement catridges are expensive
Summary: An awesome buy for home office
Summary: An awesome buy for home office
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Cheapest color laser out there. Linux-compliant!
by jsthemaster on May 30, 2009
Pros: - cheapest color laser out there
- Great Printout quality
- small footprint
- cheaper printouts than inkjet
- fully Linux-compliant with in-official driver ( foo2hp )
- easy to use Windows driver with rich functionalityCons: - more expensive printouts than most laser printers
- slowSummary: This is the laser printer for those people who are tired of color inkjets and their little problems. Enter the laser world! :-)
The inofficial ...
Updated on May 31, 2009Summary: This is the laser printer for those people who are tired of color inkjets and their little problems. Enter the laser world! :-)
The inofficial driver ( foo2hp ) even supports:
Updated on May 31, 2009
- Linux
- Mac OS X !!!
- *BSD -
Good Bang for the Buck
by ThePegasys on May 27, 2009
Pros: Good print quality. Low price. Easy setup.
Cons: Not a speed demon.
Summary: The last 3 inkjet printers I had I tossed out when the ink cartridges ran out. To replace them cost more than the printer. Because of the needless over-pricing of ...
Summary: The last 3 inkjet printers I had I tossed out when the ink cartridges ran out. To replace them cost more than the printer. Because of the needless over-pricing of replacement cartridges, printers are pretty much "disposable" these days.
Sadly, that will probably be the case with this printer as well. But the reality of it is that it's still a good deal. Lets do the math... The 4 toner cartridges will cost about $300 to replace. The printer comes with 4 "starter" cartridges (about half full)... so its already got $150 of toner in it. I bought the printer for $150 with a discount for adding it to the purchase of a new computer. So basically, I bought $150 worth of toner... and got a printer for free.
In my home office, I still use my old HP Laserjet 1022 for basic document printing. Its 5 years old and still on the original toner cartridge. Nary a problem. Nary a paper jam. So I added color printing for a mere $150... (about 2 cents per page)... and even with 3 college students in-house. the limited starter cartridges should last well over 2 years. By then, the cartridges will either be more affordable... or I'll just go buy another printer with cartridges in it. ;-) -
Unbeliveable (for the price)
by glierflier on April 29, 2009
Pros: Super Solid with High Quality output!
Cons: Not an office class printer (but doesn't pretend to be)
Summary: Compact and built with the quality level that feels like the other much mor eexpensive HP products. For this class printer how fast does CNET want? I expect a lot ...
Summary: Compact and built with the quality level that feels like the other much mor eexpensive HP products. For this class printer how fast does CNET want? I expect a lot from a printer and quite frankly this desktop in my home is everything that th $100k full size sharp printer copier in my office.
This is an unbelievable value! -
Awesome Home Office - School printer!!!!!
by nicknamethieves on March 7, 2009
Pros: What I love about this printer is that it had a fair price (got it on sale), the print quality is fantastic, and the cartriges that come with the printer last. I REALLY MEAN IT.. they LAST!!!! I do lots of printing.. and its delivers every time!
Cons: The cost of the replacement cartrige is a bit pricey.. There is 4 to replace, and each one is about 70 bucks a pop. Also, when I bought this printer, it "looked" like it has CAT 5 network capability ... it does not.
Summary: You simply can't go wrong with this printer. Forget all the bubble jets. If you are like me, meaning you want to reliability each time, every time; if you ...
Summary: You simply can't go wrong with this printer. Forget all the bubble jets. If you are like me, meaning you want to reliability each time, every time; if you want to stop throwing your money away on bubble jet refills that last you a month, and if you want great print quality at a low price, buy this printer!
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Excellent, efficient, high-quality color laser printer
by Dave Dugal on February 10, 2009
Pros: * Extremely affordable
* Small footprint
* Power-saving mode has very fast wake-up speed and is imperceptibly quiet when idleCons: * Toner cartridges seem a bit expensive ($70 x 4) for the expected yield (1400 pages).
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Great actually
by arza1999 on January 12, 2009
Pros: Price vs. what you get is great! But if you think price does not matter, then you should reconsider if you want this. Otherwise, works great.
Cons: Size is very big! If space matters for you, then get a slimmer one and spend another 100 bucks.
Summary: People who complained about the color photo prints, you need to calibrate properly. Photo printing is very good.
Summary: People who complained about the color photo prints, you need to calibrate properly. Photo printing is very good.
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Crapy printer
by pobapoba on August 5, 2009
Pros: Fast
QuietCons: Poor quality
Paper Jams
ExpensiveSummary: Look elsewhere
Summary: Look elsewhere
0 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: HP
- Part number: CC376A#ABA
- Description: Easily produce high-quality color output fast with HP's most affordable color LaserJet ever! Watch your business documents shine with the vibrant color of HP ColorSphere toner. Rely on its convenient print features to make your job easier.
General
- Printer Type Workgroup printer - Laser - Color
- Width 15.7 in
- Depth 17.8 in
- Height 10 in
- Weight 38.8 lbs
- Localization English / United States
Printer
- Print Speed up to 12 pages/min - Black normal - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), up to 12 pages/min - Black best - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), up to 8 pages/min - Color normal - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in), up to 8 pages/min - Color best - Legal (8.5 in x 14 in)
- Connectivity Technology Wired
- Interface USB
- Max Resolution ( B&W ) 600 dpi x 600 dpi
- Max Resolution ( Color ) 600 dpi x 600 dpi
- Image Enhancement Technology HP ImageREt 2400
Processor
- Processor 284 MHz
RAM
- RAM Installed ( Max ) 16 MB / 16 MB (max)
Media Handling
- Media Type Cards, Labels, Envelopes, Plain paper, Glossy paper, Recycled paper, Transparencies
- Min Media Size (Custom) 3 in x 5 in
- Max Media Size (Custom) 8.5 in x 14 in
- Media Weight 60 g/m2 - 220 g/m2
- Total Media Capacity 150 pages
- Output Trays Capacity 50 sheets
Duty Cycle
- Monthly Duty Cycle 25000 pages
Telecom
- Modem None
Networking
- Networking None
Scanner
- Type None
Copier
- Copier Type None
Expansion / Connectivity
- Expansion Bays Total (Free) None
- Connections 1 x Hi-Speed USB
- Compatible Slots None
Power
- Power Device Power supply - Internal
- Power Consumption Operational 290 Watt
Software / System Requirements
- Software Included Drivers & Utilities
- OS Required Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Environmental Standards
- EPA Energy Star Compliant Yes
Manufacturer Warranty
- Service & Support 1 year warranty
- Service & Support Details Limited warranty - 1 year
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 59 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 90.5 °F
Accessories
- HP USB Network Print Adapter - print server (32756789)69.98
- HP Photo Paper - heavy-weight two-sided glossy photo paper - 200 sheet(s) (31397732)25.28 - 36.99
- HP USB Network Print Adapter - print server (32956493)82.99
- HP Color Laser Presentation Paper - heavy-weight glossy paper - 300 sheet(s) (31829401)10.89 - 19.64
- HP Laser Photo Paper - heavy-weight two-sided glossy photo paper - 100 sheet(s) (31397676)14.99 - 22.90
Manufacturer info
- HP
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse HP products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://www.hp.com
- Address:
3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185
