HP LaserJet 5L 
by Clarke Bird

 I browsed the computer stores with their numerous printer displays, scanned the prices and features listed, and talked to the salesmen who usually referred me to the "push a button to produce a printed page" technique of viewing page output. Most articles I've read said take a file you've created on a disk to your computer store to produce a printed page. Yeah, try that in San Antonio. I was never able to find a printer that was attached to a PC where you could print your own file from disk. In other words, you have to make a buying decision (sometimes an expensive decision) based upon the "push a button" technique mentioned earlier.

 I next went to the downtown San Antonio library to do a computer search on PC printer reviews in computer magazines. I had narrowed my search down to 2-3 printers in my price range of $500 or less. Reading these reviews was very helpful to narrow the field. I found several articles that I photocopied and brought home to study further. I settled on the Hewlett Packard HP LaserJet 5L laser printer.

I called several computer stores to verify the price (they were all the same) and made my decision. I used a discount coupon ad that appears monthly in PC Alamode to get 5% off the then retail price of $479 (HP is now giving a $50 mail-in rebate and bundling some software with the printer).

 My computer is a Compaq Presario 972 that "goes to sleep" after a user-set amount of inactivity. The monitor screen goes blank and the hard drive shuts down, but the cooling fan stays on. This allows the computer to receive phone calls and faxes day and night but saves energy by not operating fully unless the mouse button or a key on the keyboard is depressed. A feature of the LaserJet 5L is after 15 minutes of inactivity, the printer shifts to a powered down state called SleepMode, consuming only 6 watts of electricity, about the same amount as a VCR while not in use. The LaserJet 5L has no on/off switch. When the computer sends a print command, the 5L "wakes up" displaying a blinking light on the front of the printer housing. A few seconds later, it begins printing. The light says on until it powers down (after about 15 minutes of inactivity).

The LaserJet 5L has a small, 13 inches wide by 12 inches deep, "footprint," occupying about one-half the desk space as my old HP IIP, a definite plus in producing PC Alamode each month. The LaserJet 5L feeds paper vertically down into the printer housing in a "U" configuration, moving the printed page up and out the top. Or, by moving a lever on the front of the printer, you change the paper path into a "L" configuration, with the paper exiting the front of the printer. This latter configuration is recommended for printing on label paper or on envelopes.

Print speed is 4 pages per minute from a 100 sheet primary paper input bin. Acceptable paper size ranges from 3in X 5in up to 8.5in X 14in. A secondary paper bin for single sheet input without unloading the primary paper bin is handy for printing a letterhead page, envelopes, and small paper sizes (up to 20 sheets).

Base memory in the printer consists of 1 MB of RAM, upgradable to a maximum of 8 MB 5V DRAM memory card. It is not compatable with PCMCIA memory cards or SIMM memory.

 The cost per printed page frequently boils down to the cost of the toner cartridge and its life expectancy. HP says the LaserJet 5L cartridge will print approximately 2500 pages at 5% toner coverage. During the production of the last issue of PC Alamode, my LaserJet 5L ran out of toner and since I was against deadline, I didn't have time to shop prices. Using another member discount at a computer superstore, I paid $59 for a new replacement cartridge so therefore, an average printing cost would be about 2 cents per page.

 Faults? I would have to be pretty nit picking to find a fault with the LaserJet 5L. OK, there is one. You are asked to put a gummed paper label on the paper input bin to remind you to remove and realign all paper before adding new paper supply to avoid multiple paper feeds, thereby jamming the printer (yes, I've jammed the printer by adding paper without following directions). The fault? The gummed label doesn't stay stuck on the housing. Jam the printer once and you won't need a paper label to remind you to remove paper before adding more you will remember!

 Would I recommend this printer to fellow members? First of all, there is Hewlett Packard's excellent reputation for building quality printers. With the $50 rebate and software that is now bundled with the purchase, I defy you to find a better 600 dpi printer for the price.