Old Reliable - The HP LaserJet 1200 Printer

There are 3 models in the HP LaserJet 1200 printer line-up. The C7044A is the base model. The C7047A is the HP LaserJet 1200SE, or special edition. The C7048A model is the LaserJet 1200n. The 1200n is a product bundle for network printing. All of the models come equipped with sharp and vivid HP 1200 series toner.

The most versatile versions of the 1200 are the 1220 and 1220SE models. These take the base or special edition LaserJet 1200 printer and add hardware and software to create a combination scanner, printer and copier. One can also add scan and copy capabilities with the C7046A, a compatible peripheral.

The laser printer business was started by Hewlett- Packard over a quarter of a century ago. In March of 1984 HP released the first LaserJet, a printer for personal computers. Print speed was 8 pages a minute. Resolution was three hundred dots per square inch. An 8 MHz processor was used and the memory capacity was one hundred and twenty-eight kilobytes, including controller memory.

Due to the limitations of memory technology at the time, the original LaserJet was unable to do graphics. By comparison, the modern 1200 prints photograph quality graphics. But to do this, the 1200 needs fifteen megs of hard disk space. The 1220 requires 160.

Porting the LaserJet 1200 printer requires either a USB or a dedicated ECP or IEEE 1284. These latter two must be parallel bi-directional ports. The attached computer must have a CD-ROM. The print server that must be used for extensive networking is not included.

In 1987 the LaserJet Series 2 was released by HP. This was the first tentative step towards a mass-market laser printer. The product targeted the small to medium size business market.

In the fall of 1989 HP brought out a printer for the SOHO sector. At half the size and expense of LaserJet Series II, LaserJet IIP was, in all ways, a mass-market item. It can truly be called the first printer for the consumer market.

The LaserJet 1200 stands ten inches high, nineteen long and just over sixteen wide. In order to accommodate the scanner copier combination, the 1220 is 6 inches taller, but has the same dimensions otherwise. Both units print at the same speed. Eight and a half by eleven print jobs are completed at a fifteen pages per minute rate. Eight and a half by thirteen print jobs are slower but not by much, a page per minute.

The dedication of Hewlett-Packard to being environmentally responsible is impressive. The care begins in the design. And it continues throughout the life cycle of the product.

You can save on toner by using the Econo Mode feature for internal jobs. Because start-up takes several seconds, the PowerSave feature cuts energy use during idle times without sacrificing up-time. Double-sided printing is possible. The N-up feature reduces the original enough to allow printing two pages on a single sheet of paper. Plastic parts suitable for recycling, including the housing, are identified with the appropriate recycling stamp.

Cartridge recycling is a company specialty, for the HP LaserJet 1200 printer and all HP laser printer cartridges. Addressed and postage stamped envelopes are part of all cartridge packaging. When the HP cartridge is empty, just pop it in the envelope and mail it back, free, in 25 different countries. HP takes care of the rest.