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When sizing up the HP LaserJet 1300 printer using HP 1300 cartridges, be prepared for a number of pleasant surprises. That's because Hewlett-Packard has included several useful functions and features in a printer that is actually very nicely priced. In fact, one doesn't often see a laser printer at this price with such reliable performance and speed, along with several useful options that improves functionality, including the ability to use several different operating systems.

In truth, this particular monochrome laser printer probably is intended to work either within a small network workgroup or as a personal printer for most any application in which a black-and-white printer is required. It's most likely that it will spend much of its time on a desktop in a small office or home office. In terms of size, it's only 19 pounds in weight and about 16 inches in width, which is why it'll end up on many a desktop.

When it comes to speed of printing, there aren't too many printers at this price range that can crank out 20 pages per minute of good quality black-and-white product. In fact, most of the 1300's competitors are stuck back at the 15 to 16 page per minute level. They also cost a bit more than what this versatile and useful LaserJet printer is going for lately.

In addition, it looks like this Hewlett-Packard printer demonstrates versatility in other areas, including how it can be connected to a single computer or a networked workgroup. It will come to its user with both parallel port and USB capability, which every information technology specialist or office guru appreciates because it will be much easier to integrate it and get it running quickly.

Print quality is also excellent, with Hewlett-Packard giving the printer a 1,200 x 1,200 dots per inch print resolution capability. For a printer designed to be used in a general way for most text print jobs, having the ability to deliver 1,200 dots per inch resolution means it also can handle graphics-rich or even photo-rich tasks adequately enough for most jobs.

16 MB of onboard memory comes with the 1300. It can be bumped up to 80 MB of memory, although it'll probably be more the case that most users will find they don't need quite that much. Stick with the original 16 MB and then bump that up if it's required after a period of assessment. At any rate, it'll be possible to save a little money before spending it on memory that may not be needed in the first place.

When it comes to how much paper the printer can hold, it's the case that a total of 260 sheets of paper can be kept - 250 sheets in its single input tray and another 10 sheets in a separate custom slot. It can print out on transparencies, envelopes, labels and a number of different kinds of standard plain paper. For sure, it's a very versatile and highly likable printer, especially for the price.

And that price is where the HP LaserJet 1300 printer really impresses, because at present it's going for around $100 in a very nice refurbished condition. Even a new this machine goes for about $150. For those on a budget, having the choice of a HP replacement toner of this print quality and speed for around that price is sure to be a powerful attractant. Delivering good print speed, excellent reliability and a nice size would seem to make this printer a good candidate for many entrepreneurs on a budget.