Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct support. Does not support automatic two-sided duplex printing. The M102w is fast enough given its size and price, and it prints terrific-looking text, if not always graphics and images. But it can't print hp laserjet pro m12a pages automatically the way our Editors' Choice models, the and thecan. Design and Features Measuring 7. The M102w does not support auto-duplexing, meaning that to print two-sided pages you have to turn them over manually. The M102w's maximum duty cycle is 10,000 pages, with a recommended monthly volume of 150 to 1,500. If you choose this option instead of Wi-Fi, you'll lose some cloud and mobile connectivity. As is the case with many laser printers, removing, unsealing, and shaking this LaserJet's toner cartridge is not necessary. Assembly includes attaching a clear, somewhat flimsy dust cover over the paper input tray; it's easily broken, so be careful around it, but the cover is not required to operate the printer. At startup, the installation program asks whether to install from the disk or from the Internet. I chose the latter, which involved downloading the latest version of the drivers and utilities. The installation software found the printer right away and that part of the setup process went smoothly—until the end, that is. Clicking Cancel on the registration page brought up a dialog box that claimed that canceling registration would prematurely end setup, which in most cases means a failed installation. I resolved this by checking the Windows Printers and Scanners control panel to make sure the printer had installed properly. I can't help but wonder, though, if given this class of printer and its prospective users many people would know how to figure out that cancelling registration would not stop the software from installing. When printing our lightly formatted Microsoft Word document, after averaging several attempts, I came up with only 15. Most printers' print speeds tank by at least 40 percent at this point. Output Quality While the M102w printed well-shaped and highly legible text down to the smallest size we measure 5 pointsits graphics and images were inconsistent. Many of our charts and graphs came out with noticeable streaking, especially in dark backgrounds and gradients. These flaws were neither glaring nor unsightly enough to make our pages containing graphics unusable, but they're enough to limit the M102w to internal use. We can't recommend the M102w for printing external PowerPoint handouts, or for use in any other scenarios where your goal is to impress. Photos, too, were mixed, with smaller photos displaying the best results. Our 4-by-6-inch snapshots were at least newspaper quality, but most of our 8-by-10-inch images came out with streaks similar to those we noticed in our business graphics, as well as a lack of detail for a monochrome laser, that is in some images. Running Costs If you plan to print more than a few hundred pages each month, the M102w's running cost of 3. A cost of upwards of 3 cents per page is not unusual for an entry-level monochrome laser printer like this, but nearly all of the M102w's competitors have lower hp laserjet pro m12a costs. The more you print, the more these seemingly small differences cost you. If, on the other hand, running costs are important and, of course, your application doesn't require laser outputyou might want to try Epson's slightly more expensive. But if all you need is to print a few hundred text pages or pages containing images and graphics for internal use each month, the M102w should serve you well, hp laserjet pro m12a though each page will cost you more than with many of its competitors. Keep in mind that you do not get automatic two-sided printing, though turning your pages over manually should not be a big deal if your print volume is low. Contributing Editor William Harrel is a contributing editor focusing on printer and scanner technology and reviews. He has been writing about computer technology since well before the advent of the internet.
