HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges

Expert Verdict

A laser printer is a big investment for either a big or small business. To reap the benefits, there are several considerations to be put in place before purchasing one. These include the cost, activities of the business, connectivity, installation, usage, power consumption, repairs and speeds. But a printer is like any other device and that's why performance should be the number one consideration. It doesn't matter the size of your business, because you will need a printer that can meet your demands in terms of speed, quality and efficiency.

HP Color LaserJet Pro M254dw is the go-to printer for all your needs. It has a maximum resolution of 600× 600 dpi for color. Not to mention, it can also print in monochrome. For the best printing results, you can also opt for HP Advanced Paper Pro. The printer has an input capacity of 250 sheets and an output of 100 sheets in one tray.

This printer comes with four HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges to produce prints. They are black, cyan, magenta and yellow. Each toner cartridge helps in giving clearer and crispier documents and images. It is thus important that you use the machine with high-quality HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges for maximum performance. Matching the printer and the cartridge will ensure that everything is consistent, reliable and of top-notch quality. Also, these toner cartridges will avoid any kind of damage to the printer.

Print speed is always a factor that is considered when buying a new printer whether laser or inkjet. The manufacturer's print speed matters and it works if the machine is under good conditions. The HP Color LaserJet Pro M254dw produces bold text with smooth and clean borders. It also helps to save on paper and energy consumption.

As wireless connected WiFi is getting more popular, so is security. If it is not managed properly it is susceptible to security threats that could hurt the business. Most HP printers are set with specific security features for each printer and its consumables. If it uses non-HP circuitry, it will block the cartridge. For M254dw, it is only compatible with HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges, either original or compatible. The advantage of using them is that the printer will notify you when the toner is about to run out. You can choose to upgrade the security features with an HP JetAdvantage Private Print. This will safeguard documents and data without having to spend. Apart from high-quality printing and superb speed, it also features mobile connectivity in terms of both WiFi and Ethernet. In addition, you can also print with a USB cable. This makes this device one of the most considerable choices for a micro office or workgroup.

The output quality of the HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges is above average in its class. It is a perfect match for most lasers making it suitable for any business needs. The output is considered good enough for any business especially for marketing although they are not that high quality.

Sometimes, if you print italics at fonts smaller than 10 points, some areas of text appear slightly pale. This is the only disadvantage that keeps the device away from receiving a perfect score. That said, the problem is minor enough that users happily use the machine for printing without even noticing it.

In terms of photo quality, HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges are excellent at producing graph-based business documents. However, the printer falls short of producing output like family photos as it delivers pixelated images.

Despite this, the HP Color LaserJet Pro M254dw is fast, secure, convenient, power-efficient and affordable. It is a good investment for a small business or workgroup that is looking to upgrade to a better and fast printing machine. Plus, the HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges do not cost much in the long run. But if you are looking to buy a printer for your family, mostly for photos, you would have to continue your exploration.

Review

HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw is neat-looking bright white printer designed for home or small office. The device is integrated with advanced features like wireless connectivity that supports mobile printing and scanning capability. Other prominent facilities are automatic duplexing and a wide colour touchscreen.

The printer weighs 14.8 kg and measures 392 x 419 x 247.5 mm in width, depth and height, respectively. The control panel features a 6.85 cm intuitive colour touchscreen with 3 buttons on the top left side to support convenient navigation. For printing in black and white or colour, HP claims a speed of up to 21 ppm. But if you are printing with the automatic duplexer it takes up to 12 ppm. The overall quality of print output for both monochrome and colour is good for daily business requirements. In addition, HP gives an option for high-yielding HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges to avoid spending time in replacing toner on a frequent basis. There are multiple options for connectivity. These include Ethernet, USB (front-facing), WiFi and WiFi Direct. Wireless connectivity enables printing and scanning from mobile devices. Moreover, it also supports cloud printing.

• Easy to set up and compact
• Features intuitive colour touchscreen
• Good printing speed
• Great quality printing
• Supports installation of high-capacity HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges
• Capable of automatic duplexing
• Wireless connectivity option available
• Mobile printing and scanning possible

• Multifunction capabilities are lacking
• The fax function is absent
• Not designed for large office environments

The compatible HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw toner cartridges are:

• HP 203X Black toner cartridge
• HP 203X Cyan toner cartridge
• HP 203X Magenta toner cartridge
• HP 203X Yellow toner cartridge
• HP 203X multipack toner cartridge

HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw enables printing for a variety of purposes. Further, its power to print quality output wireless allows you to expand your work potential. Considering the features, the printer is ideal for homes or workgroups of 2 to 5.

How to deal with the toner cartridge error that appears on your HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254DW printer’s screen?

If an install black cartridge error message appears on your printer’s control panel, then it indicates missing/wrongly installed HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254DW toner cartridge, presence of non-HP toner cartridge or obtrusive material in the machine. Install a compatible HP toner cartridge to resolve this error but if it’s already installed, then take the following steps:

Step 1: Make sure that you are using only genuine HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254DW toner cartridge: - It’s highly recommended that you use only genuine HP toner cartridge to ensure peak printing speed and quality. Usage of non-HP or refilled cartridge might not just affect the machine’s print quality but also damage its drum unit.

Step 2: Ensure that no packing material or stuck paper is preventing the HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254DW toner cartridge from being recognized. Make sure that the toner cartridge and the printer doesn’t contain any sort of packing material or stuck paper.

Follow these useful steps to get rid of any intrusive material:

• Switch OFF the HP machine.
• Disconnect the machine’s power cord from its given slot.
• Open the machine’s top cover until it’s locked in the same position.
• Check the internal components for any packing material such as cardboard, tape or paper debris. Remove them if and when they’re found.
• Remove the toner cartridge from the machine and check it thoroughly for all the aforementioned material.
• Gently shake the cartridge back and forth to evenly distribute the toner inside it.
• Re-insert the toner cartridge into the machine and close its top cover.
• Connect the power cord to the machine and switch it ON.

Step 3: Clean the toner cartridge’s electric contact points:

• Open the machine’s top cover until it’s locked in the same position.
• Remove the toner cartridge from the machine.
• Wipe the top left contact (e-label) on the toner cartridge from a lint free cloth.
• Place the toner cartridge back into the machine at its designated slot.
• Close the machine’s top cover.

Step 4: Reset the machine:

• Disconnect the power cord from the printer while it’s turned ON.
• Unplug the power cord from its source.
• Wait for a minute and reconnect the cord to the printer.

Step 5: Replace your toner cartridge if none of the aforementioned solutions work.

Q. Can HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw Toner Cartridges go bad?
A. The good news is that HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw Toner Cartridges can be stored for long periods of time without going bad. But also HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw Toner Cartridges neither last forever, nor do they store well after one year.

Q. Does HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw Toner printer come with any toner?
A. Yes, HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw Toner Cartridges unit has four toner cartridges (1 black and 3 colors- Cyan, Yellow, Magenta).

Q. “I plan to use HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw Toner printer only periodically. Do any problems arise to HP Colour LaserJet Pro M254dw Toner Cartridges, if the printer is not used on a daily basis”?
A. Generally there will be no problems since it's a dry toner. If it were an inkjet with wet ink, then you would have all kinds of problems if not printing on a regular basis.

Q. “When I print from Internet Explorer or Outlook/ Outlook Express, the page does not print as expected. For example, the left or right hand portion of the page is printed on a separate piece of paper or is blank.”
A. Many users commonly face this problem with HTML files. There are four things you can do to resolve this issue: You can change the margin settings in your software application, making the margins smaller, allowing the printer more space to print the page.

• Open Internet Explorer.
• Click File and select the Page Setup. You can change the margin settings.
• Now change the printer orientation from portrait to landscape as this will increase the print area.
• There are many web pages where there is a link to a "Printable" version of a page. If you find one, just click it and follow those instructions.