I have been fond of Hewlett-Packard [HP] products for many years. The company has been a leader in the personal computer field for quite some time and is distinguishing itself as a capable competitor with their fine line of inkjet and laserjet printers. My latest purchase, a LaserJet 1012, has proven to be an accomplished workhorse. I will review with you why I give this printer such high marks.

1. Top Quality For years, I had enjoyed working with HP laserjets at my place of employment. The 600 dpi printing capabilities of these particular models meant that all my documents were crisp and sharp and as professional as anything that an offset printer could produce. With prices exceeding one thousand dollars I knew that such equipment was beyond what I could afford for myself. Still, when it came time for me to start my own business, I discovered that HP had launched a line of printers that everyone could afford. Thus came into being the HP Laserjet 1012, a black and white printer sporting a resolution level as high as 1200 dpi. My favorite feature is its ability to crank out 15 pages per minute; for someone who produces multiple documents that feature is a real time saver.

2. Compact The original HP laserjets were noisy and clunky. Not so with the HP 1012. No screeching of the printer wheels either, a distraction found in early models the Hewlett Packard has successfully refined away over the years. The unit is always on and it occupies about half the space of many older HP models.

3. Versatile You can print out letter, legal or index paper and the unit can handle standard business envelopes...without jamming! Recommended monthly output is 5000 copies; I haven't approached that amount yet but my past experience is that you can safely exceed HP recommended limits.

4. Affordable Priced competively, the HP 1012 can be purchased for about $200. not including rebates. At various times HP offers a rebate which will lower the price even further; I have seen a $50. rebate offered from time to time. To me, the unit is worth much more than the price you pay for the output it produces. In addition, the toner cartridge that came with the unit is the standard size. I have seen new printers with a cartridge that only prints out 200-300 copies before running out of toner. The HP 1012 cartridge that comes with the machine produces up to 2000 copies. Replacements can easily be obtained at any major office supply store or online.

I purchased my unit from a national office supply store. After one year of service, I can say that it meets all of my expectations and then some. I give the product a 5-star rating, the highest possible rating a product can receive.