Brother HL-4040cn

The good: Great print quality; USB port for cameras and flash drives; network-ready; reprint, direct-print, and secure print features are useful.

The bad: Black print speeds are on the slow side; input paper capacity is not expandable; no optional duplexer available.

The bottom line: Despite its lagging black print speeds, the Brother HL-4040CN does a lot of things right and makes a compelling color laser printer for small offices or workgroups.

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Description: The Brother HL-4040CN is a 21 ppm, color laser printer. Compared to other color lasers on the market, it is very inexpensive at around $380. This unit features 2400dpi.

Pros: This printer supports color at a resolution of 2400 dpi x 600 dpi. Ethernet capability allows this printer to be more easily integrated into a LAN network, without the need for a server. The printer’s 300 MHz processor allows the printer to transform a complex document into its printed form faster, speeding up printing.

Cons: Only prints at 21 ppm speed. This is not out of line with the product's price, but is slower than the average laser printer on the market today. This laser printer does not support two-sided printing.

Suitability: A color laser printer, suited for printing images, presentations, as well as documents in color. This printer is capable of accepting pages up to legal (8.5 in x 14 in) and A4 (8.25 in x 11.7 in).

Value: In view of its very inexpensive price, this laser printer has great features for the money.

Suggestions: For help in finding the right printer for you, visit CNet's buying guide for printers