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There's a lot to like about this multifunction printer which, for not a lot of money, will happily sit in the corner of the office quietly getting on with all the basic printing and copying jobs small companies are likely to throw at it. It could be a bit quicker. It could also be a bit better, but at the price we can't see how and the disadvantages are far outweighed by everything else this HP product brings to the MFP party.
We liked
The MFP M225 is a really smart looking device and takes up far less desk space compared to some other MFPs at which we've looked. As might be expected, the HP laser engine is fast and more than capable of delivering the kind of documents this business workhorse will be expected to produce. The duplexer worked flawlessly and, although there's only one paper tray, it's adequate to the role and you get a good choice of interface options including direct WiFi as well as wireless network support.
The front-mounted USB port is another useful option, enabling scans to be saved to a USB memory stick at the device rather than having to navigate network folders. Documents can also be printed from USB media which is good if worried about document security although secure printing is available as an option on this printer in North America.
We disliked
The touch screen was nowhere near as sensitive as we'd like - at times we had to resort to using the end of a pen to make it work. We also found the interface hard to follow and couldn't quite work out why HP had opted to include a batch of Web apps, most of which seemed to be aimed at consumers rather than business users.
Another issue was the illuminated on/off switch next to the screen. We initially thought this only put the printer into sleep mode but it really does power it down and, although convenient, having it at the front makes it all too easy to turn off accidentally.
Single-sided scanning is another limitation and although fax support clearly ticks another box it seems a bit of waste given that so few business have a fax any more. We would also like to see a real "high yield" consumable, the 2,200 page cartridge doesn't quite cut it in that respect.
Final verdict
The HP LaserJet Pro MFP M225 meets most of the needs of the small business wanting to print, scan and copy documents. Of course you're limited to black and white, but that's fine for the majority of business work and keeps running costs low, plus colour can be handled separately using an inkjet rather than buying an expensive colour laser MFP. Paper handling could be better and single-sided scanning/copying is a limitation but at the price it's still good value for money and well worth considering.
