HP M127fn review

The HP M127fn is a mono laser multifunction printer (MFP) with an Ethernet network connection, and although it’s cheap it doesn’t look it. However, the M127fn has a few compromises. The paper tray is a simple fold-down affair with no cover, so the top sheet will gather dust when you aren’t printing. The hinges holding the scanner lid don’t extend upwards to accommodate thick originals, and the paper output tray is squeezed in below the scanner bed. There are some neat touches, though. We like the tilting control panel which can be set in four positions so that you can see it from a low sideboard height up to eye level.

Unfortunately, the controls can be difficult to use. It takes a while to learn the icons and feel your way around the fax and copy menus, and not all of the options are intuitive. Graphics on photocopies were too dark, but instead of making a simple brightness adjustment we had to switch the mode from Text to Mixed. We switched off the annoying key beep, but discovered that without it there’s no visual indicator to confirm when you’ve selected a menu item, which led to some confusion.

Happily, print quality was good. Black text was excellent, and graphics and photos were well exposed and smoothly shaded. Scans had accurate colours and, while not particularly sharp, didn’t seem to suffer from the overt processing artefacts for which we often criticise HP imaging devices. Sadly this MFP is stuck with the same over-simplified scan interface, our least favourite of any manufacturer. Among our complaints are its lack of truly advanced options, no auto marquee or exposure features and the inability to select a custom scan resolution. Compounding the latter, the preset options don’t include the otherwise universal 150 dots per inch (dpi).

As with many network printers, the M127fn has a handy web-based administration interface

At 18.3 pages per minute (ppm), text printing was close to HP’s claimed 20ppm, and graphical jobs weren’t far behind at 16ppm. A single copy took just 15 seconds, but the 35-page ADF seemed lethargic, contributing to an unhurried 10-page copy time of one minute, 38 seconds. Scans were quite quick up to 600dpi, but at 1,200dpi it took just under two minutes to capture a postcard-sized photo.

The TWAIN scan interface options aren’t particularly advanced

The M127fn uses a single consumable that combines drum and toner in one. There’s a 700-page starter toner in the box, and 1,500-page replacements cost about £47, giving high running costs of about 3.1p per page. That may not be a problem if you plan to print only a few pages a week, but in more demanding use it’s better to pay more up front for a device with lower running costs. The cheaper Epson WorkForce WF-3540DTWF inkjet offers colour printing, more features and lower page costs.