Colour LaserJet CM2320nf printer

This HP Colour LaserJet CM2320nf is compact and well designed, but its black toner is particularly expensive.

The HP Colour LaserJet CM2320nf has a fairly basic set of features. In addition to the 250-sheet main input tray and 50-sheet multipurpose tray, a 550-sheet extra tray is available.

The automatic document feeder (ADF) holds 50 sheets for copying or scanning. Disappointingly, it can't perform automatic duplexing, but helpful on-screen prompts walk you through the manual process. The HP Colour LaserJet CM2320nf's control panel is straightforward: all buttons are clearly labeled and grouped. A 2.4in, tiltable colour LCD shows menu options and status messages.

Hewlett-Packard includes its useful HP Document Manager software for initiating and organising your scans and faxes. The HTML-based documentation does a nice job of covering the HP Colour LaserJet CM2320nf MFP's principal functions but is sketchy on some details.

The Colour LaserJet CM2320nf posted average or better-than-average scores in our tests. HP's specs claim that the model has a top speed of 21 pages per minute for both black-and-white text and colour image printing, but in our tests the machine managed a pedestrian 17ppm for text and 4.1ppm for colour graphics — though the latter is above average for this category.

Text output is outstanding and ornate fonts stood out sharply, even at small point sizes. Most of the HP Colour LaserJet CM2320nf's colour prints appeared to be somewhat oversaturated, although fleshtones looked realistic; colour scans varied in saturation, too. Scans and copies of monochrome graphics struggled with fine details.

The Colour LaserJet CM2320nf's toner system is a bit quirky — and pricey. The cartridge rack slides out on loosey-goosey arms that feel unreliable for long-term service, and the toner cartridge slots are not keyed. To make matters worse, when we deliberately switched colours, the alerts on the LCD and on HP's ToolboxFX status and settings applet were vague.

Printing isn't cheap. A low-volume office might not feel the pinch for a while, but busier workplaces will. And because the HP Colour LaserJet CM2320nf ships with 1,200-page starter cartridges, you'll need to buy replacements sooner rather than later.