We live in an age when customers are used to printers that can simultaneously scan, copy, fax, print images from smart cards and on to DVDs, produce duplex documents, connect through Bluetooth and Wi-Fi and virtually make you a cup of tea at the same time. Yet sometimes all you really need - especially in home and small business settings - is a hard-working mono printer that will produce good quality documents at a decent speed whilst holding down running costs, with the occasional scan thrown in from time to time.

HP's entry-level LaserJet Pro M1132 MFP multi-function laser printer aims to fulfill just that role. It's neat and compact, measuring a tidy 415 x 265 x 250mm and weighing a comparatively light 7kg. It has a stylish - without being showy - matt black finish and all controls and connections are kept to a minimum. A drop-down input tray at the front holds 150 sheets of A4, and directly above it, the built-in output bin can manage up to 100 sheets at a time. Duplex printing has to be done manually, however, and there are no USB flash card or memory card slots.

There's also a noticeable absence of Ethernet or Wi-Fi connections, so you're left merely with a link to the PC via USB lead. Having said that, HP has reduced the set-up time significantly by including its Smart Install technology which allows you to plug the USB into the computer and begin the whole installation process without the need for a separate CD.

Like everything else, the control panel is stripped down to basics, with a two-digit LED display alongside up and down arrows, start and stop buttons and a set-up button that shuttles between numbers of copies, dark/light tone and copy size. While we understand the desire for simplicity, this still feels like a dinosaur arrangement compared with the sophistication that most multi-function printers currently manage.

Print speed, on the other hand, is impressive, as the standard Fast Res 600 setting produced the claimed 18ppm of A4 sheets, with even the Fast Res 1200 option achieving 12ppm and the Fast Res 600, put into Economode, pushed out 19 ppm. Print quality on both the main settings was consistently good, with bold, solid blacks. Scanning resolution can reach as high as 1200dpi but bear in mind that the basic default 150dpi setting for scanning documents managed no more than 4ppm.

Energy conscious owners will be pleased about HP's Auto-On/Auto-Off feature which puts the machine in sleep mode whenever it senses it's not being used, and cartridge running costs work out at around 3.1p per page.

Verdict
The no-frills, no-bells HP LaserJet Pro M1132 MFP is a stylish and fast little mono printer which is quick to set up and has useful energy saving attributes, but its controls seem old-fashioned and scanning is slow.

Company: HP

Contact: 0845 270 4142

Tags: printer bluetooth hewlett-packard duplex printing wi-fi hp laserjet universal serial bus hardware