There are 3 models in the HP LaserJet 1200 printer line-up. The C7044A is the base model. The C7047A is the HP LaserJet 1200SE, or special edition. The C7048A model is the LaserJet 1200n. The 1200n is a product bundle for network printing. All of the models come equipped with sharp and vivid 1200 printer toner cartridges.

The most versatile versions of the 1200 are the 1220 and 1220SE models. These take the base or special edition LaserJet 1200 printer and add hardware and software to create a combination scanner, printer and copier. One can also add scan and copy capabilities with the C7046A, a compatible peripheral.

The laser printer business was started by Hewlett- Packard over a quarter of a century ago. In March of 1984 HP released the first LaserJet, a printer for personal computers. Print speed was 8 pages a minute. Resolution was three hundred dots per square inch. An 8 MHz processor was used and the memory capacity was one hundred and twenty-eight kilobytes, including controller memory.

Graphics capabilities were still a far off dream. The best the original LaserJet could manage were lines. But they were solid lines, not dotted ones. The ability of LaserJet technology to print solid characters was the chief attraction of HPs new kind of printer. Current models like the 1200 series print photo-quality graphics. That is because the 1200 has 15MB of hard drive at its disposal. The 1220 version needs a whopping one hundred and sixty.

Porting the LaserJet 1200 printer requires either a USB or a dedicated ECP or IEEE 1284. These latter two must be parallel bi-directional ports. The attached computer must have a CD-ROM. The print server that must be used for extensive networking is not included.

In 1987 the LaserJet Series 2 was released by HP. This was the first tentative step towards a mass-market laser printer. The product targeted the small to medium size business market.

In the fall of 1989 HP brought out a printer for the SOHO sector. At half the size and expense of LaserJet Series II, LaserJet IIP was, in all ways, a mass-market item. It can truly be called the first printer for the consumer market.

The LaserJet 1200 stands ten inches high, nineteen long and just over sixteen wide. In order to accommodate the scanner copier combination, the 1220 is 6 inches taller, but has the same dimensions otherwise. Both units print at the same speed. Eight and a half by eleven print jobs are completed at a fifteen pages per minute rate. Eight and a half by thirteen print jobs are slower but not by much, a page per minute.

An admirable characteristic of Hewlett-Packard is the attention the company pays to the environment. The 1200 printer series is no exception. The PowerSave features lowers consumption when the unit is not in use but is still on.

Another great feature of the HP environmental awareness program is how they handle HP LaserJet cartridge. There is an Econo-Mode setting that can and should be used for internal documents. Save the good stuff for paying situations. Plastic pieces weighing more than 25g are marked for appropriate recycling. In addition to the Econo-Mode, there is a feature for manual duplex and a reducer that permits printing, on one page, two or more pages.