A monochrome laser printer that's appropriate for a medium-size workgroup is the HP LaserJet 4050 Printer. While it has sufficient features, and HP LaserJet 4050 compatible toners, to come up with professionally rendered documents, it leaves room for expansion in the future. Among them are media handling capacity, memory and network hookup choices. It also boasts of a control panel help normally found on more expensive office equipment.

It has a desktop form factor in white, which has a dimension of 13.5 in (h) x 19.4 in (d) x 15.4 in (w). It has a weight of 39.2 lb. Inside it is a 133MHz microprocessor known as NEC RISC, or Reduced Instruction Set Computer. This powerhouse allows the printer to have a printing rate of 17 ppm. What's more, there's also a ceramic structure inside it, the Instant-On fuser, which allows for the first page to be already out within 15 seconds.

There's an 8MB memory that contains productivity essentials such as 110 TrueType fonts and printer languages like PCL 5E, PCL 6 and PostScript 2. However, the pre-installed RAM may be expanded to a max of 192MB. This is possible due to the available 3 DIMM 100-pin slots for additional memory, fitted onto the unit's body. Likewise, an optional 2GB external hard drive may be attached to it. Such allows you extra storage for everyday print jobs, forms, languages, fonts, etc.

There are a couple of input paper trays to meet the productivity needs of a busy office environment. The top tray can work with 100 sheets, while the bottom tray can take as much as 500 sheets. Increased media input in the future can be handled by the optional high-capacity trays and duplexer unit. When it comes to media dimensions supported, the unit can take 3" x 5" to 8.5" x 11" sizes. Types of media supported are extensive, from regular paper, labels, transparencies, envelopes to card stocks.

A print resolution of 1200 dpi x 1200 dpi enables rendering of clean and crisp printouts containing text or graphics. This laser also boasts of the Ultraprecise HP LaserJet toners and Resolution Enhancement technology developed by HP itself. Working together, it's possible to achieve output ideal for corporate presentation or other professional applications.

What this machine isn't short of is the connectivity choices that make it suitable in the modern workplace. Both the IEEE 1284 EPP/ECP and D-Sub RS-232 9-pin slots make it hassle-free to connect to a mid-size network. Additionally, it's possible to attach optional Jetdirect print servers, as well as LocalTalk and TokenRing for compatibility with multiple network operating systems. An infrared adapter (sold separately) may be attached to the unit. This allows you to print from a laptop, PDA or other infrared-enabled gadgets.

HP has set its duty cycle to 10000 pages every month. By not going beyond this recommended number of monthly impressions, printer and supplies can work optimally. The addition of a control panel help enables the operator to troubleshoot the printer right on the machine. Such feature spares you from having to call support or get a technician.