The Imaging Channel

HP has replaced the LaserJet 4345 MFP line with the new M4555 machines, a family of A4 monochrome print, copy and scan devices available with or without faxing capabilities. The M4555 MFP series are based on the print engine found in the LaserJet 4015 and 4515 and feature an 800 MHz Intel LE80578 processor. The new MFPs have a top print speed of 55 ppm and a 225,000 page-per-month duty cycle. The machines come with a number of standard features including a new color front-panel interface, a 50-sheet automatic document feeder, and standard duplex printing. The M4555 line ships with 1280 MB of RAM and an embedded hard drive and is available with a range of paper-handling capabilities depending on the model.

The M4555 line employs two new cartridges including the 10,000-page, standard yield CE390A (90A) cartridge and the high-capacity CE390X (90X) SKU, which has a yield of 24,000 pages. The new cartridges feature a chemically grown monochrome toner with a fusing temperature that HP claims can lower energy consumption by 18 percent compared to the toner used in the 4345 MFP. The new 90A toner cartridge sells for $171.99 and the 90X costs $286.99. HP's new MFP line also requires a 250,000-page maintenance kit that sells for $299.

The M4555 lineup is competitive in terms of its acquisition price and feature set. With a cost per page of 1.3 cents, the machines are not the cheapest to operate, however. It costs only  0.79 cent to print a page with the Samsung MultiXpress SCX-6555N and just over a penny a page to print with the Sharp MX-B402. The M4555 line sits in about the middle of the market in terms of operating costs, with the upper end of the range currently more than 1.5 cents for this type of device. The 55-ppm Oki MB700 series has a cost per page of about 1.7 cents, making it one of the most expensive departmental MFPs to operate.

The M4555 family will be sold through HP’s open distribution channels, and all three models above are currently shipping in North America. The M4555h base unit is a print, copy, scan device with an encrypted hard drive and two 500-sheet input trays, while the M4555f adds fax capabilities and an additional 500-sheet tray integrated along with a cabinet. The M4555fskm MFP is the fully featured model and comes configured with a 900-sheet, three-bin stapling mailbox finisher along with the two 500-sheet trays found in the base, and a paper-feed unit with three 500-sheet trays. A base model without the hard drive will be marketed in the EMEA region only.

Standard

Windows print driver (HP PCL 6 discrete), SNP alerts, Mac print driver, Installation software on CD-ROM for Windows and Mac
Digital Sending: Scan to E-mail; Save-to-Network Folder; Save-to-USB drive; Send to FTP; Send to LAN Fax; Send to Internet Fax

Optional

HP Remote User Assistance, HP Network Installation, HP secure Hard Drive Installation and Startup

M4555h: 2 x 500 sheet trays + 100-sheet bypass tray for a total of 1,100 sheets
M4555f: 3 x 500 sheet  trays + 100-sheet bypass tray for a total of 1,600 sheets
M4555fskm: 5 x 500-sheet  trays + 100-sheet bypass tray for a total of 2,600 sheets