PRINTING. The HP Laserjet Pro M402dn prints using laser technology, which picks up powdered 'toner' on a roller and fuses it to the paper with heat. It has very good text quality, though not quite as good as other laser printers. Text printing was very quick, 18.8 pages per minute, costing 2.2 cents per page. It prints black-and-white graphics well enough for most purposes, such as school reports, at 7.5 pages per minute, costing 0 cents per page. It has an auto duplex feature that lets you print both on sides of the page, with no loss of quality. The capacity of the main paper tray is 250 sheets, a generous size. There's a second tray for full-size paper, allowing you to load letterhead paper, for instance.
CONTROLS and DISPLAY. The printer has a small 1-inch display screen.
CONNECTIVITY and NETWORKING. You can connect directly to a PC with a USB cable, or to your network router with an Ethernet cable.
COST OF OWNERSHIP. When this section was last updated, the printer's purchase price was about $300, expensive for a black and white laser printer. But printing uses up toner. Over time, as you print, the costs add up. The toner cartridge used in testing was: 26X. At the time, its price was $197. We estimate the cartridge to last for at least 74.4 months (per a typical printing schedule). After 2 years of typical use, we estimate the total cost to be $330, typical for a mono laser. The estimated yearly cost is $20, very low for this printer type. So the 3-, 4- and 5-year estimates are about $350, $370 and $380 respectively.
NOTE. This printer was noisier than most while printing, so you might want to locate it away from sleeping areas. Limited access to the paper path.
PRINTER FIRMWARE. Firmware is software that exists inside the printer. All models are evaluated using the latest firmware version available at the time of testing. The firmware version of the HP Laserjet Pro M402dn was 20150506.
SOFTWARE. The collection of software accompanying the printer may include: the printer driver, printer applications, electronic user manual, (and for all-in-ones:) scanning, faxing, and OCR apps. These get installed on your personal computer. All models are evaluated with a Windows 10 PC using the latest version of printer driver and printer support apps available at the time of testing. The software version was 8.10.1320.2893.
ABOUT SOFTWARE AND FIRMWARE VERSIONS. Our test results are valid for the versions indicated. If your printer's software and firmware differ from the ones shown you either have an older or a newer version of these. Manufacturers may periodically upgrade the printer's firmware to enhance operation, fix bugs, or add features. Firmware upgrades are downloadable directly to your printer via a wired or wireless network (if internet capable). You can check your printer's firmware version, or upgrade to the latest firmware by either (1) running the HP printer-update app installed on the PC, or (2) accessing the "Settings" section of the printer menu and navigating to the firmware update option. Consult the user manual or HP's website if further guidance is needed. Try searching online.
